The Elephant (Emblem 19)

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The Elephant (Emblem 19)

Poem 84

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.

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
  • IT project consultation by Josh Honn, Northwestern University
  • 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 25

 Physical note

darker “h” possibly over another letter
Line number 29

 Physical note

darker “e” possibly in different hand from main scribe
Line number 41

 Physical note

comma erased imperfectly
Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.
X (Close panel)Transcription
Transcription
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
[Emblem 19]
The Elephant
(Emblem 19)
AE TITLE
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


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
Elephants provide the model for a surprising number of virtues in this poem. If upper-class Royalists in England had emulated their piety, industriousness, bravery, and fidelity, Pulter suggests, they might have turned the political tide and prevented the regicide of King Charles I, along with the side benefit of keeping their wives in line. Drawing on moralizing natural histories, Pulter excoriates the elites of her own class for their interlaced personal and political failures, flaws which extend into the realm of sexuality. Gentlemen, she advises directly at the poem’s conclusion, need to stop wasting their time by gallivanting about, drinking and gambling. If they don’t attend to their mates (which the male elephants do so scrupulously that they murder mates suspected of infidelity), they are likely to wind up with wives who fritter away their time attending plays, frequenting taverns, and committing adultery. The elephant’s graceful bowing to the rising sun, with which the emblem begins, gives way to a stern lecture on how the social hierarchy may crumble under the weight of its own immorality.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
1
19The Eliphant when Raidiant Sol Doth Riſe
The elephant, when radiant
Gloss Note
personification of the Sun and an ancient Roman god
Sol doth rise,
2
Devoutly bows with Elevated Eyes
Devoutly bows; with elevated eyes
3
Hee offers up his Morning Sacrifice
He offers up his morning sacrifice.
4
Some may perhaps this vain Religion Sleight
Some may perhaps this
Gloss Note
Pulter’s description of the elephants’ worship, which may seem “vain” (idle, unprofitable, useless) to some, is drawn from Edward Topsell: “They have also a kind of Religion, for they worship, reverence, and observe the course of the Sun, Moon, and Stars … they reverence the Sun rising, holding up their trunk or hand to heaven, in congratulation of her rising” (Edward Topsell, History of Four-Footed Beasts [1607], p. 192; cited by Stefan Christian, “The Poems of Lady Hester Pulter (1605?–1678): An Annotated Edition.” PhD diss. [University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2012], p. 310).
vain religion slight,
5
But of all Creatures I would Worſhip Light
But of all
Gloss Note
created things; the created universe
creatures, I would worship light.
6
Their vallour too the Orient Kingdooms trie
Gloss Note
the elephants’
Their valor too the
Gloss Note
the countries in the East “try” (test or prove)
Orient kingdoms try,
7
ffor in the ffeild they’l bravly ffighting die
For in the field they’ll bravely fighting die;
8
And when the Indians theſe beaſts doe Hire
And when
Gloss Note
Pulter’s description of the elephants as launching ships, fighting in battle, and mating is based on Pliny, The History of the World, trans. Philemon Holland (London, 1634), 8th chapter, pp. 192-99.
the Indians these beasts do hire
9
To Lanch their Ships, when one begins to tire
To launch their ships, when one begins to tire,
10
Thel’e bring another to lift in his place
They’ll bring another to lift in his place;
11
But Rather then hee’l ^live to know diſgrace
But rather than he’ll live to know disgrace,
12
Hee’l draw and Shov’e not onely till hee tires
He’ll draw and shove not only till he tires,
13
But Straining Bursts and Soe his Soul expires
But straining, bursts; and so his soul expires,
14
As Rather chooſing to Abrupt his Story
As rather choosing to
Gloss Note
break off
abrupt his
Gloss Note
life
story
15
Then live and let another take his Glory
Than live and let another take his glory.
16
ffor Chastitie this Gallant Creature’s Crown’d
For chastity this
Gloss Note
attractive in manners; excellent, admirable
gallant creature’s crowned,
17
ffor when hee hath a Lovly ffemale ffound
For when he hath a lovely female found
18
And mutuall fflames doe in their boſomes Glow
And mutual flames do in their bosoms glow,
19
They modestly into the Shades doe goe
They modestly into the
Gloss Note
shadows
