are　a　libel　on　the　poet；　it　is　to　be　regretted　that　oblivion　has　not　laid　its　erasing　finger　on　that　singularly　un…　pleasant　counterfeit　presentment。　　It　is　interest…　ing　to　note　that　this　same　Marshall　engraved　the　head　of　Milton　for　the　first　collection　of　his　mis…　cellaneous　poemsthe　precious　1645　volume　containing　Il　Penseroso；　Lycidas；　Comus；　etc。　The　plate　gave　great　offense　to　the　serious…　minded　young　Milton；　not　only　because　it　re…　presented　him　as　an　elderly　person；　but　because　of　certain　minute　figures　of　peasant　lads　and　lassies　who　are　very　indistinctly　seen　dancing　frivolously　under　the　trees　in　the　background。　Herrick　had　more　reason　to　protest。　　The　ag…　gressive　face　bestowed　upon　him　by　the　artist　lends　a　tone　of　veracity　to　the　tradition　that　the　vicar　occasionally　hurled　the　manuscript　of　his　sermon　at　the　heads　of　his　drowsy　parishioners；　accompanying　the　missive　with　pregnant　re…　marks。　　He　has　the　aspect　of　one　meditating　assault　and　battery。　　　　　　To　offset　the　picture　there　is　much　indirect　testimony　to　the　amiability　of　the　man；　aside　from　the　evidence　furnished　by　his　own　writ…　ings。　　He　exhibits　a　fine　trait　in　the　poem　on　the　Bishop　of　Lincoln's　imprisonmenta　poem　full　of　deference　and　tenderness　for　a　person　who　had　evidently　injured　the　writer；　probably　by　opposing　him　in　some　affair　of　church　prefer…　ment。　　Anthony　Wood　says　that　Herrick　〃be…　came　much　beloved　by　the　gentry　in　these　parts　for　his　florid　and　witty　（wise）　discourses。〃　　It　appears　that　he　was　fond　of　animals；　and　had　a　pet　spaniel　called　Tracy；　which　did　not　get　away　without　a　couplet　attached　to　him：
  Now　thou　art　dead；　no　eye　shall　ever　see　　　　　　For　shape　and　service　spaniell　like　to　thee。
  Among　the　exile's　chance　acquaintances　was　a　sparrow；　whose　elegy　he　also　sings；　comparing　the　bird　to　Lesbia's　sparrow；　much　to　the　latter's　disadvantage。　　All　of　Herrick's　geese　were　swans。　On　the　authority　of　Dorothy　King；　the　daughter　of　a　woman　who　served　Herrick's　successor　at　Dean　Prior　in　1674；　we　are　told　that　the　poet　kept　a　pig；　which　he　had　taught　to　drink　out　of　a　tankarda　kind　of　instruction　he　was　admir…　ably　qualified　to　impart。　　Dorothy　was　in　her　ninety…ninth　year　when　she　communicated　this　fact　to　Mr。　Barron　Field；　the　author　of　the　paper　on　Herrick　published　in　the　〃Quarterly　Review〃　for　August；　1810；　and　in　the　Boston　edition　　of　the　〃Hesperides〃　attributed　to　Southey。　　　　　　What　else　do　we　know　of　the　vicar？　　A　very　favorite　theme　with　Herrick　was　Herrick。　　Scat…　tered　through　his　book　are　no　fewer　than　twenty…　five　pieces　entitled　On　Himself；　not　to　men…　tion　numberless　autobiographical　hints　under　other　captions。　　They　are　merely　hints；　throw…　ing　casual　side…lights　on　his　likes　and　dislikes；　and　illuminating　his　vanity。　　A　whimsical　per…　sonage　without　any　very　definite　outlines　might　be　evolved　from　these　fragments。　　I　picture　him　as　a　sort　of　Samuel　Pepys；　with　perhaps　less　quaintness；　and　the　poetical　temperament　added。　Like　the　prince　of　gossips；　too；　he　somehow　gets　at　your　affections。　　In　one　place　Herrick
