divisions under which they are here ranged must be regarded
rather as progressive aspects of a landscape than as territorial
demarcations. Pieces bearing on the poet as such are placed
first; then, those vaguely definable as of idyllic character,
'his girls,' epigrams, poems on natural objects, on character and
life; lastly, a few in his religious vein. For the text,
although reference has been made to the original of 1647-8, Mr
Grosart's excellent reprint has been mainly followed. And to
that edition this book is indebted for many valuable exegetical
notes, kindly placed at the Editor's disposal. But for much
fuller elucidation both of words and allusions, and of the
persons mentioned, readers are referred to Mr Grosart's volumes,
which (like the same scholar's 'Sidney' and 'Donne'), for the
first time give Herrick a place among books not printed only, but
edited.


Robert Herrick's personal fate is in one point like
Shakespeare's. We know or seem to know them both, through their
works, with singular intimacy. But with this our knowledge
substantially ends. No private letter of Shakespeare, no record
of his conversation, no account of the circumstances in which his
writings were published, remains: hardly any statement how his
greatest contemporaries ranked him. A group of Herrick's
youthful letters on business has, indeed, been preserved; of his
life and studies, of his reputation during his own time, almost
nothing. For whatever facts affectionate diligence could now
gather. Readers are referred to Mr Grosart's 'Introduction.'
But if, to supplement the picture, inevitably imperfect, which
this gives, we turn to Herrick's own book, we learn little,