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"Pearles may be foild, and gold be turn'd to drosse,
The sun obscur'd, the moon be turn'd to bloud,
The world may sorrow for Astrea's losse,

The heav'ns be darkned like a dusky wood,
Waste deserts lie where watry fountaines stood;
But faire Theologie (for so she hight)
Shall never lose one sparkle of her light.

"Such one she was, as in his Hebrew song
The wisest King for fairest creature prooves;
Embracing her the cedar-trees among,
Comparing her to roses and to doves,
Preferring her before all other loves;
Such one she was, and every whit as faire;
Beside these two was never such a paire.

"Her handmaids, in Amazon-like attire,

Went chaste and modest, like Dianae's traine;
One, by her gazing lookes, seem'd to aspire

Beyond the moone, and in a high disdaine

To deeme the world and worldly treasures vaine:
She hight Astrology, on whose bright lawne
Spheres, astrolabes, and skillful globes are drawne."

Again:

"The third, a quicke-ey'd dame of piercing sight,
That reason's worth in equall ballance way'd;
The truth she lov'd above all earthly wight,

Yet could not tell her love; but what she saide
Was certain true, and she a perfect maide :
Her garment short tuckt up, to worke prepar'd,
And she cal'd Logicke, without welt or gard.

"Next these, whose outward lookes I knew aright,
And had some portion of their endlesse treasure,
Faire Algebra, with figures richly dight,

Sweete Musicke! foundresse of delightsome pleasure,
Earth-scanning nimph, directresse of all measure:
These humbly did her soveraigne highnesse greete,
And meekely laid their garlands at her feete.

"From every one she pluckt a speciall flower,
And laid each flower upon a severall part;
Then from her owne, a stemme of wondrous power,
Whose leaves were beames, whose stalke a fi'ry dart,
And that she laid upon my trembling heart:

Those were the buds of art, this plant of blisse,
This gave them life, they yielded grace to this."

From the second and third part, which are called Wolseius Triumphans and Wolseius Moriens, there is little to extract. In the second canto he thus facetiously describes the long vacation:

"Now at such times as lawyers walke the streets,
Without long rowles of papers in their hands;
When friendly neighbour with his neighbour meetes,
Without false chalenge to each others lands,
The counsellor without his client stands !
When that large capitoll lies voide and waste,
Where senators and judges late were plac't."

In the third part, Wolsey mourns his fall. There occurs a beautiful idea in the following stanza:

"All as my chrysom, so my winding-sheete,

None joy'de my birth, none mourn'd my death to see ; The short parenthesis of life was sweete,

But short; what was before unknown to me,

And what must follow, is the Lord's decree:

The period of my glory is exprest;

Now of my death; and then my muse take rest."

The second of these two stanzas contains an image almost as fine as any to be found in poetry :

"I did not meane, with predecessors' pride,
To walke on cloth, as custome did require;
More fit that cloth were hung on either side

In mourning wise, or make the poor attire ;
More fit the dirige of a mournfull quire
In dull sad notes all sorrowes to exceede,
For him in whom the prince's love is dead.

"I am the tombe where that affection lies,
That was the closet where it living kept:
Yet wise men say, affection never dies;

No, but it turnes; and when it long hath slept,
Looks heavy, like the eie that long hath wept.

O could it die, that were a restfull state;
But living, it converts to deadly hate."

Such is the life and death of the great Cardinal; which, though we cannot recommend to any of our readers to read, we trust that our extracts will be found valuable-some of them beautiful: if, on no other account, yet certainly as a specimen of a poem which appeared before the play of Shakespear, in which the Cardinal occurs as a character, and who, perhaps, was indebted to our author for the idea of moulding this part of history into a drama. With the exception of a few lines, and some single expressions, which we cannot quote, we think we have exhausted the poem of all that a reader of taste would wish to peruse. Before we close, we beg leave to direct the reader's attention to the versification, which appears to us remarkably easy, smooth, and felicitous, for the time in which it was composed; and to do justice to a pomp and solemnity of thought which well befits the poet's subject.

ART. VIII.-Dris Martini Lutheri Colloquia Mensalia, or Dr. Martin Luther's Divine Discourses, at his table, &c., which in his life-time he held with divers learned men (such as were Philip Melancthon, Casparus Cruciger, Justus Jonas, Paulus Eberus, Vitus Dietericus, Joannes Bugenhagen, Joannes Forsterus, and others) containing Questions and Answers touching Religion, and other main points of Doctrine; as also many notable Histories, and all sorts of learning, comforts, advises, prophesies, admonitions, directions, and instructions. Collected first together by Dr. Antonius Lauterbach, and afterward disposed into certain common places by John Aurifaber, Dr. in Divinity. Translated out of the High Germane into the English tongue, by Captain Henrie Bell, London, 1652.

