CHAPTER VIII

CONTROVERSIAL WORKS-DIVINE POEMS

THE close of Donne's residence at Mitcham was distinguished by a remarkable literary activity; this was indeed the moment of his life, from 1609 to 1611, at which his powers seem to have been most closely centred on literature. It is convenient to break off the record of his career at this point, to recapitulate and to review the various compositions of these months. We meet, first of all, with three curious books, each on the borderland of theology, and yet written by a man still resolutely determined to avoid the profession of divinity. These three works, Pseudo-Martyr, Ignatius his Conclave, and Biathanatos, are completely independent in intention and scope, but they have this one feature in common, they are the result of the peculiar mental discipline which Donne had gone through as the secretary and coadjutor of Morton in his controversy with the Roman Church, For years, now, Donne had been giving his most earnest attention to the points in dispute between the Church of England and the Papacy. He had been analysing and commentating, he had supplied Morton with an exact and copious précis of the arguments upon both sides. In the six volumes or tractates, which Morton had published, the mind of Donne had been ceaselessly active. Now, released from the service of the Dean, he continued to use his notes for his own purposes, reducing to order the spare material which remained at his hand.

It has been noted by Dr. Jessopp that "even if we had not been told that [Donne] gave Morton constant and valuable help, a comparison of the authorities quoted and referred to in Morton's Catholic Appeal with those set down

in Donne's Pseudo-Martyr, would convince a careful reader of the fact. The curious and out-of-the-way books cited in both works are very numerous, and not to be found elsewhere." Donne himself speaks of his intense study of the religious controversies of the time, of his "cribrating and re-cribrating and post-cribrating" the various arguments of the Popish Recusants. Of the results of these meditations, so far as they were independent of the guidance of Morton, it may be convenient to take Pseudo-Martyr first as the earliest published, although the latest in order of composition. Walton states that "about this time there grew many disputes that concerned the Oath of Supremacy and Allegiance, in which the King had appeared, and engaged himself by his public writings now extant; and his Majesty discoursing with Mr. Donne concerning many of the reasons which are usually urged against the taking of those oaths, apprehended such a validity and clearness in his stating the questions and his answers to them, that his Majesty commanded him to bestow some time in drawing the arguments into a method, and then to write his answers to them; and having done that, not to send but be his own messenger and bring them to him. To this he presently and diligently applied himself, and within six weeks brought them to him under his own handwriting as they be now printed; the book bearing the name of PseudoMartyr, printed anno 1610." 2

This account has always been taken as correct, but it is necessary to point out difficulties in the way of its acceptance. In the work itself, and particularly in the epistle of dedication to James I., there is no trace of any such royal command as Walton suggests. If the King did urge the composition of such a work, the author is very careful to conceal the fact. It may be only a blind which makes him seem to recommend his treatise, somewhat anxiously, to the King's notice; but his exact words deserve quotation :

"Of my boldness in this address, I most humbly beseech your Majesty to admit this excuse, that, having observed how much your Majesty had vouchsafed to de1 "Occasionally talking," 1640. 2 Most of this was added in 1659.

scend to a conversation with your subjects by way of your books, I also conceived an ambition of ascending to your presence by the same way, and of participating, by this means, their happiness of whom that saying of the Queen of Sheba may be usurped, Happy are thy men, and happy are those thy servants, which stand before thee always and hear thy wisdom."

This ambition, by means of an erudite contribution to controversy in the Royal sense, to elevate himself and to stand before the King, is perhaps more intelligible than Walton's story of the Royal command. But again, although it may well be that six weeks sufficed in which to write the Pseudo-Martyr, there is internal evidence to show that the inception of the work was not so sudden. I do not know whether the curious fact has been noted that, while the "Table of the Chapters handled in this Book" promises fourteen sections, the volume itself contains only twelve. This "Table" is printed on a separate leaf, and from a passage in the "Advertisement" it may be concluded that it was circulated so freely, before the publication, or even composition, of the volume, that it fell into the hands of the adversaries of Donne. It would seem that it was sent about, as a syllabus of the forthcoming book, probably in order that before handling so extremely delicate a theme the best legal and theological opinion in the country might be obtained. "Some of the Roman profession, having only seen the heads and grounds handled in this book" (which proves that the circulation of the syllabus was far from being confidential), "have traduced me as an impious and profane undervaluer of martyrdom."

Moreover, the opinion of the legal authorities, and in particular of Sir Edward Coke, having proved adverse to the treatment of the subjects proposed by Donne for his thirteenth and fourteenth sections, those projected chapters were never written at all; Donne "chose to forbear the handling" of these themes for the present. But he allowed them to appear in his Table of Contents, and we may give the headings here as suggesting what it was still a little.

too hazardous for the most loyal and the most learned of James I.'s subjects to discuss in the year of grace 1610.

66 CHAP. XIII.

"That all which his Majesty requires by this Oath [of Allegiance] is exhibited to the Kings of France, and not by virtue of any indult or concordat, but by the inherent right of the Crown.

CHAP. XIV.

"Lastly: That no pretence, either of conversion at first, assistance in the conquest, or acceptation of any surrender from any of our Kings, can give the Pope any more right over the Kingdom of England than over any other free State whatsoever."

When it came to be published, Pseudo-Martyr was a handsome quarto of 392 pages, and its sub-title clearly defined its scope in the words, "wherein, out of certain propositions and gradations this conclusion is evicted, that those which are of the Roman Religion in this Kingdom may and ought to take the Oath of Allegiance." The author's name does not appear upon the title-page, but the Epistle Dedicatory is signed by "Your Majesty's most humble and loyal Subject, John Donne." The copy in my own library has the interesting feature that it was presented to Rowland Woodward, and bears the inscription"Ex dono authoris Rou. Woodward: De juegos el mejor es con la hoja." This latter phrase, which seems to combine the double meaning: "The best of diversions is turning the page" [of a book] or the sword-blade [of a controversy], is an instance of Donne's fondness for using proverbial tags of Spanish. Walton's account of the haste with which the book was prepared is certainly borne out by the extremely formidable list of errata, which by no means exhausts the obvious misprints in the volume. Some of these deserve and account for Donne's irritation, as expressed "to the reader"; inciting for aviling and dominium