Doves and Pearls (Emblem 36)

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Doves and Pearls (Emblem 36)

Poem #101

Original Source

Hester Pulter, Poems breathed forth by the nobel Hadassas, University of Leeds Library, Brotherton Collection, MS Lt q 32

Versions

  • Facsimile of manuscript: Photographs provided by University of Leeds, Brotherton Collection

  • Transcription of manuscript: By Leah Knight and Wendy Wall.
  • Elemental edition: By Leah Knight and Wendy Wall.
  • Amplified edition: By Millie Godfery and Sarah C. E. Ross.

How to cite these versions

Conventions for these editions

The Pulter Project: Poet in the Making

  • Created by Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
  • Encoded by Katherine Poland, Matthew Taylor, Elizabeth Chou, and Emily Andrey, Northwestern University
  • Website designed by Sergei Kalugin, Northwestern University
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  • Project sponsored by Northwestern University, Brock University, and University of Leeds
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X (Close panel)Notes: Transcription

 Editorial note

In these transcriptions we preserve as many details of the original material, textual, and graphic properties of Hester Pulter’s manuscript verse as we have found practical. Whenever possible, for instance, original spelling, punctuation, capitalization, lineation, insertions, deletions, alterations, spacing between words and lines, and indentation are all maintained; abbreviations and brevigraphs are not expanded; and superscript and subscript representations are retained. See full conventions for the transcriptions here.
Line number 22

 Physical note

“i” appears adapted from second part of earlier “m”, and “z” to be written over another letter, perhaps “a”
Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.
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Transcription
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[Emblem 36]
Doves and Pearls
(Emblem 36)
Doves and Pearls
(Emblem 36)
In these transcriptions we preserve as many details of the original material, textual, and graphic properties of Hester Pulter’s manuscript verse as we have found practical. Whenever possible, for instance, original spelling, punctuation, capitalization, lineation, insertions, deletions, alterations, spacing between words and lines, and indentation are all maintained; abbreviations and brevigraphs are not expanded; and superscript and subscript representations are retained. See full conventions for the transcriptions here.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
The aim of the elemental edition is to make the poems accessible to the largest variety of readers, which involves modernizing spelling and punctuation as well as adding basic glosses. Spelling and punctuation reflect current standard American usage; punctuation highlights syntax which might otherwise be obscure. Outmoded but still familiar word forms (“thou,” “‘tis,” “hold’st”) are not modernized, and we do not modernize grammar when the sense remains legible. After a brief headnote aimed at offering a “way in” to the poem’s unique qualities and connections with other verse by Pulter or her contemporaries, the edition features a minimum of notes and interpretative framing to allow more immediate engagement with the poem. Glosses clarify synonyms or showcase various possible meanings in Pulter’s time. Other notes identify named people and places or clarify obscure material. We rely (without citation) primarily on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the Oxford Reference database, and the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. When we rely on Alice Eardley’s edition of Pulter’s work, we cite her text generally (“Eardley”); other sources are cited in full. The result is an edition we consider a springboard for further work on Pulter’s poetry. See full conventions for this edition here.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
Our priority in editing these poems has been to modernise, and to achieve interpretative and visual clarity, in order to make the poems as accessible as possible to as wide a modern audience as is possible. Spelling is modernised, as is punctuation. Modernising the latter, in particular, often involves a significant act of editorial interpretation, but in our view this is one of the most productive areas of editorial intervention, particularly for a manuscript text such as Pulter’s where the punctuation is erratic compared to modern usage (and, indeed, compared to early modern printed texts).
Gloss Note
See Alice Eardley, “‘I haue not time to point yr booke … which I desire you yourselfe to doe’: Editing the Form of Early Modern Manuscript Verse”, in The Work of Form: Poetics and Materiality in Early Modern Culture, ed. Ben Burton and Elizabeth Scott-Baumann (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 162–178.
[1] All biblical references are to the King James Version (1612).

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
Emblem 36 addresses “my dear pledges of our constant loves”: apparently, the poet’s own children, of which Pulter had fifteen (though not all lived to hear this poem). They are summoned to share the poet’s vision of some pearl-eating birds—an unusual sight, and so a compelling invitation. But the moral of the story is more ordinary: like the birds with their permanently internalized pearls, the speaker enjoins her offspring to “treasure sacred truths within your heart.” Pulter then raises the stakes by vividly imagining the “tyrant lapidaries” who might try to mine those jewel-like truths out of her children’s hearts, as well as “swine”-like folk who won’t just trample pearls (a biblical allusion) but also “rend” the “bowels” of those who throw them. The poem suggests the importance of maintaining one’s truth, at least internally; but it also acknowledges the countervailing need to protect oneself and one’s offspring from the often lethal treatment Pulter’s compatriots suffered in England’s civil wars (to which the poem also alludes).

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
An essential element of Pulter’s emblem series is her shifting mode of address, as she directs her emblematic wisdom sometimes explicitly to her children, and sometimes to a broader audience. “Doves and Pearls”, like Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68], addresses her children directly in an emblematic reworking of the invitation genre.
The emblem opens with Pulter imploring her children to notice the acts of doves, who by nature display loving devotion to one partner. The doves swallow orient pearls, which she uses as an emblem of a sacred “cordial, which our greatest faintings ease”, and she goes on to urge her readers to “treasure sacred truths within [the] heart”, as the doves do (lines 4, 6). The emblem moves to warn readers of “those swine” which, conversely, disregard “God’s word”; here, Pulter is inspired by multiple biblical references which cast swine as irreligious. An analogous emblem to this one is Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99], in which Pulter contrasts the image of “thankless” hogs “grunt[ing] for more” with “innocent doves” (lines 4, 6, 17). In that emblem, she urges the reader to “try which best he loves / To imitate, base hogs or turtledoves”, and concludes with an expression of her “soul’s sole desire” to embody the same qualities as the “spotless dove” (lines 19–20).
Towards the final lines of “Doves and Pearls” Pulter’s religious concerns become explicitly political as she criticizes the poor treatment of “sacred fane[s]” under the Protectorate, specifically referencing the use of St Paul’s Cathedral for irreligious activities (line 20). She further condemns republicans, referencing the treatment of “nobles”—meaning royalist soldiers—after the 1645 Battle of Naseby (line 24). In a typical display of emblematic didacticism, however, Pulter concludes in consolation, reminding her children that God will “[scourge] out” the unfaithful (line 26). By applying Pulter’s conceit of doves and pearls to this final resolution, the message becomes clear: keep faith and fidelity with God, unlike those who “ramp and rave” (line 16).


