I was this morning at your door, somewhat early; and I am put into such a
distaste of my last Sermon, as that I dare not practice any part of it,
and therefore though I said then, that we are bound to speake aloud,
though we awaken men, and make them froward, yet after two or three modest
knocks at the door, I went away. Yet I understood after, the King was gone
abroad, and thought you might be gone with him. I came to give you an
account of that, which does as well. I have now put into my Lord of _Bath_
and _Wells_ hands the Sermon faithfully exscr[c]ibed. I beseech you be
pleased to hearken farther after it; I am still upon my jealousie, that
the King brought thither some disaffection towards me, grounded upon some
other demerit of mine, and took it not from the Sermon. For, as Card[inal]
_Cusanus_ writ a Book _Cribratio Alchorani_, I have cribrated, and
recribated, and post-cribated the Sermon, and must necessarily say, the
King who hath let fall his eye upon some of my Poems, never saw, of mine,
a hand, or an eye, or an affection, set down with so much study, and
diligence, labour of syllables, as in this Sermon I expressed those two
points, which I take so much to conduce to his service, the imprinting of
persuasibility and obedience in the subject, And the breaking of the bed
of whisperers, by casting in a bone, of making them suspect and distrust
one another. I remember I heard the old King say of a good Sermon, that he
thought the Preacher never had thought of his Sermon, till he spoke it; it
seemed to him negligently and extemporally spoken. And I knew that he had
weighed every syllable, for halfe a year before, which made me conclude,
that the King had before some prejudice upon him. So, the best of my hope
is, that some over bold allusions, or expressions in the way, might divert
his Majesty, from vouchsafing to observe the frame, and purpose of the
Sermon. When he sees the generall scope, I hope his goodnesse will pardon
collaterall escapes. I intreated the B[ishop] to aske his Majesty, whether
his displeasure extended so farre, as that I should forbear waiting, and
appearing in his presence; and I had a return, that I might come. Till I
had that, I would not offer to put my self under your roof. To day I come,
for that purpose, to say prayers. And if, in any degree, my health suffer
it, I shall do so, to morrow. If any thing fall into your observation
before that, (because the B. is likely to speake to the King of it,
perchance, this night) if it amount to such an increase of displeasure, as
that it might be unfit for me to appear, I beseech you afford me the
knowledge. Otherwise, I am likely to inquire of you personally, to morrow
before nine in the morning, and to put into your presence then
_Your very humble and very true, and
very honest servant to God and
the King and you_
J. Donne.
_I writ yesterday to my L[ord] Duke, by my L[ord]_ Carlile, _who assured
me of a gracious acceptation of my putting myself in his protection._
[cxxv.]
_To the Right Honourable Sir_ Robert Karre, _at Court_.