shades do go;
20
There free from Company that might Annoy
There, free from company that might annoy,
21
They Innocently each other doe Injoy
They innocently each other do enjoy.
yet
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
22
Yet hee’s Soe tender of his Reputation
Yet he’s so
Gloss Note
concerned with
tender of his reputation
23
Hee kills his ffemale if hee doubts Scortation
He kills his female if he
Gloss Note
fears adultery
doubts scortation.
24
By this the Gallants of our Age may See
By this the
Gloss Note
men of fashion and pleasure; fine gentlemen (sometimes ironic); those who pay attention to ladies; lovers or (derogatively) paramours
gallants of our age may see,
25
In beeing Athiest’s worſ then Beaſts
Physical Note
darker “h” possibly over another letter
they bee
In being
Gloss Note
those who deny or disbelieve the existence of God but used as an anti-Royalist label for religious or political opponents in England’s civil war
atheists, worse than beasts they be.
26
Like them in Noble Actions Strive to exceed
Gloss Note
Be like them in noble actions; this is directed to the reader
Like them in noble actions, strive to exceed
27
Each other, this Want did make Us Bleed
Each other: this
Gloss Note
lack or flaw
want did make us bleed
28
In our brave King, for had you valiant been
In
Gloss Note
Charles I, executed by beheading in 1649; “this want did make us bleed / In our brave king” suggests that a flaw in England or its nobility led to the nation metaphorically losing blood when the king bled (at his execution).
our brave king. For had you valiant been,
29
Soe Sad A
Physical Note
darker “e” possibly in different hand from main scribe
change as this wee ne’re had Seen
So sad a change as this we ne’er had seen.
30
ffor had not Lords in Noble breeding faild
For had not
Gloss Note
Pulter suggests that aristocrats (“lords”), also known as nobles, failed to live up to their upbringing as such (thus invoking “noble” in its moral sense).
lords in noble breeding failed,
31
Tin^ckers and Coblers never had prevaild
Gloss Note
pot-menders and shoemakers; here, representatives of commoners
Tinkers and cobblers never had prevailed.
32
But wee our Wants and loſſes may deplore
Gloss Note
Nothing but
But we our wants and losses may
Gloss Note
lament
deplore,
33
But Sin alone that Sets us on the Score
But sin alone, that
Gloss Note
causes us to be in debt
sets us on the score.
34
Then yet bee chast and thoſe you chooſe in youth
Then yet be chaste, and those you choose in youth,
35
Loue Conſtantly for truth deſerveth Truth
Love constantly, for
Gloss Note
here, in the sense of fidelity (i.e., marital fidelity to “those you choose in youth”)
truth deserveth truth.
36
Neglect them not, to drink, Rant, throw ye Die
Neglect them not, to
Gloss Note
drink alcohol, “rant” (be jovial, boisterous, or uproariously merry; lead a riotous or dissolute life; sing loudly, dance or play music), or gamble (throw dice)
drink, rant, throw the die,
37
ffor to temptation then they open lie
For to temptation then
Gloss Note
the wives
they open lie.
38
In comon meetings they fool out their days
In
Gloss Note
public gatherings open to all classes of people; “common” could refer to the community of a people or place, or the subset distinguished as from those of higher rank; it was sometimes used as a slur to imply lower-class status.
common meetings they fool out their days
39
At Bauls, and Taverns, Seeing Wanton Plays
At balls and taverns, seeing
Gloss Note
rebellious, unruly, lawless; lustful, inciting lasciviousness; profligate, wasteful; frivolous, pleasure-seeking
wanton plays.
40
To Cenſure you In earnest I am Loth
To censure you in earnest I am
Gloss Note
averse, reluctant
loath,
41
But Sure you want or
Physical Note
comma erased imperfectly
, Vallour, Witt, or both
But sure
Gloss Note
you lack either bravery or “wit” (reason, intellect)
you want or valor, wit, or both.
42
Your Ladyes are Soe Laviſh of their ffames
Your ladies are so
Gloss Note
either the noblewomen are so extravagant or undisciplined in spending money that their reputations are damaged; or they are so extravagant in circulating that they get bad reputations
lavish of their fames,
43
They have quite out gone our Wanton Citty Dames
They have quite
Gloss Note
exceeded unruly or lustful London-based, non-elite women
outgone our wanton city dames.
44
ffor Honnours Sake looke too’t, for Shame at least
For honor’s sake look
Gloss Note
to it; here referring to moral behavior in general, or attending to their wives in particular
to’t; for shame at least!
45
You See a Wittall is below a Beast.
You see a
Gloss Note
a contented man who knows that his wife is unfaithful; also, a half-witted person
wittol is below a beast.
ascending straight line
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

