THE TEMPLE: SACRED POEMS, and PRIVATE EJACULATIONS. By the Rev. GEORGE HERBERT. Late ORATOR of the University of CAMBRIDGE. To which is added, A Biographical SKETCH of the AUTHOR. In his Temple doth every Man speak of his Honour. A NEW EDITION. BRISTOL: PRINTED BY AND FOR R. EDWARD; LONDON. 147.g 620 PREFACE. THE HE Poems of HERBERT have an intrinfic excellence, which has been duly appreciated by a certain class of readers, from the time they firft made their appearance to the public eye. To offer any remarks, therefore, upon them, will be deemed by pious perfons who are already acquainted with the subject, equally improper and unnecessary. Notwithstanding, though the Poetry of HERBERT was much known, and, as it should feem by their frequent recital of fome of the ftanzas, held in no small eftimation by the devotional writers of the beginning of the prefent century, and though nothing can be faid to give it an additional recommendation to those who poffefs a copy, the piece itself being its sufficient patron -there are, however, many who have admired the detached sentiments they have met in the course of their reading other authors, but have never been able to meet a copy of the whole work. It was their inquiries fo often made after the Poems of HERBERT, that led the Editor into the design of publishing the prefent edition. Connected with this view indeed, was an additional wifh, to adminifter pleasure to all the lovers of divine Poefy. Acknowledging the deference due to the claffic Cenfor of the age, who maintains "that devotional poetry is always unfatisfactory, from the paucity of its topics enforcing perpetual repetition, and the fanctity of the matter rejecting the ornaments of figurative diction," it does not therefore follow that divine fubjects always difdain poetic drefs. Allowing they feldom admit of the brilliant ornaments of poetic diction, it furely will not be required to acknowledge their total incapability of it, though we regret their experiencing too feldom the culture of first-rate geniuses in the walks of poetry. That facred verfe can more than fatisfy that it can pleafe, delight, enchant, will be scarcely denied by the candid claffical readers of the poetry of Mofes, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk. And, leaving the ancient Poets, who could command by their mighty profopopeia all the objects of creation to adorn their fong-we could mention Vida of later times, and others whofe brows acquire no faint luftre from the wreath of Zion, though not generally permitted to share the laurels of Parnaffus. It is not prefumed, however, that the poems of HERBERT poffefs all the excellencies neceffary to the perfection of poetry; it is not even pretended they inherit many of the charms indifpenfably required by the acknowledged laws of criticism. We only wish it to be understood, that we confider them as difplaying fome genuine effects of the Poetic Afflatus. The little poem "On Virtue" might be inftanced. Mr. HERBERT's Poetry must be viewed in its own light. Though it does not barely glimmer with the phofphoric fpark of the glow-worm, it would be unjust to hold it up to the applied evidence of the meridian fun. The intention of fending it into the world either to challenge the acumen of the critics, or to court the favorable reception of candid admirers, had no impulfe in its production. It was the fpontaneous fruit of re H tired genius; a genius that in the lonely vale gave to it no other beauty or amelioration than it naturally derived from the innate virtues of its parent stock. In fome places we meet abruptly the "thought that lives." Elegance itself poffeffes not more delicacy than polishes not unfrequently fome of the verfes. But the manly fentiment, thrown into maxims, and expreffed in an extremely, terfe and commanding manner, charms while it informs the christian philofopher, and generally fucceeds in exemplifying the fundamental excellence of the ethics of our holy religion. There is, finally, a group of fingular excellencies, which, as they fecure the admiration of the select readers, fo they should be always taken into the estimate of HERBERT's poetry; this is the lovely combination of christian graces, which not merely adorn the author's thought, as in that cafe they might have been only adventitious, plucked with rude hand from the Eden of God, to bestow an ornament on fictious matter they are nothing less than the instinctive life and foul of the poetry. It is the holy Shechinah, that, though it be fometimes veiled in thick darkness, is yet at other times only "dark with exceffive brightnefs;" and whether He be immediately revealed or not, we feel that the prefent God always inhabits "The Temple." - After expreffing our regret that English lyric poetry had not in HERBERT's days been beautified by the reftraint Waller taught us to put upon the licentiousness of the mufe, which knew not how graceful her movements fhould become in that fpecies of poety when directed by measured numbers; we must be permitted to add, that neither had lyric poety then abandoned sterling wit and dignified fentiment, to folicit the caprice of ease and |