| ||
Robert Herrick
L. C. Martin, editor of The Poetical Works of Robert Herrick (1956), writing about Herrick's reputation, and having already traced the relatively few notices about him after his death in 1674, noted that "Inquiry in the Gentleman's Magazine (May 1796) had elicited some fresh information about him" (p. xix). What Martin and others have overlooked is two prior notices of Herrick in the GM, the first in 1773 when T. Herne enclosed two poems, "The Invitation to Corinna" (now known as "Corinna's going a Maying") and "The Captived Bee; or Little Filcher," prefacing them with the statement that "The enclosed poems were copied from the leaves of an old book brought from a chandler's shop. If you think them worth preserving, perhaps some of your readers may direct to the author, who seems to have been of the 15th or 16th century, and no contemptible poet" (p. 243). Whoever Herne
What is notable, besides full analysis of the GM pieces and the reminder that Eugenio was John Nichols and knew whereof he wrote, is that in the two poems submitted for printing in 1773 there are a number of substantive differences from the received texts. For "Corinna's going a Maying" I give the received text first: l. 6, Dew-be spangling/dew—bespangled; l. 8, you not drest/you're still undrest; l. 19 lacks the "spangled" of 1773; l. 24, on/in; l. 28, once we/we're to; l. 30 grove (2)/street (2); l. 34, a/or; l. 45, is/are. The most interesting differences are in ll. 8, 19, and 30, especially the last. Readers will decide their own preferences, remembering that the poems were "copied." "The captiv'd Bee: or, The little Filcher" is sufficiently short so that I give the received text with the 1773 differences in the margin, so that readers may assess the nature of the differences more readily.
It chanc't a Bee did flie that way,
(After a dew, or dew-like shower)
To tipple freely in a flower.
For some rich flower, he took the lip
Of Julia, and began to sip;
But when he felt he suckt from thence
Hony, and in the quintessence:Honey in
He drank so much he scarce co'd stir;
So Julia took the Pilferer.
And thus surpriz'd (as Filchers use)Being thus
He thus began himselfe t'excuse:
Sweet Lady-Flower, I never brought
Hither the least one theeving thought:Hither to you
But taking those rare lips of yours
For some fresh, fragrant, luscious flowers:For gay, fresh
I thought I might there take a taste,
Where so much sirrop ran at waste.sweetness ran
Besides, know this, I never sting
The flower that gives me nourishing:
For Honie, that I beare away.The Honey
This said, he laid his little scrip
Of hony, 'fore her Ladiship:
And told her, (as some tears did fall)
That, that he took, and that was all. that . . .that
At which she smil'd; and bade him goe
And take his bag; but thus much know,
When next he came a pilfring so,
He sho'd from her full lips derive,
Hony enough to fill his hive.to drown
| ||