The history of this remarkable book is almost as extraordinary as its contents. It seems, from the preface of the translator, that nearly all the copies of the original work were destroyed by order of Pope Gregory the Thirteenth; and that a gentleman in 1652, on digging the foundation of a house, on a site occupied by his ancestors, turned up a book carefully wrapped in coarse linen cloth and covered with bees-wax, which proved to be the "Divine Discourses" of Luther, as buried by his grandfather, in order to evade the edict of the Pope. As at that time Ferdinand the Second filled the imperial throne, a bitter enemy of the Protestants; the gentleman, Caspar Von Sparr by name, only thought of getting the book safely out of his hands without destroying it. He happened to have an intimate friend in England, one Captain Henry Bell, well versed in the German language: to him, therefore, he despatches the sacred deposit, and accompanies it with strict charges to translate the work for

the benefit of the protestant church. These injunctions appear to have made a serious impression on the mind of the Captain; for, neglecting to obey them for a time, he was visited by a phantom, who repeated the commands of his friend Sparr, and added a threat which was but too shortly after carried into

execution.

"Then about six weeks after I had received the said book, it fell out, that I being in bed with my wife, one night between twelve and one of the clock, she being asleep, but myself yet awake, there appeared unto me an ancient man, standing at my bedside, arrayed all in white, having a long and broad white beard, hanging down to his girdle-steed, who, taking me by my right ear, spake these words following unto me. Sirrah! Will you not take time to translate that book which is sent unto you out of Germanie? I will shortly provide for you, both time and place to do it.' And then he vanished away out of my sight."

About a fortnight after this, Captain Bell was imprisoned in the Gate-house, Westminster, where he spent ten years of captivity. Five of these he employed on the translation of the work before us. It happened to reach the ears of Archbishop Laud, that he was so occupied, who sent his chaplain to demand the loan of the translation. This he kept about two years, and then declared that he had perused it with the utmost satisfaction, and promised that he would interfere in behalf of one who had employed his time to such good purpose. Soon after, the prisoner was set at liberty with a present from Laud; and the House of Commons in 1646, having notice that so valuable a work was completed, ordered it to be printed, which was accordingly done, though it did not make its appearance until after the death of the worthy translator.*

The contents of this book were chiefly collected from the mouth of Luther by Antony Lauterbach and John Aurifaber, more particularly the latter, who was much with Luther towards the latter end of his life. They consist of notes of his discourses with his various friends and disciples, his opinions, his cursory observations and familiar conversations in society, in the intercourse of private friendship, in his walks, during the

The order of the House of Commons runs thus: "Whereas, Captain Henry Bell hath strangely discovered and found a book of Martin Luther's, called his Divine Discourses, which was for a long time marvellously preserved in Germanie: the which book, the said Henry Bell, at his great cost and pains, hath translated into English out of the German tongue," &c.

performance of his clerical duties and at table. To use the words of an eloquent letter to the translator prefixed to this volume, "Herein is a full character of the free and zealous spirit of Martin 'Luther, who was a man of God raised in his generation with invincible courage to beat down the strongest holds of Satan, wherein for manie generations he had captivated the spirits of our forefathers under poperie. The depth and soliditie of his judgment may be discovered in the writings which he himself did publish in his life-time: but in this collection of his extemporary discourses published since his death, the fullness of his affection, and genuine readiness of his spirit, may be seen, which did incline him to advance the truth of the gospel, and manifest the testimonie of Jesus upon all occasions. And truly, I have met, (in that which I have looked upon) with many excellent and fundamental truths, necessarie to be minded in this age, as well as in that wherein he spake them; and the gracefulness which they have in their familiar and careless dress doth make them the more commendable to all men of ingenuitie, not only of popular capacities, but even of more raised thoughts. Whence I do probably conjecture that the plainness and great variety of matters contained in these discourses, did in the first reformation ingratiate the delivery and insinuate the consideration of most eminent truths with acceptance into all men's apprehensions, so far, as to cause the enemies of those truths to endeavour the suppressing of this book, which they found to be so much. taking with every body, and so full of deadly blows given to their superstition and hierarchie, to their profaneness, hypocrisie, and impietie."

It is, however, to the "full character of the free and zealous spirit of Luther," herein contained, that we chiefly intend to direct our attention; for such is the nature of its contents, that we should in vain seek elsewhere for more striking and interesting specimens of the talents, the disposition, and the manners of the great Reformer, than in this volume of his "Table-Talk." And certainly if the personal character of any individual deserves to be dwelt upon, it is that of Luther. In no other instance have such great events depended upon the courage, sagacity, and energy, of a single man, nor can there be found a more profitable study than the temper and peculiarities of one, who, by his sole and unassisted efforts, made his solitary cell the heart and centre of the most wonderful and important commotion the world ever witnessed; who, by the native force and vigour of his genius, attacked and successfully resisted and at length overthrew the most awful and sacred authority that ever imposed its commands on mankind.

In perusing the extracts we shall make from this book, it must always be recollected that they shew the Reformer in his

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