[Footnote 138: This and the three following, are from the celebrated
collection of early English poetry called the 'Poetical Rhapsody' by
Davison. Our text is from the third edition (1621) which in our case is
preferable, as having presumably been revised (in his contributions) by
Sir John: It is to be noted that in this edition the original simple I.
D. is in the second poem changed to Sir I. D., and that to the third
his name is given in full. I have included the Hymn on Music, though
the initials I. D. have been assigned to Dr. John Donne by Sir Egerton
Brydges and others. It seems to me that as (1) I. D. is our Poet's
designation in the 'Rhapsody' throughout, and as (2) the Lines were
not claimed for Donne by himself, or by his son when he collected his
father's Poems--we are warranted in assigning them to Sir John Davies.
Sir Egerton favours their Donne authorship simply because "they seem
rather to partake of the conceits of Donne than of the simple vigour
of Davies" but he forgot the 'Hymnes to Astræa' and 'Orchestra'; which
are in the same vein. It is to be regretted that Sir Nicholas Harris
Nicolas _modernized_ the text in his reprint of the 'Rhapsody': (2
vols. crown 8vo. 1826, Pickering): and perhaps equally so, that Mr.
Collier in his careful and beautiful private one, has selected the
first incomplete edition. The following is the title-page of the
edition of the 'Rhapsody' used by us: