greatest　poets　have；　with　rare　exceptions；　been　the　most　indebted　to　their　predecessors　or　to　their　contemporaries。　　It　has　wittily　been　remarked　that　only　mediocrity　is　ever　wholly　original。　　Impressionability　is　one　of　the　condi…　tions　of　the　creative　faculty：　the　sensitive　mind　is　the　only　mind　that　invents。　　What　the　poet　reads；　sees；　and　feels；　goes　into　his　blood；　and　becomes　an　ingredient　of　his　originality。　　The　color　of　his　thought　instinctively　blends　itself　with　the　color　of　its　affinities。　　A　writer's　style；　if　it　have　distinction；　is　the　outcome　of　a　hun…　dred　styles。　　　　　　Though　a　generous　borrower　of　the　ancients；　Herrick　appears　to　have　been　exceptionally　free　from　the　influence　of　contemporary　minds。　Here　and　there　in　his　work　are　traces　of　his　beloved　Ben　Jonson；　or　fleeting　impressions　of　Fletcher；　and　in　one　instance　a　direct　in…　fringement　on　Suckling；　but　the　sum　of　Herrick's　obligations　of　this　sort　is　inconsider…　able。　　　　　　This　indifference　to　other　writers　of　his　time；　this　insularity；　was　doubtless　his　loss。　　The　more　exalted　imagination　of　Vaughan　or　Marvell　or　Herbert　might　have　taught　him　a　deeper　note　than　he　sounded　in　his　purely　devotional　poems。　Milton；　of　course；　moved　in　a　sphere　apart。　Shakespeare；　whose　personality　still　haunted　the　clubs　and　taverns　which　Herrick　frequented　on　his　first　going　up　to　London；　failed　to　lay　any　appreciable　spell　upon　him。　　That　great　name；　moreover；　is　a　jewel　which　finds　no　setting　in　Herrick's　rhyme。　　His　general　reticence　rela…　tive　to　brother　poets　is　extremely　curious　when　we　reflect　on　his　penchant　for　addressing　four…　line　epics　to　this　or　that　individual。　　They　were；　in　the　main；　obscure　individuals；　whose　iden…　tity　is　scarcely　worth　establishing。　　His　London　life；　at　two　different　periods；　brought　him　into　contact　with　many　of　the　celebrities　of　the　day；　but　his　verse　has　helped　to　confer　immortality　on　very　few　of　them。　　That　his　verse　had　the　secret　of　conferring　immortality　was　one　of　his　unshaken　convictions。　　Shakespeare　had　not　a　finer　confidence　when　he　wrote；
  Not　marble　nor　the　gilded　monuments　　　　　　Of　princes　shall　outlive　this　powerful　rhyme；
  than　has　Herrick　whenever　he　speaks　of　his　own　poetry；　and　he　is　not　by　any　means　backward　in　speaking　of　it。　　It　was　the　breath　of　his　nostrils。　Without　his　Muse　those　nineteen　years　in　that　dull；　secluded　Devonshire　village　would　have　been　unendurable。　　　　　　His　poetry　has　the　value　and　the　defect　of　that　seclusion。　　In　spite；　however；　of　his　contracted　horizon　there　is　great　variety　in　Herrick's　themes。　Their　scope　cannot　be　stated　so　happily　as　he　has　stated　it：
  I　sing　of　brooks；　of　blossoms；　birds　and　bowers；　　　　　　Of　April；　May；　of　June；　and　July　flowers；　　　　　　I　sing　of　May…poles；　hock…carts；　wassails；　wakes；　　　　　　Of　bridegrooms；　brides；　and　of　their　bridal…cakes；　　　　　　I　write　of　Youth；　of　Love；　and　have　access　　　　　　By　these　to　sing　of　cleanly　wantonness；　　　　　　I　sing　of　dews；　of　rains；　and　piece　by　piece　　　　　　Of　balm；　of　oil；　of　spice　and　ambergris；　　　　　　I　sing　of　times　trans…shifting；　and　I　write　　　　　　How　roses　first　came　red　and　lilies　white；　　　　　　I　write　of　groves；　of　twilights；　and　I　sing　　　　　　The　Court　of　Mab；　and　of　the　Fairy　King；　　　　　　I　write　of　Hell；　I　sing　（and　ever　shall）　　　　　　Of　Heaven；　and　hope　to　have　it　after　all。
  Never　was　there　so　pretty　a　table　of　contents！　When　you　open　his　book　the　breath　of　the　Eng…　lish　rural　year　fans　your　cheek；　the　pages　seem　to　exhale　wildwood　and　meadow　smells；　as　if　sprigs　of　tansy　and　lavender　had　been　shut　up　in　the　volume　and　forgotten。　　One　has　a　sense　of　hawthorn　hedges　and　wide…spreading　oaks；　of　open　lead…set　lattices　half　hidden　with　honey…　suckle；　and　distant　voices　of　the　haymakers；　re…　turning　home　in　the　rosy　afterglow；　fall　dreamily　on　one's　ear；　as　sounds　should　fall　when　fancy　listens。　　There　is　no　English　poet　so　thoroughly　English　as　Herrick。　　He　painted　the　country　life　of　his　own　time　as　no　other　has　painted　it　at　any　time。　　　　　　It　is　to　be　remarked　that　the　majority　of　Eng…　lish　poets　regarded　as　national　have　sought　their　chief　inspiration　in　almost　every　land　and　period　excepting　their　own。　　Shakespeare　went　to　Italy；　Denmark；　Greece；　Egypt；　and　to　many　a　hitherto　unfooted　region　of　the　imagination；　for　plot　and　character。　　It　was　not　Whitehall　Garden；　but　the　Garden　of　Eden　and　the　celestial　spaces；　that　lured　Milton。　　