Elephants provide the model for a surprising number of virtues in this poem. If upper-class Royalists in England had emulated their piety, industriousness, bravery, and fidelity, Pulter suggests, they might have turned the political tide and prevented the regicide of King Charles I, along with the side benefit of keeping their wives in line. Drawing on moralizing natural histories, Pulter excoriates the elites of her own class for their interlaced personal and political failures, flaws which extend into the realm of sexuality. Gentlemen, she advises directly at the poem’s conclusion, need to stop wasting their time by gallivanting about, drinking and gambling. If they don’t attend to their mates (which the male elephants do so scrupulously that they murder mates suspected of infidelity), they are likely to wind up with wives who fritter away their time attending plays, frequenting taverns, and committing adultery. The elephant’s graceful bowing to the rising sun, with which the emblem begins, gives way to a stern lecture on how the social hierarchy may crumble under the weight of its own immorality.
Line number 1

 Gloss note

personification of the Sun and an ancient Roman god
Line number 4

 Gloss note

Pulter’s description of the elephants’ worship, which may seem “vain” (idle, unprofitable, useless) to some, is drawn from Edward Topsell: “They have also a kind of Religion, for they worship, reverence, and observe the course of the Sun, Moon, and Stars … they reverence the Sun rising, holding up their trunk or hand to heaven, in congratulation of her rising” (Edward Topsell, History of Four-Footed Beasts [1607], p. 192; cited by Stefan Christian, “The Poems of Lady Hester Pulter (1605?–1678): An Annotated Edition.” PhD diss. [University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2012], p. 310).
Line number 5

 Gloss note

created things; the created universe
Line number 6

 Gloss note

the elephants’
Line number 6

 Gloss note

the countries in the East “try” (test or prove)
Line number 8

 Gloss note

Pulter’s description of the elephants as launching ships, fighting in battle, and mating is based on Pliny, The History of the World, trans. Philemon Holland (London, 1634), 8th chapter, pp. 192-99.
Line number 14

 Gloss note

break off
Line number 14

 Gloss note

life
Line number 16

 Gloss note

attractive in manners; excellent, admirable
Line number 19

 Gloss note

shadows
Line number 22

 Gloss note

concerned with
Line number 23

 Gloss note

fears adultery
Line number 24

 Gloss note

men of fashion and pleasure; fine gentlemen (sometimes ironic); those who pay attention to ladies; lovers or (derogatively) paramours
Line number 25

 Gloss note

those who deny or disbelieve the existence of God but used as an anti-Royalist label for religious or political opponents in England’s civil war
Line number 26

 Gloss note

Be like them in noble actions; this is directed to the reader
Line number 27

 Gloss note

lack or flaw
Line number 28

 Gloss note

Charles I, executed by beheading in 1649; “this want did make us bleed / In our brave king” suggests that a flaw in England or its nobility led to the nation metaphorically losing blood when the king bled (at his execution).
Line number 30