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
1
36Come my Dear Pledges of our Conſtant Loves
Come, my dear
Gloss Note
signs or tokens of favor, loyalty, love, or as guarantee; here, children as evidence of mutual love and duty between parents
pledges of our constant loves:
Gloss Note
For a similar opening address, see Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68]; and see our note to line 1 of the Amplified Edition of that poem.
Come, my dear
Gloss Note
a name for children considered as a tokens or evidence of mutual love and duty between parents (OED 4b)
pledges of
Gloss Note
Hester Pulter and her husband Arthur Pulter
our constant loves,
2
Come look upon theſe pretty innocent Doves
Come look upon these pretty, innocent doves!
Come look upon these pretty, innocent
Gloss Note
Pulter uses the turtledove throughout her poetry to thematise chastity, spiritual virtue, and equitable love. See, for example, The Manucodiats (Emblem 5) [Poem 71]; This Poor Turtle Dove (Emblem 20) [Poem 85], where the turtledove is praised for her “kind and constant” love for her deceased partner (line 2); and Why Must I Thus Forever Be Confined [Poem 57]. Pliny writes of the dove: “they be passing chaste, and neither male nor female change their mate, but keep together one true unto the other” (The Historie of the World: Commonly Called, the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Trans. Philemon Holland. Vol. 1 [1635], 290).
doves,
3
See how they Swallow Orient Pearls like Peas
Critical Note
The speaker instructs her children to observe doves eating pearls (which were sometimes considered medicinal). The source of this claim is not known; too late as a source for Pulter, but relatively contemporary, is a passing reference to “A cloudy pearl in a dove’s paunch,” in Robert Dixon’s Canidia, or, The Witches (London, 1683), p. 208. Orient pearls are from the seas around India, versus those of less beauty in European mussels; generally, the phrase signifies a brilliant or precious pearl.
See how they swallow orient pearls like peas:
See how they swallow
Critical Note
pearls from the seas around India, as distinguished from those of less beauty found in European mussels; (hence, more generally) a brilliant or precious pearl (OED 1b). Pulter also connects orient pearls with truth in Aletheia’s Pearl [Poem 32], in which “Fair Aletheia”, the goddess of truth, offers the speaker an orient pearl to represent their pledge of truthfulness and faith in God (lines 14). It is also worth noting the medicinal properties of pearls, which further codifies the pearl as an emblem of truth which the doves ingest as a healing “cordial” (OED 2a; line 4).
orient pearls like peas;
4
A Cordiall which our greatest faintings Eas
A
Gloss Note
medicine
cordial which our greatest faintings ease;
A
Gloss Note
a medicine, food, or beverage which invigorates the heart and stimulates the circulation; a comforting or exhilarating drink (OED 2a). See Pulter’s similar use of the word in The Weeping Wish [Poem 61], line 19. In that poem, the bezoar is the “cordial”; in this poem, the orient pearls, emblematic of truth, are the medicine (see note to line 3).
cordial, which our greatest
Gloss Note
growing feeble or faint-hearted; depressed (OED 1)
faintings ease.
5
And with their lives e’re with theſe Pearls the’l part
And with their lives
Gloss Note
before
ere with these pearls they’ll part:
And with their lives ere with these pearls they’ll part;
6
Soe treaſure Sacred truths within yor: heart
So treasure sacred truths within your heart.
So, treasure sacred truths within your heart.
7
Though Tyrant Lapidaries Shew their Spight
Though tyrant
Gloss Note
workers who cut, polish, set, and sell gems
lapidaries show their spite,
Though tyrant
Gloss Note
artificers who cut, polish, or engrave gems or precious stones; those who are skilled in the nature and kinds of gems or precious stones (OED 1a, b). Pulter refers to this profession at lines 7 and 8, comparing the work of lapidaries who cut and engrave already precious stones like the pearl, with that of “tyrant[s]” who attempt to alter people’s faith and virtue. This manipulation, Pulter insists, merely expose the faults of tyrants, while making steadfast devotees “shine more bright”.
lapidaries show their spite,
8
Your graces like theſe pearles will Shine more bright
Your graces, like these pearls, will shine more bright.
Your graces, like these pearls, will shine more bright.
9
Deſpair not though you at their mercie lie
Despair not, though you at their mercy lie:
Despair not, though you at their mercy lie;
10
Your vertues live although your bodys die
Your
Gloss Note
meaning not only morally good qualities but, in a medicinal context, strengthening or healing powers
virtues live, although your bodies die.
Your virtues live although your bodies die.
11
Then if you will in glory live above
Then, if you will in glory live above,
Then if you will in glory live above,
12
Like theſe white Doves thoſe bleſſed Unions Love
Like these white doves, those blesséd unions love;
Like these white doves those
Gloss Note
the consecrated love which is upheld in the marital fidelity of doves, the commitment that makes them a common emblem for purity and faith; see note to line 2.
blessed unions love,
13
But Shun thoſe people which are like thoſe Swine
But shun those people which are like those swine
But shun those people which are like those
Critical Note
Pulter uses the image of swine throughout her emblem collection to refer to the unchaste and irreligious. Multiple biblical passages no doubt underpin this. See for instance, Mat. 7.6., “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet”, and Pet. 2.22, “the sowe that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire”. See also Pulter’s analogous emblem, Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99].
swine
14
Which at Gods word and Ministers Repine
Which at God’s word and minister’s
Gloss Note
grumble, complain
repine:
Which at God’s word and ministers
Gloss Note
express discontent or dissatisfaction; grumble, complain (OED 1a)
repine.
15
Throw them the choicest Orient Pearls you have
Throw them the choicest orient pearls you have,
Throw them the choicest orient pearls you have,
16
They’ll trample’m in ye dirt and Ramp & Rave
They’ll trample’m in the dirt and
Gloss Note
rear on the hind legs; act in a furious, threatening way; rush about wildly; (of a woman) behave immodestly
ramp and rave;
They’ll
Gloss Note
a biblical reference to Mat. 7.6; see note for line 13.
trample’m in the dirt and
Gloss Note
Of a person: to rush, storm, or rage with violent gestures; to behave in a furious or threatening manner (OED 3a)
ramp and rave,
17
And when you think their malice at an end
And when you think their malice at an end,
And when you think their malice at an end,
18
If God Restrain not they’ll yo:r bowels Rend
If God restrain not, they’ll your bowels
Gloss Note
See Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (“rend” meaning tear or wound).
rend.
If God restrain not, they’ll your bowels
Gloss Note
tear, split; rupture (OED)
rend.
19
Of theſe the Bore God’s vinyards that destroy
Of these,
Gloss Note
See Psalms 80:8–13: “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: … The boar out of the wood doth waste it.”
the boar God’s vineyards
Gloss Note
did
that destroy
Of these,
Gloss Note
A reference to Psalm 80.8–13, in which God is questioned for planting a “vine out of Egypt” and then allowing it to be “broken down” and “pluck[ed]”, “the boar out of the wood… wast[ing] it”.
the boar God’s vineyards that destroy,
20
And with their ffilth his Sacred Phane Annoy
And with their filth his sacred
Gloss Note
temple
fane annoy.
And with their filth His
Gloss Note
The "fane" is a temple (OED 2). This line refers to Isaiah 66.3, which describes the “abomination” of “offer[ing] swines blood” as a sacrifice, an act which taints the sacred place of the church.
sacred fane annoy.
21
Soe mad Antiochus the Temple Stain’d
Gloss Note
Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, in 169 BCE defiled Jerusalem’s Temple.
So mad Antiochus the temple stained;
So mad
Gloss Note
Antiochus IV, King of the Seleucids, 175–164 BC, known for his coercive manner and desire to Hellenize the Jewish race. In the Bible, he is criticised for polluting and profaning “the sanctuary and holy people” by sacrificing “swine’s flesh” (I Mac. 1.46–7).
Antiochus the temple stained,
22
Even Soe our
Physical Note
“i” appears adapted from second part of earlier “m”, and “z” to be written over another letter, perhaps “a”
Janizaries Po’les prophan’d
Even so
Gloss Note
Janizaries were Turkish soldiers, here identified with parliamentarians in England’s civil wars; “Paul’s” is St. Paul’s Cathedral, which had long been a resort for gossips, idlers, and disreputable people, and in the wars parliamentarians turned parts of it into cavalry barracks.
our janizaries Paul’s prophaned,
Even so
Gloss Note
A body of Turkish infantry, constituting the Sultan’s guard and the main part of the standing army. The body was first organized in the 14th century, and was composed mainly of tributary children of Christians (OED). Pulter uses this term in a derogatory sense in reference to the English army led by parliamentarians.
our janissaries
Gloss Note
Parliamentarians used St Paul’s Cathedral in London as a stables during the civil war; see William Dugdale’s account in his The History of St Paul’s Cathedral, where he states “that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes… (robbed of all dignity and respect)… all order, discipline and Church-government left to newness of opinion and men’s fancies” ([1658], The Epistle).
Paul’s profaned,
making
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23
Makeing the Church a Stable and a Stews
Making the church a stable and a
Gloss Note
brothel
stews
Making the church a
Gloss Note
See notes for line 22.
stable and a
Gloss Note
brothels (OED 4). Eardley notes there is no specific reference to St Paul’s being used as a brothel; however, Henry Foulis records that in Westminster Abbey soldiers from the English Army were “breaking down the Organs, pawning the pipes of them for Ale, eating, drinking, smoking Tobacco at the Communion Table, and easing themselves in most parts of the Church; Nor was this all, but keeping their whores in the Church, and lying with them upon the very Altar it self” (Eardley, “An Edition of Lady Hester Pulter’s Book of ‘Emblemes’”, PhD diss., University of Warwick, [2008], 106 n.22–3; Foulis, The history of the wicked plots and conspiracies of our pretended saints representing the beginning, constitution, and designs of the Jesuite [1662], 138).
stews,
24
The while impriſoning Nobles in ye Mews
The while
Critical Note
royal stables in London; Eardley cites a pamphlet claiming 4,500 royalists were jailed there after defeat at the Battle of Naseby. See The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London (London, 1645), A4v.
imprisoning nobles in the mews.
The while
Gloss Note
“mews” was the term coined for the royal stables formerly at Charing Cross in London, a name given as they were built on the site of the royal hawk mews (OED). Pulter is likely referring to an event in which 4,500 royalist soldiers were kept there “guarded by the trained bands” with the threat of a “gibbet” (gallows) to aid against “disorderly” behavior, after being defeated at the Battle of Naseby by parliamentarian forces (The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London [London: T.F and J. Coe, 1645], 1–6).
imprisoning nobles in the mews.
25
The greatest Mirackle our Saviour wrought
The greatest miracle our Savior wrought
The greatest miracle our saviour wrought
26
Was when he Scourg’d out thoſe w:ch Sould & bought.
Was when he
Gloss Note
drove by force
scourged out
Gloss Note
See Matthew 21:12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves …”
those which sold and bought.
Was when
Gloss Note
See Mat. 21.12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changes, and the seats of them that sold Doves”.
He scourged out those which sold and bought.
X (Close panel)Notes: Elemental Edition

 Editorial note

The aim of the elemental edition is to make the poems accessible to the largest variety of readers, which involves modernizing spelling and punctuation as well as adding basic glosses. Spelling and punctuation reflect current standard American usage; punctuation highlights syntax which might otherwise be obscure. Outmoded but still familiar word forms (“thou,” “‘tis,” “hold’st”) are not modernized, and we do not modernize grammar when the sense remains legible. After a brief headnote aimed at offering a “way in” to the poem’s unique qualities and connections with other verse by Pulter or her contemporaries, the edition features a minimum of notes and interpretative framing to allow more immediate engagement with the poem. Glosses clarify synonyms or showcase various possible meanings in Pulter’s time. Other notes identify named people and places or clarify obscure material. We rely (without citation) primarily on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the Oxford Reference database, and the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. When we rely on Alice Eardley’s edition of Pulter’s work, we cite her text generally (“Eardley”); other sources are cited in full. The result is an edition we consider a springboard for further work on Pulter’s poetry. See full conventions for this edition here.

