NOTES CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY. THE two following letters, and also the admonition from "A. B.," To such as have or shall peruse, &c., are found in C (1643) and in most of the old editions, and also in several modern ones. A Letter sent upon the Information of Animadversions to come forth, upon the imperfect and surreptitious Copy of Religio Medici, whilst this true* one was going to the Press.† Honourable Sir, Give your Servant, who hath ever honour'd you, leave to take notice of a Book at present in the Press, intituled (as I am informed) Animadversions upon a Treatise lately printed under the Name of "Religio Medici;" hereof I am advertised you have descended to be the Author. Worthy Sir; permit your Servant to affirme there is contain'd therein nothing that can deserve the Reason of your Contradictions, much less the Candor of your Animadversions: and to certifie the truth thereof, that Book (whereof I do acknowledge my selfe the Author) was penn'd many yeares past, and (what cannot escape your apprehension) with no intention for the Press, or the least desire to oblige the Faith of any man to its assertions. But what hath more especially emboldened my Pen unto you at present, is, that the same *this true one] viz. ed. 1643. to the press, C; some later edd. have to press. Piece, contrived in my private Study, and as an exercise unto my self, rather than Exercitation* for any other, having past from my hand under a broken and imperfect Copy, by frequent transcription it still run forward in corruption,† and after the addition of some things, omission of others, and transposition of many, without my assent or privacy, the liberty of these times committed it unto the Press; from whence‡ it issued so disguised, the Author without distinction could not acknowledge it. Having thus miscarried, within a few weeks I shall, God willing, deliver unto the Press the true and intended Original (whereof in the mean time your Worthy Self may command a view) : otherwise when ever that Copy shall be extant, it will most clearly appear how far the Text hath been mistaken, and all Observations, Glosses, or Exercitations thereon will in a great part impugn the Printer or Transcriber, rather than the Author. If, after that, you shall esteem it worth your vacant hours to discourse thereon, you shall but take that liberty which I assume my self, that is, freely to abound in your sense, as I have done in my own. However you shall determine, you shall sufficiently honour me in the Vouchsafe of your Refute, and I oblige the whole World in the occasion of your Pen. Norwich, March 3, 1642. Your Servant, T. B. Worthy Sir, Speedily upon the Receipt of your Letter of the third Current, I sent to find out the Printer that Mr. Crooke § (who delivered me yours) told me was printing something under my * Exercitation] some edd. have an exercitation. + in corruption] some edd. have into corruption. from whence] some edd. have whence. Mr. Crooke] viz. the publisher of the early edd. of Religio Medici. name, concerning your Treatise of Religio Medici, and to forbid him any further proceeding therein; but my Servant could not meet with him; whereupon I have left with Mr. Crooke a Note to that purpose, entreating him to deliver it to the Printer. I verily believe there is some mistake in the information given you, and that what is printing must be from some other Pen than mine; for such reflections as I made upon your learn'd and ingenious Discourse, are so far from meriting the Press, as they can tempt no body to a serious reading of them. They were Notes hastily set down, as I suddenly ran over your excellent Piece, which is of so weighty subject, and so strongly penned, as requireth much time and sharp attention but to comprehend it; whereas what I writ was the imployment but of one sitting; and there was not twenty-four hours between my receiving my Lord of Dorset's Letter that occasioned what I said, and the finishing my Answer to him; and yet part of that time was taken up in procuring your Book, which he desired me to read, and give him an account of, for till then I was so unhappy as never to have heard of that worthy Discourse. If that Letter ever come to your view, you will see the high value I set upon your great parts; and if it should be thought I have been something too bold in differing from your sense, I hope I shall easily obtain pardon when it shall be considered, that his Lordship assigned it me as an Exercitation to oppose in it, for entertainment, such passages as I might judge capable thereof; wherein what liberty I took, is to be attributed to the security of a private Letter, and to my not knowing (nor my Lord's) the person whom it concerned. But, Sir, now that I am so happy as to have that knowledge, I dare assure you, that nothing shall ever issue from me, but savouring of all honcur, esteem, and reverence both to your self, and that worthy Production of yours. If I had the vanity to give my self reputation by entring the Lists in publique with so eminent and learned a Man as you are, yet I know right well, I am no ways able to do it; it would be a very unequal congress :* I pretend not to Learning; those slender notions I have are but disjoynted pieces I have by chance gleaned up here and there. To encounter such a sinewy Opposite, or make Animadversions upon so smart a piece as yours is, requireth a solid + Stock and Exercise in School-Learning. My superficial besprinkling will serve onely for a private Letter, or familiar‡ discourse with Lay § auditors. With longing I expect the coming abroad of the true Copy of that Book, whose false and stolen one hath already given me so much delight. And so assuring you I shall deem it a great good fortune to deserve your favour and friendship, I kiss your hand, and rest Your most humble Servant, Winchester House, the 20 of March, 1642. KENELME DIGBY. To such as have, or shall peruse the Observations upon a former corrupt Copy of this Booke. There are some men that Politian speakes of, Cui quam recta manus, tam fuit et facilis; and it seemes the Author to the Observations upon this booke, would arrogate as much to himself; for they were, by his owne confession, but the conceptions of one night, a hasty birth; and so it proves for what is really controllable, he generally omitteth : and what is false upon the error of the Copy, he doth not alwayes take notice of; and wherein he would contradict, he congress] some edd. have progress. Alluding to Virgil's Impar congressus Achilli. (Æn. i. 475). ta solid] some edd. have such a solid. 1 familiar] some edd. have a familiar. § Lay] some edd. have Lady. a former corrupt Cobv】 viz. ed. 1642. mistaketh or traduceth the intention, and (besides a parenthesis sometimes upon the Author,) onely medleth with those points from whence he takes a hint to deliver his prepared' conceptions. But the grosse of his Booke is made out by discourses collaterall, and digressions of his own, not at all emergent from this Discourse; which is easily perceptible unto the intelligent Reader. Thus much I thought good to let thee understand, without the Author's knowledge, who, slighting the refute, hath inforcedly published (as a sufficient confutation) his owne Booke: and in this I shall not make so bold with him, as the Observator hath done with that noble Knight, whose name he hath wrongfully prefixed (as I am informed) to slight Animadversions; but I leave him to repentance, and thee to thy satisfaction. Farewell. Yours, A. B. P. 1, 1. 6. Annotations] These are supposed by Wilkin (and with great probability) to have been written by a Mr. Thomas Keck of the Temple in 1644. They appear to have been first published in F (1656), and are to be found in all the authorized old editions. They have also been used more or less freely by several modern editors; in the present edition they have been much curtailed. P. 1, 1. 10. Observations by Sir Kenelm Digby] These were first published in 1643, and were afterwards (1659) appended to the Religio Medici. They have been frequently reprinted, but are omitted in this edition. P. 3. This address "To the Reader" first appeared in c. P. 3, 1. 1. greedy of life, &c.] Alluding (as Keck points out) to Seneca, Thyest. v. 882 : P. 4, 1. 3. mistake. "Vitæ est avidus, quisquis non vult, Mundo secum pereunte, mori." the reparation, C; D to L omit the, perhaps by P. 4, 1. 8. about seven years past] Hence, as this address "To the Reader" was first published in 1643, it appears that the Religio Medici was written about the year 1636. See the note |