Page:The works of Anne Bradstreet in prose and verse.djvu/50

 xlii INTRODUCTION.

England and New, Concerning their prefent trotibles. Anno 1642 ; " elegies upon Sir Philip Sidney and Queen Elizabeth; a poem "In honour of Da Bartas, 1641 ;" " DavicTs Lamentation for Saul, and 'Jonathan,^'' versified from the second book of Samuel ; and another, and the last, " Of the vanity of all worldly creatures "

Of the merit of these productions, I will say but little, leaving the reader to judge for himself on this point. I can hardly expect, however, that, after ' twice drinking the neftar of her lines,' he will "welter in delight," like the enthusiastic President Rogers.* Yet I am confident, that, if it is denied that they evince much poetic genius, if must, at least, be acknowledged that they are remarkable, when the time, place, and circumstances under which they were composed, are taken into consideration. They are quaint and curious ; they contain many beautiful and original ideas, not badly expressed ; and they constitute a singular and valuable relic of the earliest literature of the country. It is important that the reader should bear in mind the peculiarly unpropitious circumstances under which they were written. No genial coterie of gifted minds was near to cheer and inspire her, no circle of wits to sharpen and brighten her faculties ; she had no elegant surroundings of rich works of art to encourage and direct her tastes : but the country was a wilderness, and the people among whom she dwelt were the last in the world to stimulate or appre- ciate a poet.

Notwithstanding her assurance to her father that

" M J goods are true (though poor) I love no ftealth," f

Mrs. Bradstreet's longer poems appear to be, in many places,
 * See pages 93-96. t See page 9S, last line.

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