 Headnote

Emblem 36 addresses “my dear pledges of our constant loves”: apparently, the poet’s own children, of which Pulter had fifteen (though not all lived to hear this poem). They are summoned to share the poet’s vision of some pearl-eating birds—an unusual sight, and so a compelling invitation. But the moral of the story is more ordinary: like the birds with their permanently internalized pearls, the speaker enjoins her offspring to “treasure sacred truths within your heart.” Pulter then raises the stakes by vividly imagining the “tyrant lapidaries” who might try to mine those jewel-like truths out of her children’s hearts, as well as “swine”-like folk who won’t just trample pearls (a biblical allusion) but also “rend” the “bowels” of those who throw them. The poem suggests the importance of maintaining one’s truth, at least internally; but it also acknowledges the countervailing need to protect oneself and one’s offspring from the often lethal treatment Pulter’s compatriots suffered in England’s civil wars (to which the poem also alludes).
Line number 1

 Gloss note

signs or tokens of favor, loyalty, love, or as guarantee; here, children as evidence of mutual love and duty between parents
Line number 3

 Critical note

The speaker instructs her children to observe doves eating pearls (which were sometimes considered medicinal). The source of this claim is not known; too late as a source for Pulter, but relatively contemporary, is a passing reference to “A cloudy pearl in a dove’s paunch,” in Robert Dixon’s Canidia, or, The Witches (London, 1683), p. 208. Orient pearls are from the seas around India, versus those of less beauty in European mussels; generally, the phrase signifies a brilliant or precious pearl.
Line number 4

 Gloss note

medicine
Line number 5

 Gloss note

before
Line number 7

 Gloss note

workers who cut, polish, set, and sell gems
Line number 10

 Gloss note

meaning not only morally good qualities but, in a medicinal context, strengthening or healing powers
Line number 14

 Gloss note

grumble, complain
Line number 16

 Gloss note

rear on the hind legs; act in a furious, threatening way; rush about wildly; (of a woman) behave immodestly
Line number 18

 Gloss note

See Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (“rend” meaning tear or wound).
Line number 19

 Gloss note

See Psalms 80:8–13: “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: … The boar out of the wood doth waste it.”
Line number 19

 Gloss note

did
Line number 20

 Gloss note

temple
Line number 21

 Gloss note

Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, in 169 BCE defiled Jerusalem’s Temple.
Line number 22

 Gloss note

Janizaries were Turkish soldiers, here identified with parliamentarians in England’s civil wars; “Paul’s” is St. Paul’s Cathedral, which had long been a resort for gossips, idlers, and disreputable people, and in the wars parliamentarians turned parts of it into cavalry barracks.
Line number 23

 Gloss note

brothel
Line number 24

 Critical note

royal stables in London; Eardley cites a pamphlet claiming 4,500 royalists were jailed there after defeat at the Battle of Naseby. See The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London (London, 1645), A4v.
Line number 26

 Gloss note

drove by force
Line number 26

 Gloss note

See Matthew 21:12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves …”
Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.
X (Close panel)Elemental Edition
Elemental Edition
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[Emblem 36]
Doves and Pearls
(Emblem 36)
Doves and Pearls
(Emblem 36)
In these transcriptions we preserve as many details of the original material, textual, and graphic properties of Hester Pulter’s manuscript verse as we have found practical. Whenever possible, for instance, original spelling, punctuation, capitalization, lineation, insertions, deletions, alterations, spacing between words and lines, and indentation are all maintained; abbreviations and brevigraphs are not expanded; and superscript and subscript representations are retained. See full conventions for the transcriptions here.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
The aim of the elemental edition is to make the poems accessible to the largest variety of readers, which involves modernizing spelling and punctuation as well as adding basic glosses. Spelling and punctuation reflect current standard American usage; punctuation highlights syntax which might otherwise be obscure. Outmoded but still familiar word forms (“thou,” “‘tis,” “hold’st”) are not modernized, and we do not modernize grammar when the sense remains legible. After a brief headnote aimed at offering a “way in” to the poem’s unique qualities and connections with other verse by Pulter or her contemporaries, the edition features a minimum of notes and interpretative framing to allow more immediate engagement with the poem. Glosses clarify synonyms or showcase various possible meanings in Pulter’s time. Other notes identify named people and places or clarify obscure material. We rely (without citation) primarily on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the Oxford Reference database, and the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. When we rely on Alice Eardley’s edition of Pulter’s work, we cite her text generally (“Eardley”); other sources are cited in full. The result is an edition we consider a springboard for further work on Pulter’s poetry. See full conventions for this edition here.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
Our priority in editing these poems has been to modernise, and to achieve interpretative and visual clarity, in order to make the poems as accessible as possible to as wide a modern audience as is possible. Spelling is modernised, as is punctuation. Modernising the latter, in particular, often involves a significant act of editorial interpretation, but in our view this is one of the most productive areas of editorial intervention, particularly for a manuscript text such as Pulter’s where the punctuation is erratic compared to modern usage (and, indeed, compared to early modern printed texts).
Gloss Note
See Alice Eardley, “‘I haue not time to point yr booke … which I desire you yourselfe to doe’: Editing the Form of Early Modern Manuscript Verse”, in The Work of Form: Poetics and Materiality in Early Modern Culture, ed. Ben Burton and Elizabeth Scott-Baumann (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 162–178.
[1] All biblical references are to the King James Version (1612).

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
Emblem 36 addresses “my dear pledges of our constant loves”: apparently, the poet’s own children, of which Pulter had fifteen (though not all lived to hear this poem). They are summoned to share the poet’s vision of some pearl-eating birds—an unusual sight, and so a compelling invitation. But the moral of the story is more ordinary: like the birds with their permanently internalized pearls, the speaker enjoins her offspring to “treasure sacred truths within your heart.” Pulter then raises the stakes by vividly imagining the “tyrant lapidaries” who might try to mine those jewel-like truths out of her children’s hearts, as well as “swine”-like folk who won’t just trample pearls (a biblical allusion) but also “rend” the “bowels” of those who throw them. The poem suggests the importance of maintaining one’s truth, at least internally; but it also acknowledges the countervailing need to protect oneself and one’s offspring from the often lethal treatment Pulter’s compatriots suffered in England’s civil wars (to which the poem also alludes).

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
An essential element of Pulter’s emblem series is her shifting mode of address, as she directs her emblematic wisdom sometimes explicitly to her children, and sometimes to a broader audience. “Doves and Pearls”, like Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68], addresses her children directly in an emblematic reworking of the invitation genre.
The emblem opens with Pulter imploring her children to notice the acts of doves, who by nature display loving devotion to one partner. The doves swallow orient pearls, which she uses as an emblem of a sacred “cordial, which our greatest faintings ease”, and she goes on to urge her readers to “treasure sacred truths within [the] heart”, as the doves do (lines 4, 6). The emblem moves to warn readers of “those swine” which, conversely, disregard “God’s word”; here, Pulter is inspired by multiple biblical references which cast swine as irreligious. An analogous emblem to this one is Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99], in which Pulter contrasts the image of “thankless” hogs “grunt[ing] for more” with “innocent doves” (lines 4, 6, 17). In that emblem, she urges the reader to “try which best he loves / To imitate, base hogs or turtledoves”, and concludes with an expression of her “soul’s sole desire” to embody the same qualities as the “spotless dove” (lines 19–20).
Towards the final lines of “Doves and Pearls” Pulter’s religious concerns become explicitly political as she criticizes the poor treatment of “sacred fane[s]” under the Protectorate, specifically referencing the use of St Paul’s Cathedral for irreligious activities (line 20). She further condemns republicans, referencing the treatment of “nobles”—meaning royalist soldiers—after the 1645 Battle of Naseby (line 24). In a typical display of emblematic didacticism, however, Pulter concludes in consolation, reminding her children that God will “[scourge] out” the unfaithful (line 26). By applying Pulter’s conceit of doves and pearls to this final resolution, the message becomes clear: keep faith and fidelity with God, unlike those who “ramp and rave” (line 16).


