Sept. 11. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



247 



Archbishop Magee, in one of his Charges, very dis- 

 tinctly asserted the authority of the Irish Prayer Book 

 in Ireland."] 



MtANCIS DAVISON AND DR. DONNE. 



(Vol. vi., pp. 49. 137. 157.) 



Internal evidence is mucli in favour of Francis 

 Davison's claim to the version of the 137th Psalm, 

 printed in your pages. Sir Egerton Brydges first 

 gave it, with the other translations of the Psalms 

 by the two Davisons, at the end of his edition of 

 the Rhapsody (following the Harleian MS. 6930). 

 He had i)reviously printed three of the Psalms in 

 Lis Excerpta Tudoriana. It is only I think neces- 

 sary to compare this version with the metrical 

 introduction, there attributed to Francis Davison, 

 to be convinced that they are by the same hand. 

 In my opinion it is too simple for Donne ; and, as 

 the publication of his poems was posthumous, it 

 may have been printed among them from a tran- 

 script having been found among his papers ; as 

 ■was also most probably the case with Basse's 

 Epitaph on Shakspeare. 



The first edition of Donne's poems is in 4to., 

 1633, "printed by M. F. for John Marriott:" to 

 this is prefixed the striking portrait by Lombart, 

 which has more in it of tlie lieroical character than 

 the divine. In this edition the poems are indis- 

 criminately mixed up ; the sacred and serious 

 with those of a very different description. The 

 second edition is that in 12mo., 1635, as mentioned 

 by Dk. lliMBAULT and Mr. Bolton Corney, and 

 here we have his portrait at the age of eighteen.* 

 It is a very pleasing specimen of Marshall's en- 

 graving, but fine impressions of it are very rare. 

 Donne's arms are in the upper angle on the right, 

 with the motto " Antes ■ muerto que mudado." 

 Underneath are the following verses by Izaak 

 "Walton : 



" This was for youth, strength, mirth, and wit, that time 

 Most court their golden age ; but 'twas not thine. 

 Thine was thy later yeares, so much refin'd 

 From youth's drosse, mirth, and wit, as thy pure mind 

 Tliought (like the Angels) nothing but the praise 

 or thy Creator, in those last best dayes. 

 Witness this Booke, (thy emblem) which begins 

 With love, but endes with sighes and teares for sins." 



Accordingly in this edition the poems are classed : 

 the light and secular forming the first part, and 

 the sacred and serious the last. It has been said 

 that Donne's son (liow unworthy of such a father!) 

 was the editor of both these editions. I have 



* The portraits in youth and advanced age we have 

 of both Donne and Wither are extremely interesting ; 

 how much more so would similar representations of 

 Shakspeare have been ? 



reason to think that Izaak Walton may have been 

 instrumental to this improved arrangement. A 

 more complete edition was however given by 

 Donne's son in 1650, which was dedicated by him 

 to William Lord Craven (as Mr. Bolton Cornet 

 has stated), and therefore bears the stamp of 

 authority. 



The version of the 137 th Psalm occurs at 

 p. 157. of the 4to., and at p. 345. of the 12rao. 

 There are several verbal A'ariations from the copy 

 in your pages, which seems to be from the Harl. 

 MS. 



To return to Francis Davison : there are ver- 

 sions of thirteen Psalms by him, and of the 23rd 

 he has • given three translations. Two other 

 Psalms, the 15th and the 125th, are attributed ia 

 the MS. to Christopher Davison, which Sir Eger- 

 ton Brydges thinks may be a mistake for Walter. 

 The version of the 13th Psalm by Davison has 

 always been a favourite with me ; it has a sim- 

 plicity of expression, and an easy flow of versifica- 

 tion, which reminds us of George Wither in some 

 of his happiest veins. It may not be unacceptable 

 to some of your readers should you think proper 

 to subjoin it. 



" FSAL'jr XIII. USQUE QUO, DOMINE, ETC. 



« 1 Lord how long, how long wilt thou 



Quite forget, and quite neglect me? 

 How long with a frowning brow, 

 Wilt thou from thy sight reject me ? 



2 How long shall I seek a way 



Forth this maze of thoughts perplexed. 

 Where my griev'd mind night and day 



Is with thinking tired and vexed ? 

 How long shall my scornful foe, 



On my fall his greatness placing, 

 Build upon my overthrow, 



And be grac'd by my disgracing? 



3 Hear, O Lord and God, my cries, 



Mark my foes' unjust abusing, 

 And illuminate mine eyes, 



Heavenly beams in them infusing ; 

 Lest my woes, too great to bear. 



And too infinite to number, 

 Rock me soon, 'twixt hope and fear, 



Into Death's eternal slumber. 



4 Lest my foes their boasting make, 



' Spite of right, on him we trample,* 

 And a pride in mischief take, 

 Hearten'd by my sad example. 



5 As for me, I'll ride secure 



At thy mercy's sacred anolior,. 

 And undaunted will endure 



Fiercest storms of wrong and rancour, 



j 6 These black clouds will over blow, 



Sunshine will have his returning, 

 I And ray grief-duU'd heart, I know, 



I Into mirth shall change his mourning. 



