Francis Quarles' Divine Fancies

A Critical Edition

William T. Liston

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9780429655739
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Published in 1992, this volume is a critical edition of Francis Quarles' Divine Fancies, including a textual introduction, textual notes and chaptres on press-variants in Q1 and historical collation.

DIVINE

FANCIES:

Digested into

EPIGRAMMES,

MEDITATIONS,

AND

OBSERVATIONS.

By FRANCIS QVARLES.

LONDON,

Printed by M. F. for IOHN MARRIOT,

and are to be sold at his Shop in St. Dunstanes

Church-yard in Fleet-street.

1632.

TO THE ROYALL BVDDE OF MAIESTIE, and Center of all our Hopes and Happinesse, CHARLES, Prince of Great BRITAINE, France and Ireland, SONNE and HEYRE Apparant to the High and Mighty CHARLES, by the Grace of God, King of Great BRITAINE, FRANCE, and IRELAND, etc.

Illustrious Infant;

Give mee leave to acknowledge my selfe thy Servant ere thou knowst thy Selfe my Prince: My Zeale burnes me, and my desires are im- [¶3^v] patient: My breeding Muse longs for greene Fruit, and cannot stay thy ripenesse: Sweet Babe; The loyalty of my Service makes bold to consecrate these early Leaves to thy sacred Infancie, not knowing how to glorifie themselves, more, then by the Patronage of such Princely Innocencie. Modell of Sweetnesse, Let thy busie Fingers entertaine this slender Present, and let thy harmelesse Smiles crowne it: When thy Infancie hath crackt the Shell, let thy Childhood tast the Kernell; In the meanewhile, let thy little hands and Eyes peruse it: Lugge it in thy tender Armes, and lay thy burthen at thy Royall Parents feet; for whose sake, it may gaine some honor from their glorious Eyes. Heaven blesse thy Youth with Grace, and crowne [¶4^r] thy Age with Glorie: Angels conduct thee from the Cradle, to the Crowne: Let the English Rose and the French Lilly flourish in thy lovely Cheeke: And let their united Colours presage an everlasting League. Let the eminent Qualities of both thy renowned Grand-fathers meet in thy Princely Heart; that thou mayst, in Peace, be honourable; and in Warre, victorious. And let the great addition of thy Royall Parents Vertues make thee up a most incomparable Prince, the firme Pillar of our Happines, and the future Object of the Worlds wonder

Expected, and prayd for

by

Your Highnesses most Loyall

and humble Servant,

FRANCIS QVARLES.

To the Right Honovrable and truely vertuous Lady, MARY Countess of Dorset, Governesse to that Royall Infant, CHARLES, Prince of Great BRITAINE, France, and Ireland, the Mirror of un-stained HONOVR.

Most excellent LADY,

You are that Starre, which stands over the place, where the Babe lyes; By whose directious^a light, I am come from the East, to present my Myrrh, and Frankinsense to the yong Child: [A1^v] Let not our Royall IOSEPH, nor his Princely MARY be affrayed; there are no Herods here; We have all seene his Starre in the East, and have rejoyced: Our loyall hearts are full; for our eyes have seene him, in whom our Posterity shall bee blessed: To him, most honorable Lady, I addresse my thoughts; To Him, I presume to consecrate these Lines; which, since it hath pleased our gracious Soveraigne to appoint you the Governesse of his Royall Infancy, I have made bold to present, first, to your noble hands; not daring, in my very thoughts, to disjoyne, whom his Sacred Maiestie, in so great wisedome, hath put together; or to consider severally, where his Highnesse hath made so inviolable a Relation. Madam, May your Honors increase with your howers, and let eternall Glory crowne your Vertues; [A2^r]...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• General Introduction
• Textual Introduction
• Divine Fancies
• Textual Notes
• Press-Variants in Q1 (1632)
• Historical Collation
• Explanatory Notes
• Works Cited
• Vita