lucasta-第4章

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〃＇He＇　answered；　'On　Wednesday　last　was　sevennight；　he　came　from　Yorke；　and　came　to　his　house　in　London。

〃'He　heard　of　a　petition　that　was　never　delivered。

〃'He　never　heard　of　any　censure　of　the　Parliament。

〃'He　heard　that　a　paper　was　burnt　for　being　irregularly　burnt　＇？presented＇。

〃'He　had　heard　that　the　Petition；　that　went　under　the　name　of　the　Kentish　Petition；　was　burnt　by　the　hands　of　the　common　hangman。

〃'He　never　heard　of　any　order　of　either；　＇or＇　of　both；　the　Houses　concerning　＇the　Petition＇。

〃'He　was　at　Hull　on　Thursday　or　Friday　was　a　sevennight：　as　he　came　from　Yorke；　he　took　Hull　in　the　way。　　He　had　heard；　that　Sir　Roger　Twisden　was　questioned　for　the　like　Petition。

〃'He　was　yesterday　at　BLACKHEATH。'

〃Resolved；　upon　the　question；　that　Captain　Lovelace　shall　be　presently　Committed　prisoner　to　the　Gatehouse。

〃Resolved；　upon　the　question；　that　Sir　William　Boteler　shall　be　presently　committed　prisoner　to　the　Fleet。

〃Ordered；　that　the　sergeant　shall　apprehend　them；　and　carry　them　in　safe　custody；　and　deliver　them　as　prisoners　to　the　several　prisons　aforesaid。〃

On　the　4th　May；　1642；　the　House　of　Commons　ordered　Mr。　Whittlock　and　others　to　prepare　a　charge　against　Mr。　Lovelace　and　Sir　William　Boteler　with　all　expedition；　but　nothing　further　is　heard　of　the　matter　till　the　17th　June；　When　Lovelace　and　Boteler　petitioned　the　House　separately　for　their　release　from　custody。　Hereupon　Sir　William　was　discharged　on　finding　personal　bail　to　the　extent　of　10；000；　with　a　surety　for　5000；　and　in　the　case　of　his　companion　in　misfortune　it　was　ordered；　on　the　question；　that　〃he　be　forthwith　bailed　upon　GOOD　security。〃　　This　〃good　security；〃　surely；　did　not　reach　the　sum　mentioned　by　Wood；　namely；　40；000；　but　it　is　likely　that　the　author　of　the　ATHENAE　is　ONLY　wrong　by　a　cypher；　and　that　the　amount　fixed　was　4000；　as　it　has　been　already　suggested。　　Thus　Lovelace's　confinement　did　not　exceed　seven　weeks　in　duration；　and　the　probability；　is　that　the　sole　inconvenience；　which　he　subsequently　experienced；　was　the　loss　of　the　bail。

The　description　left　by　Wood　and　Aubrey　of　the　end　of　Lovelace　can　only　be　reconciled　with　the　fact；　that　his　daughter　and　heiress　conveyed　Kingsdown；　Hever；　and　a　moiety　of　Chipsted；　to　the　Cokes　by　marriage　with　Mr。　Henry　Coke；　by　presuming　that　those　manors　were　entailed；　while　Lovelace　Place；　as　well　perhaps　as　Bayford　and　Goodneston；　not　being　similarly　secured；　were　sold　to　defray　the　owner's　incumbrances。　　At　any　rate　it　is　not；　upon　the　whole；　very　probable　that　he　died　in　a　hovel；　in　a　state　of　absolute　poverty；　that　he　received　a　pound　a　week　（equal　to　about　4　of　our　money）　from　two　friends；　Cotton　and　another；　Aubrey　himself　admits；　and　we　may　rest　satisfied　that；　however　painful　the　contrast　may　have　been　between　the　opening　and　close　of　that　career；　the　deplorable　account　given　in　the　ATHENAE；　and　in　the　so…called　LIVES　OF　EMINENT　MEN；　is　much　exaggerated　and　overdrawn。

It　has　not　hitherto　been　remarked；　that　among　the　Kentish　gentry　who；　from　time　to　time；　elected　to　change　the　nature　of　their　tenure　from　gavelkind　to　primogeniture；　were　the　Lovelaces　themselves；　in　the　person　of　Thomas　Lovelace；　who；　by　Act　of　Parliament　2　and　3　Edw。　VI。　obtained；　concurrently　with　several　other　families；　the　power　of　conversion。　　This　Thomas　Lovelace　was　not　improbably　the　same；　who　was　admitted　a　student　of　Gray's　Inn　in　1541；　and　that　he　was　of　the　Kentish　Lovelaces　there　is　not　much　reason　to　doubt；　although；　at　the　same　time；　I　am　unable　to　fix　the　precise　degree　of　consanguinity　between　him　and　Serjeant　William　Lovelace　of　Gray's　Inn；　who　died　in　1576；　and　who　was　great…　grandfather　to　the　author　of　LUCASTA。　　The　circumstance　that　the　real　property　of　Thomas　Lovelace　aforesaid；　situated　in　Kent；　was　released　by　Act　of　Parliament；　2　and　3　Edw。　VI。　from　the　operations　of　gavelkind　tenure　（assuming；　as　is　most　likely　to　have　been　the　case；　that　he　was　of　the　same　stock　as　the　poet；　though　not　an　immediate　ancestor；）　seems　to　explain　the　following　allusion　by　Dudley　Lovelace　in　the　verses　prefixed　by　him　to　LUCASTA；　1649：