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
1
36Come my Dear Pledges of our Conſtant Loves
Come, my dear
Gloss Note
signs or tokens of favor, loyalty, love, or as guarantee; here, children as evidence of mutual love and duty between parents
pledges of our constant loves:
Gloss Note
For a similar opening address, see Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68]; and see our note to line 1 of the Amplified Edition of that poem.
Come, my dear
Gloss Note
a name for children considered as a tokens or evidence of mutual love and duty between parents (OED 4b)
pledges of
Gloss Note
Hester Pulter and her husband Arthur Pulter
our constant loves,
2
Come look upon theſe pretty innocent Doves
Come look upon these pretty, innocent doves!
Come look upon these pretty, innocent
Gloss Note
Pulter uses the turtledove throughout her poetry to thematise chastity, spiritual virtue, and equitable love. See, for example, The Manucodiats (Emblem 5) [Poem 71]; This Poor Turtle Dove (Emblem 20) [Poem 85], where the turtledove is praised for her “kind and constant” love for her deceased partner (line 2); and Why Must I Thus Forever Be Confined [Poem 57]. Pliny writes of the dove: “they be passing chaste, and neither male nor female change their mate, but keep together one true unto the other” (The Historie of the World: Commonly Called, the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Trans. Philemon Holland. Vol. 1 [1635], 290).
doves,
3
See how they Swallow Orient Pearls like Peas
Critical Note
The speaker instructs her children to observe doves eating pearls (which were sometimes considered medicinal). The source of this claim is not known; too late as a source for Pulter, but relatively contemporary, is a passing reference to “A cloudy pearl in a dove’s paunch,” in Robert Dixon’s Canidia, or, The Witches (London, 1683), p. 208. Orient pearls are from the seas around India, versus those of less beauty in European mussels; generally, the phrase signifies a brilliant or precious pearl.
See how they swallow orient pearls like peas:
See how they swallow
Critical Note
pearls from the seas around India, as distinguished from those of less beauty found in European mussels; (hence, more generally) a brilliant or precious pearl (OED 1b). Pulter also connects orient pearls with truth in Aletheia’s Pearl [Poem 32], in which “Fair Aletheia”, the goddess of truth, offers the speaker an orient pearl to represent their pledge of truthfulness and faith in God (lines 14). It is also worth noting the medicinal properties of pearls, which further codifies the pearl as an emblem of truth which the doves ingest as a healing “cordial” (OED 2a; line 4).
orient pearls like peas;
4
A Cordiall which our greatest faintings Eas
A
Gloss Note
medicine
cordial which our greatest faintings ease;
A
Gloss Note
a medicine, food, or beverage which invigorates the heart and stimulates the circulation; a comforting or exhilarating drink (OED 2a). See Pulter’s similar use of the word in The Weeping Wish [Poem 61], line 19. In that poem, the bezoar is the “cordial”; in this poem, the orient pearls, emblematic of truth, are the medicine (see note to line 3).
cordial, which our greatest
Gloss Note
growing feeble or faint-hearted; depressed (OED 1)
faintings ease.
5
And with their lives e’re with theſe Pearls the’l part
And with their lives
Gloss Note
before
ere with these pearls they’ll part:
And with their lives ere with these pearls they’ll part;
6
Soe treaſure Sacred truths within yor: heart
So treasure sacred truths within your heart.
So, treasure sacred truths within your heart.
7
Though Tyrant Lapidaries Shew their Spight
Though tyrant
Gloss Note
workers who cut, polish, set, and sell gems
lapidaries show their spite,
Though tyrant
Gloss Note
artificers who cut, polish, or engrave gems or precious stones; those who are skilled in the nature and kinds of gems or precious stones (OED 1a, b). Pulter refers to this profession at lines 7 and 8, comparing the work of lapidaries who cut and engrave already precious stones like the pearl, with that of “tyrant[s]” who attempt to alter people’s faith and virtue. This manipulation, Pulter insists, merely expose the faults of tyrants, while making steadfast devotees “shine more bright”.
lapidaries show their spite,
8
Your graces like theſe pearles will Shine more bright
Your graces, like these pearls, will shine more bright.
Your graces, like these pearls, will shine more bright.
9
Deſpair not though you at their mercie lie
Despair not, though you at their mercy lie:
Despair not, though you at their mercy lie;
10
Your vertues live although your bodys die
Your
Gloss Note
meaning not only morally good qualities but, in a medicinal context, strengthening or healing powers
virtues live, although your bodies die.
Your virtues live although your bodies die.
11
Then if you will in glory live above
Then, if you will in glory live above,
Then if you will in glory live above,
12
Like theſe white Doves thoſe bleſſed Unions Love
Like these white doves, those blesséd unions love;
Like these white doves those
Gloss Note
the consecrated love which is upheld in the marital fidelity of doves, the commitment that makes them a common emblem for purity and faith; see note to line 2.
blessed unions love,
13
But Shun thoſe people which are like thoſe Swine
But shun those people which are like those swine
But shun those people which are like those
Critical Note
Pulter uses the image of swine throughout her emblem collection to refer to the unchaste and irreligious. Multiple biblical passages no doubt underpin this. See for instance, Mat. 7.6., “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet”, and Pet. 2.22, “the sowe that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire”. See also Pulter’s analogous emblem, Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99].
swine
14
Which at Gods word and Ministers Repine
Which at God’s word and minister’s
Gloss Note
grumble, complain
repine:
Which at God’s word and ministers
Gloss Note
express discontent or dissatisfaction; grumble, complain (OED 1a)
repine.
15
Throw them the choicest Orient Pearls you have
Throw them the choicest orient pearls you have,
Throw them the choicest orient pearls you have,
16
They’ll trample’m in ye dirt and Ramp & Rave
They’ll trample’m in the dirt and
Gloss Note
rear on the hind legs; act in a furious, threatening way; rush about wildly; (of a woman) behave immodestly
ramp and rave;
They’ll
Gloss Note
a biblical reference to Mat. 7.6; see note for line 13.
trample’m in the dirt and
Gloss Note
Of a person: to rush, storm, or rage with violent gestures; to behave in a furious or threatening manner (OED 3a)
ramp and rave,
17
And when you think their malice at an end
And when you think their malice at an end,
And when you think their malice at an end,
18
If God Restrain not they’ll yo:r bowels Rend
If God restrain not, they’ll your bowels
Gloss Note
See Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (“rend” meaning tear or wound).
rend.
If God restrain not, they’ll your bowels
Gloss Note
tear, split; rupture (OED)
rend.
19
Of theſe the Bore God’s vinyards that destroy
Of these,
Gloss Note
See Psalms 80:8–13: “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: … The boar out of the wood doth waste it.”
the boar God’s vineyards
Gloss Note
did
that destroy
Of these,
Gloss Note
A reference to Psalm 80.8–13, in which God is questioned for planting a “vine out of Egypt” and then allowing it to be “broken down” and “pluck[ed]”, “the boar out of the wood… wast[ing] it”.
the boar God’s vineyards that destroy,
20
And with their ffilth his Sacred Phane Annoy
And with their filth his sacred
Gloss Note
temple
fane annoy.
And with their filth His
Gloss Note
The "fane" is a temple (OED 2). This line refers to Isaiah 66.3, which describes the “abomination” of “offer[ing] swines blood” as a sacrifice, an act which taints the sacred place of the church.
sacred fane annoy.
21
Soe mad Antiochus the Temple Stain’d
Gloss Note
Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, in 169 BCE defiled Jerusalem’s Temple.
So mad Antiochus the temple stained;
So mad
Gloss Note
Antiochus IV, King of the Seleucids, 175–164 BC, known for his coercive manner and desire to Hellenize the Jewish race. In the Bible, he is criticised for polluting and profaning “the sanctuary and holy people” by sacrificing “swine’s flesh” (I Mac. 1.46–7).
Antiochus the temple stained,
22
Even Soe our
Physical Note
“i” appears adapted from second part of earlier “m”, and “z” to be written over another letter, perhaps “a”
Janizaries Po’les prophan’d
Even so
Gloss Note
Janizaries were Turkish soldiers, here identified with parliamentarians in England’s civil wars; “Paul’s” is St. Paul’s Cathedral, which had long been a resort for gossips, idlers, and disreputable people, and in the wars parliamentarians turned parts of it into cavalry barracks.
our janizaries Paul’s prophaned,
Even so
Gloss Note
A body of Turkish infantry, constituting the Sultan’s guard and the main part of the standing army. The body was first organized in the 14th century, and was composed mainly of tributary children of Christians (OED). Pulter uses this term in a derogatory sense in reference to the English army led by parliamentarians.
our janissaries
Gloss Note
Parliamentarians used St Paul’s Cathedral in London as a stables during the civil war; see William Dugdale’s account in his The History of St Paul’s Cathedral, where he states “that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes… (robbed of all dignity and respect)… all order, discipline and Church-government left to newness of opinion and men’s fancies” ([1658], The Epistle).
Paul’s profaned,
making
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23
Makeing the Church a Stable and a Stews
Making the church a stable and a
Gloss Note
brothel
stews
Making the church a
Gloss Note
See notes for line 22.
stable and a
Gloss Note
brothels (OED 4). Eardley notes there is no specific reference to St Paul’s being used as a brothel; however, Henry Foulis records that in Westminster Abbey soldiers from the English Army were “breaking down the Organs, pawning the pipes of them for Ale, eating, drinking, smoking Tobacco at the Communion Table, and easing themselves in most parts of the Church; Nor was this all, but keeping their whores in the Church, and lying with them upon the very Altar it self” (Eardley, “An Edition of Lady Hester Pulter’s Book of ‘Emblemes’”, PhD diss., University of Warwick, [2008], 106 n.22–3; Foulis, The history of the wicked plots and conspiracies of our pretended saints representing the beginning, constitution, and designs of the Jesuite [1662], 138).
stews,
24
The while impriſoning Nobles in ye Mews
The while
Critical Note
royal stables in London; Eardley cites a pamphlet claiming 4,500 royalists were jailed there after defeat at the Battle of Naseby. See The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London (London, 1645), A4v.
imprisoning nobles in the mews.
The while
Gloss Note
“mews” was the term coined for the royal stables formerly at Charing Cross in London, a name given as they were built on the site of the royal hawk mews (OED). Pulter is likely referring to an event in which 4,500 royalist soldiers were kept there “guarded by the trained bands” with the threat of a “gibbet” (gallows) to aid against “disorderly” behavior, after being defeated at the Battle of Naseby by parliamentarian forces (The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London [London: T.F and J. Coe, 1645], 1–6).
imprisoning nobles in the mews.
25
The greatest Mirackle our Saviour wrought
The greatest miracle our Savior wrought
The greatest miracle our saviour wrought
26
Was when he Scourg’d out thoſe w:ch Sould & bought.
Was when he
Gloss Note
drove by force
scourged out
Gloss Note
See Matthew 21:12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves …”
those which sold and bought.
Was when
Gloss Note
See Mat. 21.12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changes, and the seats of them that sold Doves”.
He scourged out those which sold and bought.
X (Close panel)Notes: Amplified Edition

 Editorial note

Our priority in editing these poems has been to modernise, and to achieve interpretative and visual clarity, in order to make the poems as accessible as possible to as wide a modern audience as is possible. Spelling is modernised, as is punctuation. Modernising the latter, in particular, often involves a significant act of editorial interpretation, but in our view this is one of the most productive areas of editorial intervention, particularly for a manuscript text such as Pulter’s where the punctuation is erratic compared to modern usage (and, indeed, compared to early modern printed texts).
Gloss Note
See Alice Eardley, “‘I haue not time to point yr booke … which I desire you yourselfe to doe’: Editing the Form of Early Modern Manuscript Verse”, in The Work of Form: Poetics and Materiality in Early Modern Culture, ed. Ben Burton and Elizabeth Scott-Baumann (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 162–178.
[1] All biblical references are to the King James Version (1612).

