George Herbert (1593–1633)

Abstract

Unlike Donne, Herbert has one theme only and it runs through all his writings: Christianity and Christian experience. Inevitably much of his vocabulary is taken from religious sources, principally the Bible, but also the Liturgy and other medieval and Renaissance works and devotional writings, not excluding religious lyrics and the illuminated Books of Hours. Two well-known and popular books were the Biblia Pauperum and the Speculum humanae salvationis, both of which were illustrated.1 Herbert uses these not so much for vocabulary as for the inter-relating of images and symbols, and thus enriches the significance of many biblical allusions. References to the Bible and biblical stories of the Old and New Testaments are common. Often Herbert simply uses the names of biblical characters, clearly expecting his readers to be familiar with the context and significance of the names. An example is in the first stanza of ‘Decay’: Sweet were the dayes, when thou didst lodge with Lot, Struggle with Jacob, sit with Gideon, Advise with Abraham, when thy power could not Encounter Moses strong complaints and mone: Thy words were then, Let me alone. (11.1–5)