ABSTRACT

After quoting Dryden's several criticisms of Donne, Kippis takes up a remark in the Discourse Concerning Satire (No. 49 (iii)): 'Would not Donne's satires, which abound with so much wit, appear more charming if he had taken care of his words, and of his numbers?' Kippis comments:

Kippis moralises upon 'the high devotional spirit of the times' as it was exemplified in Donne's hesitation before he took orders, and caps his homily with some lines from Donne:

This sentiment, that prayer and labour should co-operate, is expressed by Donne himself, in one of these poems, though with no elegance of language ....