  The　Biographical　Notice　prefacing　this　volume　of　The　British　Poets　is　a　remarkable　production；　grammatically　and　chronologi…　cally。　　On　page　7　the　writer　speaks　of　Herrick　as　living　〃in　habits　of　intimacy〃　with　Ben　Jonson　in　1648。　　If　that　was　the　case；　Her…　rick　must　have　taken　up　his　quarters　in　Westminster　Abbey；　for　Jonson　had　been　dead　eleven　years。　laments　the　threatened　failure　of　his　eyesight　（quite　in　what　would　have　been　Pepys's　man…　ner　had　Pepys　written　verse）；　and　in　another　place　he　tells　us　of　the　loss　of　a　finger。　　The　quatrain　treating　of　this　latter　catastrophe　is　as　fantastic　as　some　of　Dr。　Donne's　concetti：
  One　of　the　five　straight　branches　of　my　hand　　　　　　Is　lopt　already；　and　the　rest　but　stand　　　　　　Expecting　when　to　fall；　which　soon　will　be：　　　　　　First　dies　the　leafe；　the　bough　next；　next　the　tree。
  With　all　his　great　show　of　candor　Herrick　really　reveals　as　little　of　himself　as　ever　poet　did。　　One　thing；　however；　is　manifesthe　understood　and　loved　music。　　None　but　a　lover　could　have　said：
  The　mellow　touch　of　musick　most　doth　wound　　　　　　The　soule　when　it　doth　rather　sigh　than　sound。
  Or　this　to　Julia：
  So　smooth；　so　sweet；　so　silvery　is　thy　voice；　　　　　　As　could　they　hear；　the　damn'd　would　make　no　noise；　　　　　　But　listen　to　thee　walking　in　thy　chamber　　　　　　Melting　melodious　words　to　lutes　of　amber。
  。　。　。　Then　let　me　lye　　　　　　Entranc'd；　and　lost　confusedly；　　　　　　And　by　thy　musick　stricken　mute；　　　　　　Die；　and　be　turn'd　into　a　lute。
  Herrick　never　married。　　His　modest　Devon…　shire　establishment　was　managed　by　a　maid…　servant　named　Prudence　Baldwin。　　〃Fate　likes　fine　names；〃　says　Lowell。　　That　of　Herrick's　maid…of…all…work　was　certainly　a　happy　meeting　of　gentle　vowels　and　consonants；　and　has　had　the　good　fortune　to　be　embalmed　in　the　amber　of　what　may　be　called　a　joyous　little　threnody：
  In　this　little　urne　is　laid　　　　　　Prewdence　Baldwin；　once　my　maid；　　　　　　From　whose　happy　spark　here　let　　　　　　Spring　the　purple　violet。
  Herrick　addressed　a　number　of　poems　to　her　before　her　death；　which　seems　to　have　deeply　touched　him　in　his　loneliness。　　We　shall　not　al…　low　a　pleasing　illusion　to　be　disturbed　by　the　flip…　pancy　of　an　old　writer　who　says　that　〃Prue　was　but　indifferently　qualified　to　be　a　tenth　muse。〃　She　was　a　faithful　handmaid；　and　had　the　merit　of　causing　Herrick　in　this　octave　to　strike　a　note　of　sincerity　not　usual　with　him：
  These　summer　birds　did　with　thy　master　stay　　　　　　The　times　of　warmth；　but　then　they　flew　away；　　　　　　Leaving　their　poet；　being　now　grown　old；　　　　　　Expos'd　to　all　the　coming　winter's　cold。　　　　　　But　thou；　kind　Prew；　didst　with　my　fates　abide　　　　　　As　well　the　winter's　as　the　summer's　tide：　　　　　　For　which　thy　love；　live　with　thy　master　here　　　　　　Not　two；　but　all　the　seasons　of　the　year。
