_ See
Introductory
Note to _Letters_.
John Donne
l. 59. _As men to our prisons, new soules to us are sent, &c. _: 'new'
is the reading of _1633_ only, 'now' followed or preceded by a comma
of the other editions and the MSS. It is difficult to decide between
them, but Donne speaks of 'new souls' elsewhere: 'The Father creates
new souls every day in the inanimation of Children, and the Sonne
creates them with him. ' _Sermons_ 50. 12. 100. 'Our nature is
Meteorique, we respect (because we partake so) both earth and heaven;
for as our bodies glorified shall be capable of spirituall joy, so
our souls demerged into those bodies, are allowed to partake earthly
pleasure. Our soul is not sent hither, only to go back again; we have
some errand to do here; nor is it sent into prison, because it comes
innocent; and he which sent it, is just. ' _Letters_ (1651), p. 46.
l. 68. _Two new starres.
_ See Introductory Note to _Letters_.
PAGE =198=, l. 72. _Stand on two truths_: i. e. the wickedness of the
world and your goodness. You will believe neither.
PAGE =198=. TO THE COUNTESSE OF BEDFORD.
ON NEW-YEARES DAY.
l. 3. _of stuffe and forme perplext_: i. e. whose matter and form are a
perplexed, intricate, difficult question:
Whose _what_, and _where_ in disputation is.
Donne cannot mean that the matter and form are 'intricately
intertwined or intermingled', using the words as in Bacon: 'The
formes of substances (as they are now by compounding and transplanting
multiplied) are so perplexed.
