suggests, what is probably correct but had not been suspected by any
editor, that 'I' here, as often, is not the pronoun, but 'Aye'.
The order of the poems is that of the editions of 1635 onwards with
some modifications explained in the Introduction. In Appendix B I
have placed all those poems which were printed as Donne's in the old
editions (1633 to 1669), except Basse's _Epitaph on Shakespeare_, and
a few found in manuscripts connected with the editions, or assigned
to Donne by competent critics, all of which I believe to be by other
authors. The text of these has been as carefully revised as that
of the undoubted poems. In Appendix C I have placed a miscellaneous
collection of poems loosely connected with Donne's name, and
illustrating the work of some of his fellow-wits, or the trend of his
influence in the occasional poetry of the seventeenth century.
The work of settling the text, correcting the canon, and preparing the
Commentary has been done by myself. It was difficult to consult others
who had not before them all the complex mass of evidence which I had
accumulated. On some five or six places in the text, however, where
final question to be decided was the intrinsic merits of the readings
offered by the editions and by the manuscripts, or the advisability of
a bolder emendation, I have had the advantage of comparing my opinion
with that of Sir James Murray, Sir Walter Raleigh, Dr. Henry Bradley,
Mr. W. A. Craigie, Mr. J. C. Smith, or Mr. R. W. Chapman.
For such accuracy as I have secured in reproducing the old editions,
in the text and in the notes, I owe much to the help of three friends,
Mr. Charles Forbes, of the Post Office, Aberdeen, who transcribed the
greater portion of my manuscript; Professor John Purves, of University
College, Pretoria, who during a visit to this country read a large
section of my proofs, comparing them with the editions in the British
Museum; and especially to my assistant, Mr. Frederick Rose, M.A., now
Douglas Jerrold Scholar, Christ Church, Oxford, who has revised my
proofs throughout with minute care.
I am indebted to many sources for the loan of necessary material. In
the first place I must acknowledge my debt to the Carnegie Trust for
the Universities of Scotland for allowing me a grant of £40 in 1908-9,
and of £30 in 1909-10, for the collation of manuscripts. Without this
it would have been impossible for me to collate, or have collated
for me, the widely scattered manuscripts in London, Petworth, Oxford,
Cambridge, Manchester, and Boston. Some of my expenses in this
connexion have been met by the Delegates of the Clarendon Press, who
have also been very generous in the purchase of necessary books, such
as editions of the Poems and the Sermons. At the outset of my work
the Governing Body of Christ Church, Oxford, lent me the copy of
the edition of 1633 (originally the possession of Sir John Vaughan
(1603-1674) Chief Justice of the Common Pleas) on which the present
edition is based, and also their copies of the editions of 1639, 1650,
and 1654. At the same time Sir Walter Raleigh lent me his copy of
the edition of 1669. At an early stage of my work Captain C. Shirley
Harris, of 90 Woodstock Road, Oxford, communicated with me about
Donne's use of the word 'Mucheron', and he was kind enough to lend me
both his manuscript, _P_, and the transcript which he had caused to be
made. By the kindness of Lord Ellesmere I was permitted to collate
his unique copy of the 1611 edition of the _Anatomy of the World_
and _Funerall Elegie_. While I was doing so, Mr. Strachan Holme, the
Librarian, drew my attention to a manuscript collection of Donne's
poems (_B_), and with his kind assistance I was enabled to collate
this at Walkden, Manchester, and again at Bridgewater House. Mr. Holme
has also furnished a photograph of the title-page of the edition of
1611. To the authorities of Trinity College, Dublin, and of Trinity
College, Cambridge, I am indebted not only for permission to collate
their manuscripts on the spot, but for kindly lending them to be
examined and compared in the Library at King's College, Aberdeen;
and I am indebted for a similar favour to the authorities of Queen's
College, Oxford. In Dublin I met Professor Edward Dowden, and no one
has been a kinder friend to my enterprise. He put at my disposal his
interesting and valuable manuscript (_D_) and all his collection of
Donne's works. He drew my attention to a manuscript (_O'F_) in Ellis
and Elvey's catalogue for 1903. Mr. Warwick Bond was good enough to
lend me the notes he had made upon this manuscript, which ultimately
I traced to Harvard College Library. With Professor Dowden, Mr. Edmund
Gosse has given me the most generous and whole-hearted assistance.
He lent me, as soon as ever I applied to him, his valuable and unique
Westmoreland MS., containing many poems which were not included in any
of the old editions. Some of these Mr. Gosse had already printed in
his own delightful _Life and Letters of John Donne_ (1899), but he has
allowed me to reprint these and to print the rest of the unpublished
poems for the first time. From his manuscript (_G_) of the _Progresse
of the Soule_, or _Metempsychosis_, I have also obtained important
emendations of the text. This is the most valuable manuscript copy
of this poem. It will be seen that Mr. Gosse is a very material
contributor to the completeness and interest of the present edition.
To the Marquess of Crewe I am indebted for permission to examine the
manuscript _M_, to which a note of Sir John Simon's had called my
attention; and to Lord Leconfield for a like permission to collate a
manuscript in his possession, of which a short description is given in
the _Hist. MSS. Commission, Sixth Report_, p. 312, No. 118. With
Mr. Whitcomb's aid I was enabled to do this carefully, and he has
subsequently verified references. Another interesting manuscript
(_JC_) was lent me by Mr. Elkin Mathews, who has also put at my
disposal his various editions of the _Lives_ of Walton and other
books connected with Donne. Almost at the eleventh hour, Mr. Geoffrey
Keynes, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, discovered for me a copy of the
1612 edition of the _Anniversaries_, for which I had asked in vain in
_Notes and Queries_. I owe to him, and to the kind permission of
Mr. Edward Huth and the Messrs. Sotheby, a careful collation and a
photograph of the title-page.
For the Commentary Dr. Norman Moore supplied me with a note on the
Galenists and Paracelsians; and Dr. Gaster with the materials for a
note on Donne's use of Jewish Apocrypha. Professor Picavet, of the
Sorbonne, Paris, was kind enough to read in proof my notes on Donne's
allusions to Scholastic doctrines, and to make suggestions. But I have
added to these notes as they passed through the Press, and he must not
be made responsible for my errors. Mr. W. Barclay Squire and Professor
C. Sanford Terry have revised my transcripts and proofs of the music.
I desire lastly to express my gratitude to the officials of the
Clarendon Press for the care with which they have checked my proofs,
the patience with which they have accepted my changes and additions,
and the trouble they have taken to secure photographs, music, and
other details. Whatever faults may be found--and I doubt not they will
be many--in my part of the work, I think the part for which the Press
is responsible is wellnigh faultless.