　　　　〃Those　by　the　landed　have　been　writ；　　　　　　Mine's　but　a　younger…brother　wit。〃

As　well　as　the　subjoined　lines　by　Lovelace　in　the　poem　entitled；　〃To　Lucasta；　from　Prison；〃　（see　p。　44　of　present　edition）：

　　　　〃Next　would　I　court　my　LIBERTY；　　　　　　And　then　my　birthright；　PROPERTY。〃

There　is　evidence　to　prove　that　Lovelace　was　on　intimate　terms　with　some　of　the　wits　of　his　time；　and　that　he　had　friendly　relations　with　many　of　themsuch　as　Hall；　Rawlins；　Lenton；　and　particularly　the　Cottons。　　John　Tatham；　the　City　Poet；　and　author　of　THE　FANCIES　THEATER；　1640；　knew　him　well；　and　addressed　to　him　some　stanzas；　not　devoid　of　merit；　during　his　stay　abroad。　In　1643；　Henry　Glapthorne；　a　celebrated　dramatist　and　poet　of　the　same　age；　dedicated　to　Lovelace　his　poem　of　WHITEHALL；　printed　in　that　year　in　a　quarto　pamphlet；　with　elegies　on　the　Earls　of　Bedford　and　Manchester。　　The　pages　of　LUCASTA　bear　testimony　to　the　acquaintance　of　the　author　with　Anthony　Hodges　of　New　College；　Oxford；　translator　of　CLITOPHON　AND　LEUCIPPE　from　the　Greek　of　Achilles　Tatius　（or　rather　probably　from　a　Latin　version　of　the　original）；　and　with　other　members　of　the　University。

Although　it　is　stated　by　Wood　that　LUCASTA　was　prepared　for　the　press　by　Lovelace　himself；　on　his　return　from　the　Continent　in　1648；　it　is　impossible　to　believe　that　any　care　was　bestowed　on　the　correction　of　the　text；　or　on　the　arrangement　of　the　various　pieces　which　compose　the　volume：　nor　did　his　brother　Dudley　Posthumus；　who　edited　the　second　part　of　the　book　in　1659；　perform　his　task　in　any　degree　better。　　In　both　instances；　the　printer　seems　to　have　been　suffered　to　do　the　work　in　his　own　way；　and　very　infamously　he　has　done　it。　　To　supply　all　the　short…comings　of　the　author　and　his　literary　executor　at　this　distance　of　time；　is；　unfortunately；　out　of　the　power　of　any　editor；　but　in　the　present　republication　I　have　taken　the　liberty　of　rearranging　the　poems；　to　a　certain　extent　in　the　order　in　which　it　may　be　conjectured　that　they　were　written；　and　where　Lovelace　contributed　commendatory　verses　to　other　works；　either　before　or　after　the　appearance　of　the　first　portion　of　LUCASTA；　the　two　texts　have　been　collated；　and　improved　readings　been　occasionally　obtained。

The　few　poems；　on　which　the　fame　of　Lovelace　may　be　said　to　rest；　are　emanations　not　only　of　the　stirring　period　in　which　he　lived；　but　of　the　peculiar　circumstances　into　which　he　was　thrown　at　different　epochs　of　his　life。　　Lovelace　had　not　the　melodious　and　exquisite　taste　of　Herrick；　the　wit　of　Suckling；　or　the　power　of　Randolph　（so　often　second　only　to　his　master　Jonson）。　Mr。　Singer　has　praised　the　exuberant　fancy　of　Lovelace；　but；　in　my　thinking；　Lovelace　was　inferior　in　fancy；　as　well　as　in　grace；　both　to　Carew　and　the　author　of　HESPERIDES。　　Yet　Lovelace　has　left　behind　him　one　or　two　things；　which　I　doubt　if　any　of　those　writers　could　have　produced；　and　which　our　greatest　poets　would　not　have　been　ashamed　to　own。　　Winstanley　was　so　far　right　in　instituting　a　comparison　between　Lovelace　and　Sydney；　that　it　is　hard　to　name　any　one　in　the　entire　circle　of　early　English　literature　except　Sydney　and　Wither；　who　could　have　attempted；　with　any　chance　of　success；　the　SONG　TO　ALTHEA　FROM　PRISON；　and　how　differently　Sydney　at　least　would　have　handled　it！　　We　know　what　Herrick　would　have　made　of　it；　it　would　have　furnished　the　theme　for　one　more　invocation　to　Julia。　　From　Suckling　we　should　have　had　a　bantering　playfulness；　or　a　fescennine　gaiety；　equally　unsuited　to　the　subject。　　Waller　had　once　an　opportunity　of　realizing　the　position；　which　has　been　described　by　his　contemporary　in　immortal　stanzas；　but　Waller；　when　he　was　under　confinement；　was　thinking　too　much　of　his　neck　to　write　verses　with　much　felicity；　and　preferred　waiting；　till　he　got　back　to　Beaconsfield　（when　his　inspiration　had　evaporated）；　to　pour　out　his　feelings　to　Lady　Dorothy　or　Lady　Sophia。　　Wither's　song；　〃Shall　I　wasting　in　Despair；〃　is　certainly　superior　to　the　SONG　TO　ALTHEA。　　Wither　was　fre