EMMO

READING: DIPLOMATIC | SEMI-DIPLOMATIC | REGULARIZED

DOWNLOAD: PDF | XML

leaf 1 recto

S^r
If a very respectiue feare of y^r displeasure, and a
doubt, that my L: whom I know owt of yo^r worthines to loue yo^w much,
would be so compassionate w^th yo^w, as to add his anger to y^rs, did not
so much increase my sicknes, as that I cannot stir I had taken the
boldnes, to haue donne the Office of this letter, by wayting vpon yo^w
my self To haue giuen yo^w truthe, and clearnes of this Matter
between yo^r Daughter and me; and to show to yo^w plainly the limits
of o^r fault, by w^ch I know y^r wisdome wyll proportion the punishm^t.
So long since, as at her being at yorkhouse, this had foundacon and so
much then of promise and Contract built vpon yt, as w^thowt violence
to Conscience might not be shaken. At her lyeng in town this last
parliam^t, I found meanes to see her twice or thrice we both knew
the obligacons that lay vpon vs, and wee adventurd equally, and about
three weeks before Christmas we married. And as at the doinge, there
were not vsd aboue fyue persons, of w^ch I protest to yo^w by my salvation,
there was not one that ^{^had} any dependence or relation to yo^w, so in all the
passage of it, did I forbear to vse any such person, who by furtheringe
of yt might violate any trust or duty towards yo^w. The reasons, why
I did not foreacquaint yo^w w^th it, (to deale w^th the same plainnes that I
have vsd) were these. I knew my p^rsent estate lesse then fitt for her; I
knew, (yet I knew not why) that I stood not right in y^r Opinion; I
knew that to have giuen any intimacon of yt had been to impossibilitate
the whole Matt^r. And then hauing those ^honest purposes in o^r harts, and those
fetters in o^r Consciences, me thinks we should be pardoned, if o^r fault be but
this, that wee did not by fore-reuealinge of yt, consent to o^r hindrance
and torment. S^r, I acknowledge my fault to be so great, as I dare scarse
offer any other prayer to yo^w in myne own behalf, then this, to beleeue this
truthe, that I neyth^r had dishonest end nor meanes. But for her
whom I tender much more, then my fortunes, or lyfe (els I would I might
neyth^r ioy in this lyfe, nor enioy the next) I humbly beg of yo^w, that she
may not, to her danger, feele the terror of yo^r sodaine anger. I know
this letter shall find yo^w full of passion but I know no passion can
alter yo^r reason and wisdome; to w^ch I aduenture to comend these
perticulers; That yt ys irremediably donne; That if yo^w incense
my l, yo^w Destroy her and me; That yt is ^{^easye} to giue vs happines; And
that my Endevors and industrie, if it please yo^w to prosper them, may
soone make me somewhat worthyer of her. If any take the

leaf 1 verso

aduantage of yo^r displeasure against me, and fill yo^w w^th ill
thoughts of me, my Comfort is that yo^w know, that fayth and
thanks are due to them onely, that speak when theyr informa-
cons might do good w^ch now yt cannot work towards any party.
For my Excuse I can say nothing except I knew, what were
sayd to yo^w. S^r, I have truly told yo^w this Matt^r; and
I humbly beseeche yo^w, so to deale in yt, as the persuasions of
Nature, reason, wisdome, and Christianity shall informe yo^w;
And to accept the vowes, of one whom yo^w may now rayse or
scatter, w^ch are, that as all my love ys directed vnchange-
ably vpon her, so all my labors shall concur to her con-
tentment, and ^{^to} show my humble Obedienc to yo^r selfe.

From my lodginge by ye
Sauoy. 2^o Februa: 160i
Yo^rs in all Duty and
humblenes
I. Donne

leaf 2 recto

leaf 2 verso

To the right wor: S^r
George More kt

Catalog record:	http://hamnet.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=244741
Collection:	Papers of the More family of Loseley Park, Surrey
Preferred Citation:	Letter from John Donne, The Savoy, London, to Sir George More, 1601/1602 February 2: autograph manuscript signed, Papers of the More family of Loseley Park, Surrey. Transcription by Early Modern Manuscripts Online (EMMO). MS L.b.526, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC.
Terms of Use:	Transcriptions are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This allows you to use our transcriptions without additional permission provided that you cite the Early Modern Manuscripts Online (EMMO) Project at the Folger Shakespeare Library as the source and that you license anything you create using the transcriptions under the same or equivalent license. EMMO and the Folger waive permission fees for non-commercial publication by registered non-profits, including university presses, regardless of the license they use. For information about using the images that correspond to the transcriptions, see Image Permissions.

L.b.526: Letter from John Donne, The Savoy, London, to Sir George More, 1601/1602 February 2: autograph manuscript signed

VIEW: Text and Image | Image and Text | Text only | Image only