It　is　the　Ode　on　a　Grecian　Urn；　The　Eve　of　St。　Agnes；　and　the　noble　fragment　of　Hyperion　that　have　given　Keats　his　spacious　niche　in　the　gallery　of　England's　poets。　　Shelley's　two　masterpieces；　Prometheus　Unbound　and　The　Cenci；　belong　respectively　to　Greece　and　Italy。　Browning's　The　Ring　and　the　Book　is　Italian；　Tennyson　wandered　to　the　land　of　myth　for　the　Idylls　of　the　King；　and　Matthew　Arnold's　Soh…　rab　and　Rustuma　narrative　poem　second　in　dignity　to　none　produced　in　the　nineteenth　cen…　turyis　a　Persian　story。　　But　Herrick's　〃golden　apples〃　sprang　from　the　soil　in　his　own　day；　and　reddened　in　the　mist　and　sunshine　of　his　native　island。　　　　　　Even　the　fairy　poems；　which　must　be　classed　by　themselves；　are　not　wanting　in　local　flavor。　Herrick's　fairy　world　is　an　immeasurable　dis…　tance　from　that　of　〃A　Midsummer　Night's　Dream。〃　　Puck　and　Titania　are　of　finer　breath　than　Herrick's　little　folk；　who　may　be　said　to　have　Devonshire　manners　and　to　live　in　a　minia…　ture　England　of　their　own。　　Like　the　magician　who　summons　them　from　nowhere；　they　are　fond　of　color　and　perfume　and　substantial　feasts；　and　indulge　in　heavy　draughtsfrom　the　cups　of　morning…glories。　　In　the　tiny　sphere　they　in…　habit　everything　is　marvelously　adapted　to　their　requirement；　nothing　is　out　of　proportion　or　out　of　perspective。　　The　elves　are　a　strictly　religious　people　in　their　winsome　way；　〃part　pagan；　part　papistical；〃　they　have　their　pardons　and　indul…　gences；　their　psalters　and　chapels；　and
  An　apple's…core　is　hung　up　dried；　　　　　　With　rattling　kernels；　which　is　rung　　　　　　To　call　to　Morn　and　Even…song；
  and　very　conveniently；
  Hard　by；　I'　th'　shell　of　half　a　nut；　　　　　　The　Holy…water　there　is　put。
  It　is　all　delightfully　naive　and　fanciful；　this　elfin…　world；　where　the　impossible　does　not　strike　one　as　incongruous；　and　the　England　of　1648　seems　never　very　far　away。　　　　　　It　is　only　among　the　apparently　unpremedi…　tated　lyrical　flights　of　the　Elizabethan　dramatists　that　one　meets　with　anything　like　the　lilt　and　liquid　flow　of　Herrick's　songs。　　While　in　no　de…　gree　Shakespearian　echoes；　there　are　epithalamia　and　dirges　of　his　that　might　properly　have　fallen　from　the　lips　of　Posthumus　in　〃Cymbeline。〃　This　delicate　epicede　would　have　fitted　Imogen：
  Here　a　solemne　fast　we　keepe　　　　　　While　all　beauty　lyes　asleepe；　　　　　　Husht　be　all　things；　no　noyse　here　　　　　　But　the　toning　of　a　teare；　　　　　　Or　a　sigh　of　such　as　bring　　　　　　Cowslips　for　her　covering。
  Many　of　the　pieces　are　purely　dramatic　in　essence；　the　Mad　Maid's　Song；　for　example。　The　lyrist　may　speak　in　character；　like　the　dramatist。　　A　poet's　lyrics　may　be；　as　most　of　Browning's　are；　just　so　many　dramatis　per…　sonae。　　〃Enter　a　Song　singing〃　is　the　stage…　direction　in　a　seventeenth…century　play　whose　name　escapes　me。　　The　sentiment　dramatized　in　a　lyric　is　not　necessarily　a　personal　expression。　In　one　of　his　couplets　Herrick　neatly　denies　that　his　more　mercurial　utterances　are　intended　pre…　sentations　of　himself：
  To　his　Book's　end　this　last　line　he'd　have　placed　　　　　　Jocund　his　Muse　was；　but　his　Life　was　chaste。
  In　point　of　fact　he　was　a　whole　group　of　im…　aginary　lovers　in　one。　　Silvia；　Anthea；　Electra；　Perilla；　Perenna；　and　the　rest　of　those　lively　ladies　ending　in　a；　were　doubtless；　for　the　most　part；　but　airy　phantoms　dancingas　they　should　not　have　dancedthrough　the　brain　of　a　senti…　mental　old　bachelor　who　happened　to　be　a　vicar　of　the　Church　of　England。　　Even　with　his　over…　plus　of　heart　it　would　have　been　quite　impossible　for　him　to　have　had　enough　to　go　round　had　there　been　so　numerous　actual　demands　upon　it。　　　　　　Thus　much　may　be　conceded　to　Herrick's　verse：　at　its　best　it　has　wings　that　carry　it　nearly　as　close　to　heaven's　gate　as　any　of　Shakespeare's　lark…like　interludes。　　The　brevity　of　the　poems　and　their　uniform　smoothness　sometimes　produce　the　effect　of　monotony。　　The　crowded　richness　of　the　line　advises　a　desultory　reading。　　But　one　must　go　back　to　them　again　and　again。　　They　bewitch　the　memory；　having　once　caught　it；　and　insist　on　saying　themselves　over　and　over。　Among　the　poets　of　England　the　author　of　the　〃Hesperides〃　remains；　and　is　likely　to　remain；　unique。　　As　Shakespeare　stands　alone　in　his　vast　domain；　so　Herrick　stands　alone　in　his　scanty　plot　of　ground。
  Shine；　Poet！　in　thy　place；　and　be　content。
  End