 Headnote

An essential element of Pulter’s emblem series is her shifting mode of address, as she directs her emblematic wisdom sometimes explicitly to her children, and sometimes to a broader audience. “Doves and Pearls”, like Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68], addresses her children directly in an emblematic reworking of the invitation genre.
The emblem opens with Pulter imploring her children to notice the acts of doves, who by nature display loving devotion to one partner. The doves swallow orient pearls, which she uses as an emblem of a sacred “cordial, which our greatest faintings ease”, and she goes on to urge her readers to “treasure sacred truths within [the] heart”, as the doves do (lines 4, 6). The emblem moves to warn readers of “those swine” which, conversely, disregard “God’s word”; here, Pulter is inspired by multiple biblical references which cast swine as irreligious. An analogous emblem to this one is Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99], in which Pulter contrasts the image of “thankless” hogs “grunt[ing] for more” with “innocent doves” (lines 4, 6, 17). In that emblem, she urges the reader to “try which best he loves / To imitate, base hogs or turtledoves”, and concludes with an expression of her “soul’s sole desire” to embody the same qualities as the “spotless dove” (lines 19–20).
Towards the final lines of “Doves and Pearls” Pulter’s religious concerns become explicitly political as she criticizes the poor treatment of “sacred fane[s]” under the Protectorate, specifically referencing the use of St Paul’s Cathedral for irreligious activities (line 20). She further condemns republicans, referencing the treatment of “nobles”—meaning royalist soldiers—after the 1645 Battle of Naseby (line 24). In a typical display of emblematic didacticism, however, Pulter concludes in consolation, reminding her children that God will “[scourge] out” the unfaithful (line 26). By applying Pulter’s conceit of doves and pearls to this final resolution, the message becomes clear: keep faith and fidelity with God, unlike those who “ramp and rave” (line 16).
Line number 1

 Gloss note

For a similar opening address, see Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68]; and see our note to line 1 of the Amplified Edition of that poem.
Line number 1

 Gloss note

a name for children considered as a tokens or evidence of mutual love and duty between parents (OED 4b)
Line number 1

 Gloss note

Hester Pulter and her husband Arthur Pulter
Line number 2

 Gloss note

Pulter uses the turtledove throughout her poetry to thematise chastity, spiritual virtue, and equitable love. See, for example, The Manucodiats (Emblem 5) [Poem 71]; This Poor Turtle Dove (Emblem 20) [Poem 85], where the turtledove is praised for her “kind and constant” love for her deceased partner (line 2); and Why Must I Thus Forever Be Confined [Poem 57]. Pliny writes of the dove: “they be passing chaste, and neither male nor female change their mate, but keep together one true unto the other” (The Historie of the World: Commonly Called, the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Trans. Philemon Holland. Vol. 1 [1635], 290).
Line number 3

 Critical note

pearls from the seas around India, as distinguished from those of less beauty found in European mussels; (hence, more generally) a brilliant or precious pearl (OED 1b). Pulter also connects orient pearls with truth in Aletheia’s Pearl [Poem 32], in which “Fair Aletheia”, the goddess of truth, offers the speaker an orient pearl to represent their pledge of truthfulness and faith in God (lines 14). It is also worth noting the medicinal properties of pearls, which further codifies the pearl as an emblem of truth which the doves ingest as a healing “cordial” (OED 2a; line 4).
Line number 4

 Gloss note

a medicine, food, or beverage which invigorates the heart and stimulates the circulation; a comforting or exhilarating drink (OED 2a). See Pulter’s similar use of the word in The Weeping Wish [Poem 61], line 19. In that poem, the bezoar is the “cordial”; in this poem, the orient pearls, emblematic of truth, are the medicine (see note to line 3).
Line number 4

 Gloss note

growing feeble or faint-hearted; depressed (OED 1)
Line number 7

 Gloss note

artificers who cut, polish, or engrave gems or precious stones; those who are skilled in the nature and kinds of gems or precious stones (OED 1a, b). Pulter refers to this profession at lines 7 and 8, comparing the work of lapidaries who cut and engrave already precious stones like the pearl, with that of “tyrant[s]” who attempt to alter people’s faith and virtue. This manipulation, Pulter insists, merely expose the faults of tyrants, while making steadfast devotees “shine more bright”.
Line number 12

 Gloss note

the consecrated love which is upheld in the marital fidelity of doves, the commitment that makes them a common emblem for purity and faith; see note to line 2.
Line number 13

 Critical note

Pulter uses the image of swine throughout her emblem collection to refer to the unchaste and irreligious. Multiple biblical passages no doubt underpin this. See for instance, Mat. 7.6., “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet”, and Pet. 2.22, “the sowe that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire”. See also Pulter’s analogous emblem, Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99].
Line number 14

 Gloss note

express discontent or dissatisfaction; grumble, complain (OED 1a)
Line number 16

 Gloss note

a biblical reference to Mat. 7.6; see note for line 13.
Line number 16

 Gloss note

Of a person: to rush, storm, or rage with violent gestures; to behave in a furious or threatening manner (OED 3a)
Line number 18

 Gloss note

tear, split; rupture (OED)
Line number 19

 Gloss note

A reference to Psalm 80.8–13, in which God is questioned for planting a “vine out of Egypt” and then allowing it to be “broken down” and “pluck[ed]”, “the boar out of the wood… wast[ing] it”.
Line number 20

 Gloss note

The "fane" is a temple (OED 2). This line refers to Isaiah 66.3, which describes the “abomination” of “offer[ing] swines blood” as a sacrifice, an act which taints the sacred place of the church.
Line number 21

 Gloss note

Antiochus IV, King of the Seleucids, 175–164 BC, known for his coercive manner and desire to Hellenize the Jewish race. In the Bible, he is criticised for polluting and profaning “the sanctuary and holy people” by sacrificing “swine’s flesh” (I Mac. 1.46–7).
Line number 22

 Gloss note

A body of Turkish infantry, constituting the Sultan’s guard and the main part of the standing army. The body was first organized in the 14th century, and was composed mainly of tributary children of Christians (OED). Pulter uses this term in a derogatory sense in reference to the English army led by parliamentarians.
Line number 22

 Gloss note

Parliamentarians used St Paul’s Cathedral in London as a stables during the civil war; see William Dugdale’s account in his The History of St Paul’s Cathedral, where he states “that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes… (robbed of all dignity and respect)… all order, discipline and Church-government left to newness of opinion and men’s fancies” ([1658], The Epistle).
Line number 23

 Gloss note

See notes for line 22.
Line number 23

 Gloss note

brothels (OED 4). Eardley notes there is no specific reference to St Paul’s being used as a brothel; however, Henry Foulis records that in Westminster Abbey soldiers from the English Army were “breaking down the Organs, pawning the pipes of them for Ale, eating, drinking, smoking Tobacco at the Communion Table, and easing themselves in most parts of the Church; Nor was this all, but keeping their whores in the Church, and lying with them upon the very Altar it self” (Eardley, “An Edition of Lady Hester Pulter’s Book of ‘Emblemes’”, PhD diss., University of Warwick, [2008], 106 n.22–3; Foulis, The history of the wicked plots and conspiracies of our pretended saints representing the beginning, constitution, and designs of the Jesuite [1662], 138).
Line number 24

 Gloss note

“mews” was the term coined for the royal stables formerly at Charing Cross in London, a name given as they were built on the site of the royal hawk mews (OED). Pulter is likely referring to an event in which 4,500 royalist soldiers were kept there “guarded by the trained bands” with the threat of a “gibbet” (gallows) to aid against “disorderly” behavior, after being defeated at the Battle of Naseby by parliamentarian forces (The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London [London: T.F and J. Coe, 1645], 1–6).
Line number 26

 Gloss note

See Mat. 21.12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changes, and the seats of them that sold Doves”.
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X (Close panel)Amplified Edition
Amplified Edition
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[Emblem 36]
Doves and Pearls
(Emblem 36)
Doves and Pearls
(Emblem 36)
In these transcriptions we preserve as many details of the original material, textual, and graphic properties of Hester Pulter’s manuscript verse as we have found practical. Whenever possible, for instance, original spelling, punctuation, capitalization, lineation, insertions, deletions, alterations, spacing between words and lines, and indentation are all maintained; abbreviations and brevigraphs are not expanded; and superscript and subscript representations are retained. See full conventions for the transcriptions here.

— Millie Godfery and Sarah C. E. Ross
The aim of the elemental edition is to make the poems accessible to the largest variety of readers, which involves modernizing spelling and punctuation as well as adding basic glosses. Spelling and punctuation reflect current standard American usage; punctuation highlights syntax which might otherwise be obscure. Outmoded but still familiar word forms (“thou,” “‘tis,” “hold’st”) are not modernized, and we do not modernize grammar when the sense remains legible. After a brief headnote aimed at offering a “way in” to the poem’s unique qualities and connections with other verse by Pulter or her contemporaries, the edition features a minimum of notes and interpretative framing to allow more immediate engagement with the poem. Glosses clarify synonyms or showcase various possible meanings in Pulter’s time. Other notes identify named people and places or clarify obscure material. We rely (without citation) primarily on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the Oxford Reference database, and the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. When we rely on Alice Eardley’s edition of Pulter’s work, we cite her text generally (“Eardley”); other sources are cited in full. The result is an edition we consider a springboard for further work on Pulter’s poetry. See full conventions for this edition here.

