Allusions to Herbert in John Spencer and Edward Benlowes

Abstract

Allusions to Herbert in John Spencer and Edward Benlowes by Richard F. Kennedy John Spencer's ????? ??? ??O?/?. THINGS New and Old (1658)1 contains three references to George Herbert not in Robert H. Ray's The Herbert Allusion Book: Allusions to George Herbert in the Seventeenth Century, and not elsewhere noted.2 Spencer's huge volume is a collection wherein the author presents an anecdote, simile, or some natural phenomenon taken from an ancient or a modern writer, and then draws a moral or religious lesson from it. There are 2004 entries in 679 pages, from sources as various as Pliny, Petrarch, Bacon, and Donne. Among the approximately 700 authors listed as sources at the beginning of the book is "George Herbert" (A2D). The second reference comes in entry 882, which is here quoted in its entirety: To make Christ our Lord and Master. It is said of Mr. George Herbert that divine Poematist [margin: "Preface to his Poems"], that to satisfie his Independency upon all others, and to quicken his diligence in Gods service; he used in his ordinary speech, when he made mention of the blessed name of Jesus, to add, my Master; And without all doubt, if men were unfeignedly of his mind, their respects would be more to Christ's command, to Christ's will, to Christ's pleasure; could they but lift up their eyes to God. to him that dwells in the Heavens; then as eyes ofservants look unto the hands of their Masters, and as the eyes of a Maiden [margin: "Psalm. 12. 32"] unto the hands of her Mistress, so would their eyes wait upon, and their hearts be in a dutiful frame of obedience unto the commands of Christ their Lord and Master, (p. 224) 46Richard F. Kennedy Spencer is citing Nicholas Ferrar's preface to The Temple: "To testifie his independencie upon all others, and to quicken his diligence in this kinde, he used in his ordinarie speech, when he made mention of the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to adde, My Master."3 The final allusion is also to Ferrar's preface, and occurs in entry 1 1 84, which is on the subject of the devotion various men have given to the name of Jesus, and which refers to Herbert as follows: "And My Master, saies Mr. Herbert, that divine Poet, as oft as he heard the Name ofJesus mentioned, [margin: 'Poems in preface']" (p. 320). Whereas Spencer names Herbert, Edward Benlowes pays silent tribute to the poet by borrowing from him without acknowledgement. To the three allusions in his Theophila, Or Loves Sacrifice (1652) pointed out by Ray4 one may add three more. The concluding verse, stanza "C," of the Prelibation (p. 14) is a framed pattern poem in the shape of an altar, like Herbert's famous poem, and is probably inspired by it, for both poems are prayers of praise, though there are no close verbal similarities.5 There are, however, several verbal echoes from "The Altar" in two later stanzas: LXIII. Vast Cares, long dumb, thus vent. Flow Tears, Souls Wine, Juice of an Heart opprest; Encline, LORD, to this heart-broke Altar cemented with Brine! LXIV. Remorseful! Clouds, dissolve in Showr's; 'Tis Blood Turns rocky Hearts into a Flood: Eyes, keep your Sluces ope; HEAVN besf by Tears is woo'd. (p. 31) Compare particularly line 3 of the first tercet with Herbert's opening couplet: A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant reares, Made of a heart, and cemented with teares: HERBERT ALLUSIONS47 The final parallel is between Benlowes' phrase "Man is a World, and more" (stanza XCVII, p. 205) and Herbert's "Man," where he states "For Man is ev'ry thing, / And more" and, later, "Man is one world" (II. 7-8, 47). Notes St. Thomas University 'The title page goes on to describe the work as "A Storehouse of Similies, Sentences, Allegories, Apophthegms, Adagies, Apologues, Divine, Morali, Politicali, &c. With their severall Applications. Collected and observed from the Writings and Sayings of the Learned in all Ages to this present." 2Robert H. Ray, The Herbert Allusion Book: Allusions to George Herbert in the Seventeenth Century, Texts...