  Thus　much　have　I　done　for　thy　memory；　Mis…　tress　Prew！　　　　　　In　spite　of　Herrick's　disparagement　of　Dean…　bourn；　which　he　calls　〃a　rude　river；〃　and　his　characterization　of　Devon　folk　as　〃a　peo…　ple　currish；　churlish　as　the　seas；〃　the　fullest　and　pleasantest　days　of　his　life　were　prob…　ably　spent　at　Dean　Prior。　　He　was　not　un…　mindful　meanwhile　of　the　gathering　political　storm　that　was　to　shake　England　to　its　foun…　dations。　　How　anxiously；　in　his　solitude；　he　watched　the　course　of　events；　is　attested　by　many　of　his　poems。　　This　solitude　was　not　without　its　compensation。　　〃I　confess；〃　he　says；
  I　ne'er　invented　such　　　　　　Ennobled　numbers　for　the　presse　　　　　　　　　Than　where　I　loath'd　so　much。
  A　man　is　never　wholly　unhappy　when　he　is　writing　verses。　　Herrick　was　firmly　convinced　that　each　new　lyric　was　a　stone　added　to　the　pillar　of　his　fame；　and　perhaps　his　sense　of　relief　was　tinged　with　indefinable　regret　when　he　found　himself　suddenly　deprived　of　his　bene…　fice。　　The　integrity　of　some　of　his　royalistic　poems　is　doubtful；　but　he　was　not　given　the　benefit　of　the　doubt　by　the　Long　Parliament；　which　ejected　the　panegyrist　of　young　Prince　Charles　from　the　vicarage　of　Dean　Prior；　and　installed　in　his　place　the　venerable　John　Syms；　a　gentleman　with　pronounced　Cromwellian　views。　　　　　　Herrick　metaphorically　snapped　his　fingers　at　the　Puritans；　discarded　his　clerical　habili…　ments；　and　hastened　to　London　to　pick　up　such　as　were　left　of　the　gay…colored　threads　of　his　old　experience　there。　　Once　more　he　would　drink　sack　at　the　Triple　Tun；　once　more　he　would　breathe　the　air　breathed　by　such　poets　and　wits　as　Cotton；　Denham；　Shirley；　Selden；　and　the　rest。　　〃Yes；　by　Saint　Anne！　and　gin…　ger　shall　be　hot　I'　the　mouth　too。〃　　In　the　gladness　of　getting　back　〃from　the　dull　con…　fines　of　the　drooping　west；〃　he　writes　a　glow…　ing　apostrophe　to　Londonthat　〃stony　step…　mother　to　poets。〃　　He　claims　to　be　a　free…born　Roman；　and　is　proud　to　find　himself　a　citizen　again。　　According　to　his　earlier　biographers；　Herrick　had　much　ado　not　to　starve　in　that　same　longed…for　London；　and　fell　into　great　misery；　but　Dr。　Grosart　disputes　this；　arguing；　with　justness；　that　Herrick's　family；　which　was　wealthy　and　influential；　would　not　have　allowed　him　to　come　to　abject　want。　　With　his　royal…　istic　tendencies　he　may　not　have　breathed　quite　freely　in　the　atmosphere　of　the　Commonwealth；　and　no　doubt　many　tribulations　fell　to　his　lot；　but　among　them　was　not　poverty。　　　　　　The　poet　was　now　engaged　in　preparing　his　works　for　the　press；　and　a　few　weeks　following　his　return　to　London　they　were　issued　in　a　sin…　gle　volume　with　the　title　〃Hesperides；　or；　The　Works　both　Humane　and　Divine　of　Robert　Herrick；　Esq。〃　　　　　　The　time　was　not　ready　for　him。　　A　new　era　had　dawnedthe　era　of　the　commonplace。　The　interval　was　come　when　Shakespeare　him…　self　was　to　lie　in　a　kind　of　twilight。　　Herrick　was　in　spirit　an　Elizabethan；　and　had　strayed　by　chance　into　an　artificial　and　prosaic　age　a　sylvan　singing　creature　alighting　on　an　alien　planet。　　〃He　was　too　natural；〃　says　Mr。　Pal…　grave　in　his　Chrysomela；　〃too　purely　poetical；　he　had　not　the　learned　polish；　the　political　al…　lusion；　the　tone　of　the　city；　the　didactic　turn；　which　were　then　and　onward　demanded　from　poetry。〃　　Yet　it　is　strange　that　a　public　which　had　a　relish　for　Edmund　Waller　should　neglect　a　poet