_Loves Warre._
Till I have peace with thee, warr other men,
And when I have peace, can I leave thee then?
All other Warrs are scrupulous; Only thou
O fayr free Citty, maist thyselfe allowe
To any one: In Flanders, who can tell 5
Whether the Master presse; or men rebell?
Only we know, that which all Ideots say,
They beare most blows which come to part the fray.
France in her lunatique giddines did hate
Ever our men, yea and our God of late; 10
Yet she relyes upon our Angels well,
Which nere returne; no more then they which fell.
Sick Ireland is with a strange warr possest
Like to an Ague; now raging, now at rest;
Which time will cure: yet it must doe her good 15
If she were purg'd, and her head vayne let blood.
And Midas joyes our Spanish journeys give,
We touch all gold, but find no food to live.
And I should be in the hott parching clyme,
To dust and ashes turn'd before my time. 20
To mew me in a Ship, is to inthrall
Mee in a prison, that weare like to fall;
Or in a Cloyster; save that there men dwell
In a calme heaven, here in a swaggering hell.
Long voyages are long consumptions, 25
And ships are carts for executions.
Yea they are Deaths; Is't not all one to flye
Into an other World, as t'is to dye?
Here let mee warr; in these armes lett mee lye;
Here lett mee parlee, batter, bleede, and dye. 30
Thyne armes imprison me, and myne armes thee;
Thy hart thy ransome is; take myne for mee.
Other men war that they their rest may gayne;
But wee will rest that wee may fight agayne.
Those warrs the ignorant, these th'experienc'd love, 35
There wee are alwayes under, here above.
There Engins farr off breed a just true feare,
Neere thrusts, pikes, stabs, yea bullets hurt not here.
There lyes are wrongs; here safe uprightly lye;
There men kill men, we'will make one by and by. 40
Thou nothing; I not halfe so much shall do
In these Warrs, as they may which from us two
Shall spring. Thousands wee see which travaile not
To warrs; But stay swords, armes, and shott
To make at home; And shall not I do then 45
More glorious service, staying to make men?
[Elegy XX _&c._ _Ed: First published in F. G. Waldron's_ A
Collection of Miscellaneous Poetry, 1802, _from a MS. dated
1625; then by Sir J. Simeon in his_ Philobiblon Society
_volume of 1856. It is included among Donne's_ Elegies _in
A18, A25, B, Cy, D, H49, JC, L74, Lec, N, O'F, P, S, S96, TCC,
TCD, W. In B it has the title_ Making of Men. _The present
text is based on W_]
[7 all _A18_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_, _O'F_, _S_,
_S96_, _TC_, _W:_ most _JC_, _Chambers_]
[8 They beare most blows which (_or_ that) _A18_, _B_, _D_,
_H49_, _JC_, _L74_, _Lec_, _S_, _S96_, _TC_, _W:_ They must
bear blows, which _Chambers_]
[9 giddiness] guidings _Sim:_ giddinge _Wald_]
[11 well,] well _W_]
[13 a strange] straying _Sim_]
[16 head] dead _Sim_]
[19 the _A18_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _N_, _S_, _S96_, _TC_,
_W:_ that _Chambers_, _A25_, _JC_, _L74_, _O'F_]
[24 swaggering] swaying _Chambers_]
[25 consumptions,] consumptions _W:_ _line omitted_, _Wald_]
[29 lye] _spelt_ ly
_W:_ _and so_ 30 dy]
[33 gayne;] gayne _W_]
[37 There] These _Sim_
and, that, with, which] _contracted throughout_, _W_]