TH

ADVERTISEMENT.

HE Poems of "the Divine Herbert" will be found in this edition more complete than in any that hath heretofore appeared; they were first printed at Cambridge in 1633, entitled "THE TEMPLE Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations, by George Herbert," with a preface of "The Printers to the Reader," by Nicholas Ferrar, who was usually called The Proteftant Saint Nicholas, and the pious Mr. Herbert's brother,' to which are added certain Latin

and Greek poems. Of the Temple, it has been remarked by his first biographer, the Rev. Barnabas Oley, that "He that reads Mr. Herbert's poems attendingly, fhall finde not only the excellencies of Scripture Divinitie, and choice paffages of the Fathers bound up in meetre; but the doctrine of Rome also finely and strongly confuted; as in the poems To Saints and Angels,' The British Church,' The Church Militant,'" &c.

Richard Baxter, in the preface to his Poetical Fragments (Lond. 1681) fays:-" Next to the Scripture Poems, there are none fo favoury to me as Mr. George Herbert's and Mr. George Sandys's. I know that Cowley and others far excel Herbert in

wit and accurate compofure; But (as Seneca takes with me above all his contemporaries, because he fpeaketh things by words, feelingly and seriously, like a man that is past jeft, fo) Herbert fpeaks to God like one that really believeth a God, and whose businefs in this world is moft with God. Heart-work and Heaven-work make up his books."

Walton states that Herbert, on his death-bed, delivered the Temple to Mr. Edmond Duncon, his executor, with the following injunction: "Sir, I pray deliver this little book to my dear brother Ferrar, and tell him, he fhall find in it a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have paffed betwixt God and my foul, before I could subject mine to the will of Jefus my master, in whose service I have now found perfect freedom; defire him to read it, and then if he can think it may turn to the advantage of any dejected poor foul, let it be made public; if not, let him burn it, for I and it are less than the least of God's mercies.' Thus meanly did this humble man think of this excellent book, which now bears the name of THE TEMPLE, or Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations; of which Mr. Ferrar would fay, there was the picture of a Divine Soul in every page; and that the whole book was fuch a harmony of holy paffions, as would enrich the world with pleasure and piety. And it appears to have done fo, for there have been ten thousand of them fold fince the first impreffion."*

* Izaak Walton published his life of Herbert in 1670. In the fourth edition, 1674, Walton fays, that "there have been more than twenty thousand of them fold fince the first impreffion." The Temple was first printed at Cambridge, 1633;