Digital Donne: the Online Variorum
The 1654 Prose Letters Letter 7, cont., and Letter 8 (p.21) |
|
yet they, most of any sort of men in the world, have practised it. Line omitted Your very true and earnest friend and servant and lover J. Donne. To Sr Robert Carre now Earle of Ankerum, with my Book Biathanatos at my going into Germany. sir, I had need do somewhat towards you above my promises; How weak are my performances, when even my promises are defective? I cannot promise, no not in mine own hopes, equally to your merit to- wards me. But besides the Poems, of which you took a promise, I send you ano- ther Book to which there belongs this History. It was written by me many years since; and because it is upon a misinter- pretable subject, I have always gone so near suppressing it, as that it is onely not burnt: no hand hath passed upon it to copy it, nor many eyes to read it: onely to some parti- cular friends in both Universities, then when I writ it, I did communicate it: And [CW: I] |
|