— Millie Godfery and Sarah C. E. Ross
Our priority in editing these poems has been to modernise, and to achieve interpretative and visual clarity, in order to make the poems as accessible as possible to as wide a modern audience as is possible. Spelling is modernised, as is punctuation. Modernising the latter, in particular, often involves a significant act of editorial interpretation, but in our view this is one of the most productive areas of editorial intervention, particularly for a manuscript text such as Pulter’s where the punctuation is erratic compared to modern usage (and, indeed, compared to early modern printed texts).
Gloss Note
See Alice Eardley, “‘I haue not time to point yr booke … which I desire you yourselfe to doe’: Editing the Form of Early Modern Manuscript Verse”, in The Work of Form: Poetics and Materiality in Early Modern Culture, ed. Ben Burton and Elizabeth Scott-Baumann (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 162–178.
[1] All biblical references are to the King James Version (1612).

— Millie Godfery and Sarah C. E. Ross
Emblem 36 addresses “my dear pledges of our constant loves”: apparently, the poet’s own children, of which Pulter had fifteen (though not all lived to hear this poem). They are summoned to share the poet’s vision of some pearl-eating birds—an unusual sight, and so a compelling invitation. But the moral of the story is more ordinary: like the birds with their permanently internalized pearls, the speaker enjoins her offspring to “treasure sacred truths within your heart.” Pulter then raises the stakes by vividly imagining the “tyrant lapidaries” who might try to mine those jewel-like truths out of her children’s hearts, as well as “swine”-like folk who won’t just trample pearls (a biblical allusion) but also “rend” the “bowels” of those who throw them. The poem suggests the importance of maintaining one’s truth, at least internally; but it also acknowledges the countervailing need to protect oneself and one’s offspring from the often lethal treatment Pulter’s compatriots suffered in England’s civil wars (to which the poem also alludes).

— Millie Godfery and Sarah C. E. Ross
An essential element of Pulter’s emblem series is her shifting mode of address, as she directs her emblematic wisdom sometimes explicitly to her children, and sometimes to a broader audience. “Doves and Pearls”, like Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68], addresses her children directly in an emblematic reworking of the invitation genre.
The emblem opens with Pulter imploring her children to notice the acts of doves, who by nature display loving devotion to one partner. The doves swallow orient pearls, which she uses as an emblem of a sacred “cordial, which our greatest faintings ease”, and she goes on to urge her readers to “treasure sacred truths within [the] heart”, as the doves do (lines 4, 6). The emblem moves to warn readers of “those swine” which, conversely, disregard “God’s word”; here, Pulter is inspired by multiple biblical references which cast swine as irreligious. An analogous emblem to this one is Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99], in which Pulter contrasts the image of “thankless” hogs “grunt[ing] for more” with “innocent doves” (lines 4, 6, 17). In that emblem, she urges the reader to “try which best he loves / To imitate, base hogs or turtledoves”, and concludes with an expression of her “soul’s sole desire” to embody the same qualities as the “spotless dove” (lines 19–20).
Towards the final lines of “Doves and Pearls” Pulter’s religious concerns become explicitly political as she criticizes the poor treatment of “sacred fane[s]” under the Protectorate, specifically referencing the use of St Paul’s Cathedral for irreligious activities (line 20). She further condemns republicans, referencing the treatment of “nobles”—meaning royalist soldiers—after the 1645 Battle of Naseby (line 24). In a typical display of emblematic didacticism, however, Pulter concludes in consolation, reminding her children that God will “[scourge] out” the unfaithful (line 26). By applying Pulter’s conceit of doves and pearls to this final resolution, the message becomes clear: keep faith and fidelity with God, unlike those who “ramp and rave” (line 16).


— Millie Godfery and Sarah C. E. Ross
1
36Come my Dear Pledges of our Conſtant Loves
Come, my dear
Gloss Note
signs or tokens of favor, loyalty, love, or as guarantee; here, children as evidence of mutual love and duty between parents
pledges of our constant loves:
Gloss Note
For a similar opening address, see Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68]; and see our note to line 1 of the Amplified Edition of that poem.
Come, my dear
Gloss Note
a name for children considered as a tokens or evidence of mutual love and duty between parents (OED 4b)
pledges of
Gloss Note
Hester Pulter and her husband Arthur Pulter
our constant loves,
2
Come look upon theſe pretty innocent Doves
Come look upon these pretty, innocent doves!
Come look upon these pretty, innocent
Gloss Note
Pulter uses the turtledove throughout her poetry to thematise chastity, spiritual virtue, and equitable love. See, for example, The Manucodiats (Emblem 5) [Poem 71]; This Poor Turtle Dove (Emblem 20) [Poem 85], where the turtledove is praised for her “kind and constant” love for her deceased partner (line 2); and Why Must I Thus Forever Be Confined [Poem 57]. Pliny writes of the dove: “they be passing chaste, and neither male nor female change their mate, but keep together one true unto the other” (The Historie of the World: Commonly Called, the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Trans. Philemon Holland. Vol. 1 [1635], 290).
doves,
3
See how they Swallow Orient Pearls like Peas
Critical Note
The speaker instructs her children to observe doves eating pearls (which were sometimes considered medicinal). The source of this claim is not known; too late as a source for Pulter, but relatively contemporary, is a passing reference to “A cloudy pearl in a dove’s paunch,” in Robert Dixon’s Canidia, or, The Witches (London, 1683), p. 208. Orient pearls are from the seas around India, versus those of less beauty in European mussels; generally, the phrase signifies a brilliant or precious pearl.
See how they swallow orient pearls like peas:
See how they swallow
Critical Note
pearls from the seas around India, as distinguished from those of less beauty found in European mussels; (hence, more generally) a brilliant or precious pearl (OED 1b). Pulter also connects orient pearls with truth in Aletheia’s Pearl [Poem 32], in which “Fair Aletheia”, the goddess of truth, offers the speaker an orient pearl to represent their pledge of truthfulness and faith in God (lines 14). It is also worth noting the medicinal properties of pearls, which further codifies the pearl as an emblem of truth which the doves ingest as a healing “cordial” (OED 2a; line 4).
orient pearls like peas;
4
A Cordiall which our greatest faintings Eas
A
Gloss Note
medicine
cordial which our greatest faintings ease;
A
Gloss Note
a medicine, food, or beverage which invigorates the heart and stimulates the circulation; a comforting or exhilarating drink (OED 2a). See Pulter’s similar use of the word in The Weeping Wish [Poem 61], line 19. In that poem, the bezoar is the “cordial”; in this poem, the orient pearls, emblematic of truth, are the medicine (see note to line 3).
cordial, which our greatest
Gloss Note
growing feeble or faint-hearted; depressed (OED 1)
faintings ease.
5
And with their lives e’re with theſe Pearls the’l part
And with their lives
Gloss Note
before
ere with these pearls they’ll part:
And with their lives ere with these pearls they’ll part;
6
Soe treaſure Sacred truths within yor: heart
So treasure sacred truths within your heart.
So, treasure sacred truths within your heart.
7
Though Tyrant Lapidaries Shew their Spight
Though tyrant
Gloss Note
workers who cut, polish, set, and sell gems
lapidaries show their spite,
Though tyrant
Gloss Note
artificers who cut, polish, or engrave gems or precious stones; those who are skilled in the nature and kinds of gems or precious stones (OED 1a, b). Pulter refers to this profession at lines 7 and 8, comparing the work of lapidaries who cut and engrave already precious stones like the pearl, with that of “tyrant[s]” who attempt to alter people’s faith and virtue. This manipulation, Pulter insists, merely expose the faults of tyrants, while making steadfast devotees “shine more bright”.
lapidaries show their spite,
8
Your graces like theſe pearles will Shine more bright
Your graces, like these pearls, will shine more bright.
Your graces, like these pearls, will shine more bright.
9
Deſpair not though you at their mercie lie
Despair not, though you at their mercy lie:
Despair not, though you at their mercy lie;
10
Your vertues live although your bodys die
Your
Gloss Note
meaning not only morally good qualities but, in a medicinal context, strengthening or healing powers
virtues live, although your bodies die.
Your virtues live although your bodies die.
11
Then if you will in glory live above
Then, if you will in glory live above,
Then if you will in glory live above,
12
Like theſe white Doves thoſe bleſſed Unions Love
Like these white doves, those blesséd unions love;
Like these white doves those
Gloss Note
the consecrated love which is upheld in the marital fidelity of doves, the commitment that makes them a common emblem for purity and faith; see note to line 2.
blessed unions love,
13
But Shun thoſe people which are like thoſe Swine
But shun those people which are like those swine
But shun those people which are like those
Critical Note
Pulter uses the image of swine throughout her emblem collection to refer to the unchaste and irreligious. Multiple biblical passages no doubt underpin this. See for instance, Mat. 7.6., “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet”, and Pet. 2.22, “the sowe that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire”. See also Pulter’s analogous emblem, Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99].
swine
14
Which at Gods word and Ministers Repine
Which at God’s word and minister’s
Gloss Note
grumble, complain
repine:
Which at God’s word and ministers
Gloss Note
express discontent or dissatisfaction; grumble, complain (OED 1a)
repine.
15
Throw them the choicest Orient Pearls you have
Throw them the choicest orient pearls you have,
Throw them the choicest orient pearls you have,
16
They’ll trample’m in ye dirt and Ramp & Rave
They’ll trample’m in the dirt and
Gloss Note
rear on the hind legs; act in a furious, threatening way; rush about wildly; (of a woman) behave immodestly
ramp and rave;
They’ll
Gloss Note
a biblical reference to Mat. 7.6; see note for line 13.
trample’m in the dirt and
Gloss Note
Of a person: to rush, storm, or rage with violent gestures; to behave in a furious or threatening manner (OED 3a)
ramp and rave,
17
And when you think their malice at an end
And when you think their malice at an end,
And when you think their malice at an end,
18
If God Restrain not they’ll yo:r bowels Rend
If God restrain not, they’ll your bowels
Gloss Note
See Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (“rend” meaning tear or wound).
rend.
If God restrain not, they’ll your bowels
Gloss Note
tear, split; rupture (OED)
rend.
19
Of theſe the Bore God’s vinyards that destroy
Of these,
Gloss Note
See Psalms 80:8–13: “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: … The boar out of the wood doth waste it.”
the boar God’s vineyards
Gloss Note
did
that destroy
Of these,
Gloss Note
A reference to Psalm 80.8–13, in which God is questioned for planting a “vine out of Egypt” and then allowing it to be “broken down” and “pluck[ed]”, “the boar out of the wood… wast[ing] it”.
the boar God’s vineyards that destroy,
20
And with their ffilth his Sacred Phane Annoy
And with their filth his sacred
Gloss Note
temple
fane annoy.
And with their filth His
Gloss Note
The "fane" is a temple (OED 2). This line refers to Isaiah 66.3, which describes the “abomination” of “offer[ing] swines blood” as a sacrifice, an act which taints the sacred place of the church.
sacred fane annoy.
21
Soe mad Antiochus the Temple Stain’d
Gloss Note
Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, in 169 BCE defiled Jerusalem’s Temple.
So mad Antiochus the temple stained;
So mad
Gloss Note
Antiochus IV, King of the Seleucids, 175–164 BC, known for his coercive manner and desire to Hellenize the Jewish race. In the Bible, he is criticised for polluting and profaning “the sanctuary and holy people” by sacrificing “swine’s flesh” (I Mac. 1.46–7).
Antiochus the temple stained,
22
Even Soe our
Physical Note
“i” appears adapted from second part of earlier “m”, and “z” to be written over another letter, perhaps “a”
Janizaries Po’les prophan’d
Even so
Gloss Note
Janizaries were Turkish soldiers, here identified with parliamentarians in England’s civil wars; “Paul’s” is St. Paul’s Cathedral, which had long been a resort for gossips, idlers, and disreputable people, and in the wars parliamentarians turned parts of it into cavalry barracks.
our janizaries Paul’s prophaned,
Even so
Gloss Note
A body of Turkish infantry, constituting the Sultan’s guard and the main part of the standing army. The body was first organized in the 14th century, and was composed mainly of tributary children of Christians (OED). Pulter uses this term in a derogatory sense in reference to the English army led by parliamentarians.
our janissaries
Gloss Note
Parliamentarians used St Paul’s Cathedral in London as a stables during the civil war; see William Dugdale’s account in his The History of St Paul’s Cathedral, where he states “that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes… (robbed of all dignity and respect)… all order, discipline and Church-government left to newness of opinion and men’s fancies” ([1658], The Epistle).
Paul’s profaned,
making
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
23
Makeing the Church a Stable and a Stews
Making the church a stable and a
Gloss Note
brothel
stews
Making the church a
Gloss Note
See notes for line 22.
stable and a
Gloss Note
brothels (OED 4). Eardley notes there is no specific reference to St Paul’s being used as a brothel; however, Henry Foulis records that in Westminster Abbey soldiers from the English Army were “breaking down the Organs, pawning the pipes of them for Ale, eating, drinking, smoking Tobacco at the Communion Table, and easing themselves in most parts of the Church; Nor was this all, but keeping their whores in the Church, and lying with them upon the very Altar it self” (Eardley, “An Edition of Lady Hester Pulter’s Book of ‘Emblemes’”, PhD diss., University of Warwick, [2008], 106 n.22–3; Foulis, The history of the wicked plots and conspiracies of our pretended saints representing the beginning, constitution, and designs of the Jesuite [1662], 138).
stews,
24
The while impriſoning Nobles in ye Mews
The while
Critical Note
royal stables in London; Eardley cites a pamphlet claiming 4,500 royalists were jailed there after defeat at the Battle of Naseby. See The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London (London, 1645), A4v.
imprisoning nobles in the mews.
The while
Gloss Note
“mews” was the term coined for the royal stables formerly at Charing Cross in London, a name given as they were built on the site of the royal hawk mews (OED). Pulter is likely referring to an event in which 4,500 royalist soldiers were kept there “guarded by the trained bands” with the threat of a “gibbet” (gallows) to aid against “disorderly” behavior, after being defeated at the Battle of Naseby by parliamentarian forces (The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London [London: T.F and J. Coe, 1645], 1–6).
imprisoning nobles in the mews.
25
The greatest Mirackle our Saviour wrought
The greatest miracle our Savior wrought
The greatest miracle our saviour wrought
26
Was when he Scourg’d out thoſe w:ch Sould & bought.
Was when he
Gloss Note
drove by force
scourged out
Gloss Note
See Matthew 21:12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves …”
those which sold and bought.
Was when
Gloss Note
See Mat. 21.12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changes, and the seats of them that sold Doves”.
He scourged out those which sold and bought.
X (Close panel) All Notes
Transcription

 Editorial note

In these transcriptions we preserve as many details of the original material, textual, and graphic properties of Hester Pulter’s manuscript verse as we have found practical. Whenever possible, for instance, original spelling, punctuation, capitalization, lineation, insertions, deletions, alterations, spacing between words and lines, and indentation are all maintained; abbreviations and brevigraphs are not expanded; and superscript and subscript representations are retained. See full conventions for the transcriptions here.
Elemental Edition

 Editorial note

The aim of the elemental edition is to make the poems accessible to the largest variety of readers, which involves modernizing spelling and punctuation as well as adding basic glosses. Spelling and punctuation reflect current standard American usage; punctuation highlights syntax which might otherwise be obscure. Outmoded but still familiar word forms (“thou,” “‘tis,” “hold’st”) are not modernized, and we do not modernize grammar when the sense remains legible. After a brief headnote aimed at offering a “way in” to the poem’s unique qualities and connections with other verse by Pulter or her contemporaries, the edition features a minimum of notes and interpretative framing to allow more immediate engagement with the poem. Glosses clarify synonyms or showcase various possible meanings in Pulter’s time. Other notes identify named people and places or clarify obscure material. We rely (without citation) primarily on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the Oxford Reference database, and the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. When we rely on Alice Eardley’s edition of Pulter’s work, we cite her text generally (“Eardley”); other sources are cited in full. The result is an edition we consider a springboard for further work on Pulter’s poetry. See full conventions for this edition here.
Amplified Edition

 Editorial note

Our priority in editing these poems has been to modernise, and to achieve interpretative and visual clarity, in order to make the poems as accessible as possible to as wide a modern audience as is possible. Spelling is modernised, as is punctuation. Modernising the latter, in particular, often involves a significant act of editorial interpretation, but in our view this is one of the most productive areas of editorial intervention, particularly for a manuscript text such as Pulter’s where the punctuation is erratic compared to modern usage (and, indeed, compared to early modern printed texts).
Gloss Note
See Alice Eardley, “‘I haue not time to point yr booke … which I desire you yourselfe to doe’: Editing the Form of Early Modern Manuscript Verse”, in The Work of Form: Poetics and Materiality in Early Modern Culture, ed. Ben Burton and Elizabeth Scott-Baumann (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 162–178.
[1] All biblical references are to the King James Version (1612).
Elemental Edition

 Headnote

Emblem 36 addresses “my dear pledges of our constant loves”: apparently, the poet’s own children, of which Pulter had fifteen (though not all lived to hear this poem). They are summoned to share the poet’s vision of some pearl-eating birds—an unusual sight, and so a compelling invitation. But the moral of the story is more ordinary: like the birds with their permanently internalized pearls, the speaker enjoins her offspring to “treasure sacred truths within your heart.” Pulter then raises the stakes by vividly imagining the “tyrant lapidaries” who might try to mine those jewel-like truths out of her children’s hearts, as well as “swine”-like folk who won’t just trample pearls (a biblical allusion) but also “rend” the “bowels” of those who throw them. The poem suggests the importance of maintaining one’s truth, at least internally; but it also acknowledges the countervailing need to protect oneself and one’s offspring from the often lethal treatment Pulter’s compatriots suffered in England’s civil wars (to which the poem also alludes).
Amplified Edition

 Headnote

An essential element of Pulter’s emblem series is her shifting mode of address, as she directs her emblematic wisdom sometimes explicitly to her children, and sometimes to a broader audience. “Doves and Pearls”, like Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68], addresses her children directly in an emblematic reworking of the invitation genre.
The emblem opens with Pulter imploring her children to notice the acts of doves, who by nature display loving devotion to one partner. The doves swallow orient pearls, which she uses as an emblem of a sacred “cordial, which our greatest faintings ease”, and she goes on to urge her readers to “treasure sacred truths within [the] heart”, as the doves do (lines 4, 6). The emblem moves to warn readers of “those swine” which, conversely, disregard “God’s word”; here, Pulter is inspired by multiple biblical references which cast swine as irreligious. An analogous emblem to this one is Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99], in which Pulter contrasts the image of “thankless” hogs “grunt[ing] for more” with “innocent doves” (lines 4, 6, 17). In that emblem, she urges the reader to “try which best he loves / To imitate, base hogs or turtledoves”, and concludes with an expression of her “soul’s sole desire” to embody the same qualities as the “spotless dove” (lines 19–20).
Towards the final lines of “Doves and Pearls” Pulter’s religious concerns become explicitly political as she criticizes the poor treatment of “sacred fane[s]” under the Protectorate, specifically referencing the use of St Paul’s Cathedral for irreligious activities (line 20). She further condemns republicans, referencing the treatment of “nobles”—meaning royalist soldiers—after the 1645 Battle of Naseby (line 24). In a typical display of emblematic didacticism, however, Pulter concludes in consolation, reminding her children that God will “[scourge] out” the unfaithful (line 26). By applying Pulter’s conceit of doves and pearls to this final resolution, the message becomes clear: keep faith and fidelity with God, unlike those who “ramp and rave” (line 16).
Elemental Edition
Line number 1

 Gloss note

signs or tokens of favor, loyalty, love, or as guarantee; here, children as evidence of mutual love and duty between parents
Amplified Edition
Line number 1

 Gloss note

For a similar opening address, see Come, My Dear Children (Emblem 2) [Poem 68]; and see our note to line 1 of the Amplified Edition of that poem.
Amplified Edition
Line number 1

 Gloss note

a name for children considered as a tokens or evidence of mutual love and duty between parents (OED 4b)
Amplified Edition
Line number 1

 Gloss note

Hester Pulter and her husband Arthur Pulter
Amplified Edition
Line number 2

 Gloss note

Pulter uses the turtledove throughout her poetry to thematise chastity, spiritual virtue, and equitable love. See, for example, The Manucodiats (Emblem 5) [Poem 71]; This Poor Turtle Dove (Emblem 20) [Poem 85], where the turtledove is praised for her “kind and constant” love for her deceased partner (line 2); and Why Must I Thus Forever Be Confined [Poem 57]. Pliny writes of the dove: “they be passing chaste, and neither male nor female change their mate, but keep together one true unto the other” (The Historie of the World: Commonly Called, the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Trans. Philemon Holland. Vol. 1 [1635], 290).
Elemental Edition
Line number 3

 Critical note

The speaker instructs her children to observe doves eating pearls (which were sometimes considered medicinal). The source of this claim is not known; too late as a source for Pulter, but relatively contemporary, is a passing reference to “A cloudy pearl in a dove’s paunch,” in Robert Dixon’s Canidia, or, The Witches (London, 1683), p. 208. Orient pearls are from the seas around India, versus those of less beauty in European mussels; generally, the phrase signifies a brilliant or precious pearl.
Amplified Edition
Line number 3

 Critical note

pearls from the seas around India, as distinguished from those of less beauty found in European mussels; (hence, more generally) a brilliant or precious pearl (OED 1b). Pulter also connects orient pearls with truth in Aletheia’s Pearl [Poem 32], in which “Fair Aletheia”, the goddess of truth, offers the speaker an orient pearl to represent their pledge of truthfulness and faith in God (lines 14). It is also worth noting the medicinal properties of pearls, which further codifies the pearl as an emblem of truth which the doves ingest as a healing “cordial” (OED 2a; line 4).
Elemental Edition
Line number 4

 Gloss note

medicine
Amplified Edition
Line number 4

 Gloss note

a medicine, food, or beverage which invigorates the heart and stimulates the circulation; a comforting or exhilarating drink (OED 2a). See Pulter’s similar use of the word in The Weeping Wish [Poem 61], line 19. In that poem, the bezoar is the “cordial”; in this poem, the orient pearls, emblematic of truth, are the medicine (see note to line 3).
Amplified Edition
Line number 4

 Gloss note

growing feeble or faint-hearted; depressed (OED 1)
Elemental Edition
Line number 5

 Gloss note

before
Elemental Edition
Line number 7

 Gloss note

workers who cut, polish, set, and sell gems
Amplified Edition
Line number 7

 Gloss note

artificers who cut, polish, or engrave gems or precious stones; those who are skilled in the nature and kinds of gems or precious stones (OED 1a, b). Pulter refers to this profession at lines 7 and 8, comparing the work of lapidaries who cut and engrave already precious stones like the pearl, with that of “tyrant[s]” who attempt to alter people’s faith and virtue. This manipulation, Pulter insists, merely expose the faults of tyrants, while making steadfast devotees “shine more bright”.
Elemental Edition
Line number 10

 Gloss note

meaning not only morally good qualities but, in a medicinal context, strengthening or healing powers
Amplified Edition
Line number 12

 Gloss note

the consecrated love which is upheld in the marital fidelity of doves, the commitment that makes them a common emblem for purity and faith; see note to line 2.
Amplified Edition
Line number 13

 Critical note

Pulter uses the image of swine throughout her emblem collection to refer to the unchaste and irreligious. Multiple biblical passages no doubt underpin this. See for instance, Mat. 7.6., “neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet”, and Pet. 2.22, “the sowe that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire”. See also Pulter’s analogous emblem, Mark but those Hogs (Emblem 34) [Poem 99].
Elemental Edition
Line number 14

 Gloss note

grumble, complain
Amplified Edition
Line number 14

 Gloss note

express discontent or dissatisfaction; grumble, complain (OED 1a)
Elemental Edition
Line number 16

 Gloss note

rear on the hind legs; act in a furious, threatening way; rush about wildly; (of a woman) behave immodestly
Amplified Edition
Line number 16

 Gloss note

a biblical reference to Mat. 7.6; see note for line 13.
Amplified Edition
Line number 16

 Gloss note

Of a person: to rush, storm, or rage with violent gestures; to behave in a furious or threatening manner (OED 3a)
Elemental Edition
Line number 18

 Gloss note

See Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (“rend” meaning tear or wound).
Amplified Edition
Line number 18

 Gloss note

tear, split; rupture (OED)
Elemental Edition
Line number 19

 Gloss note

See Psalms 80:8–13: “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: … The boar out of the wood doth waste it.”
Elemental Edition
Line number 19

 Gloss note

did
Amplified Edition
Line number 19

 Gloss note

A reference to Psalm 80.8–13, in which God is questioned for planting a “vine out of Egypt” and then allowing it to be “broken down” and “pluck[ed]”, “the boar out of the wood… wast[ing] it”.
Elemental Edition
Line number 20

 Gloss note

temple
Amplified Edition
Line number 20

 Gloss note

The "fane" is a temple (OED 2). This line refers to Isaiah 66.3, which describes the “abomination” of “offer[ing] swines blood” as a sacrifice, an act which taints the sacred place of the church.
Elemental Edition
Line number 21

 Gloss note

Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, in 169 BCE defiled Jerusalem’s Temple.
Amplified Edition
Line number 21

 Gloss note

Antiochus IV, King of the Seleucids, 175–164 BC, known for his coercive manner and desire to Hellenize the Jewish race. In the Bible, he is criticised for polluting and profaning “the sanctuary and holy people” by sacrificing “swine’s flesh” (I Mac. 1.46–7).
Transcription
Line number 22

 Physical note

“i” appears adapted from second part of earlier “m”, and “z” to be written over another letter, perhaps “a”
Elemental Edition
Line number 22

 Gloss note

Janizaries were Turkish soldiers, here identified with parliamentarians in England’s civil wars; “Paul’s” is St. Paul’s Cathedral, which had long been a resort for gossips, idlers, and disreputable people, and in the wars parliamentarians turned parts of it into cavalry barracks.
Amplified Edition
Line number 22

 Gloss note

A body of Turkish infantry, constituting the Sultan’s guard and the main part of the standing army. The body was first organized in the 14th century, and was composed mainly of tributary children of Christians (OED). Pulter uses this term in a derogatory sense in reference to the English army led by parliamentarians.
Amplified Edition
Line number 22

 Gloss note

Parliamentarians used St Paul’s Cathedral in London as a stables during the civil war; see William Dugdale’s account in his The History of St Paul’s Cathedral, where he states “that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes… (robbed of all dignity and respect)… all order, discipline and Church-government left to newness of opinion and men’s fancies” ([1658], The Epistle).
Elemental Edition
Line number 23

 Gloss note

brothel
Amplified Edition
Line number 23

 Gloss note

See notes for line 22.
Amplified Edition
Line number 23

 Gloss note

brothels (OED 4). Eardley notes there is no specific reference to St Paul’s being used as a brothel; however, Henry Foulis records that in Westminster Abbey soldiers from the English Army were “breaking down the Organs, pawning the pipes of them for Ale, eating, drinking, smoking Tobacco at the Communion Table, and easing themselves in most parts of the Church; Nor was this all, but keeping their whores in the Church, and lying with them upon the very Altar it self” (Eardley, “An Edition of Lady Hester Pulter’s Book of ‘Emblemes’”, PhD diss., University of Warwick, [2008], 106 n.22–3; Foulis, The history of the wicked plots and conspiracies of our pretended saints representing the beginning, constitution, and designs of the Jesuite [1662], 138).
Elemental Edition
Line number 24

 Critical note

royal stables in London; Eardley cites a pamphlet claiming 4,500 royalists were jailed there after defeat at the Battle of Naseby. See The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London (London, 1645), A4v.
Amplified Edition
Line number 24

 Gloss note

“mews” was the term coined for the royal stables formerly at Charing Cross in London, a name given as they were built on the site of the royal hawk mews (OED). Pulter is likely referring to an event in which 4,500 royalist soldiers were kept there “guarded by the trained bands” with the threat of a “gibbet” (gallows) to aid against “disorderly” behavior, after being defeated at the Battle of Naseby by parliamentarian forces (The Manner How the Prisoners Are to Be Brought Into the City of London [London: T.F and J. Coe, 1645], 1–6).
Elemental Edition
Line number 26

 Gloss note

drove by force
Elemental Edition
Line number 26

 Gloss note

See Matthew 21:12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves …”
Amplified Edition
Line number 26

 Gloss note

See Mat. 21.12: “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changes, and the seats of them that sold Doves”.
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