 Gloss note

Pulter suggests that aristocrats (“lords”), also known as nobles, failed to live up to their upbringing as such (thus invoking “noble” in its moral sense).
Line number 31

 Gloss note

pot-menders and shoemakers; here, representatives of commoners
Line number 32

 Gloss note

Nothing but
Line number 32

 Gloss note

lament
Line number 33

 Gloss note

causes us to be in debt
Line number 35

 Gloss note

here, in the sense of fidelity (i.e., marital fidelity to “those you choose in youth”)
Line number 36

 Gloss note

drink alcohol, “rant” (be jovial, boisterous, or uproariously merry; lead a riotous or dissolute life; sing loudly, dance or play music), or gamble (throw dice)
Line number 37

 Gloss note

the wives
Line number 38

 Gloss note

public gatherings open to all classes of people; “common” could refer to the community of a people or place, or the subset distinguished as from those of higher rank; it was sometimes used as a slur to imply lower-class status.
Line number 39

 Gloss note

rebellious, unruly, lawless; lustful, inciting lasciviousness; profligate, wasteful; frivolous, pleasure-seeking
Line number 40

 Gloss note

averse, reluctant
Line number 41

 Gloss note

you lack either bravery or “wit” (reason, intellect)
Line number 42

 Gloss note

either the noblewomen are so extravagant or undisciplined in spending money that their reputations are damaged; or they are so extravagant in circulating that they get bad reputations
Line number 43

 Gloss note

exceeded unruly or lustful London-based, non-elite women
Line number 44

 Gloss note

to it; here referring to moral behavior in general, or attending to their wives in particular
Line number 45

 Gloss note

a contented man who knows that his wife is unfaithful; also, a half-witted person
Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.
X (Close panel)Elemental Edition
Elemental Edition
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
[Emblem 19]
The Elephant
(Emblem 19)
AE TITLE
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


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
Elephants provide the model for a surprising number of virtues in this poem. If upper-class Royalists in England had emulated their piety, industriousness, bravery, and fidelity, Pulter suggests, they might have turned the political tide and prevented the regicide of King Charles I, along with the side benefit of keeping their wives in line. Drawing on moralizing natural histories, Pulter excoriates the elites of her own class for their interlaced personal and political failures, flaws which extend into the realm of sexuality. Gentlemen, she advises directly at the poem’s conclusion, need to stop wasting their time by gallivanting about, drinking and gambling. If they don’t attend to their mates (which the male elephants do so scrupulously that they murder mates suspected of infidelity), they are likely to wind up with wives who fritter away their time attending plays, frequenting taverns, and committing adultery. The elephant’s graceful bowing to the rising sun, with which the emblem begins, gives way to a stern lecture on how the social hierarchy may crumble under the weight of its own immorality.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
1
19The Eliphant when Raidiant Sol Doth Riſe
The elephant, when radiant
Gloss Note
personification of the Sun and an ancient Roman god
Sol doth rise,
2
Devoutly bows with Elevated Eyes
Devoutly bows; with elevated eyes
3
Hee offers up his Morning Sacrifice
He offers up his morning sacrifice.
4
Some may perhaps this vain Religion Sleight
Some may perhaps this
Gloss Note
Pulter’s description of the elephants’ worship, which may seem “vain” (idle, unprofitable, useless) to some, is drawn from Edward Topsell: “They have also a kind of Religion, for they worship, reverence, and observe the course of the Sun, Moon, and Stars … they reverence the Sun rising, holding up their trunk or hand to heaven, in congratulation of her rising” (Edward Topsell, History of Four-Footed Beasts [1607], p. 192; cited by Stefan Christian, “The Poems of Lady Hester Pulter (1605?–1678): An Annotated Edition.” PhD diss. [University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2012], p. 310).
vain religion slight,
5
But of all Creatures I would Worſhip Light
But of all
Gloss Note
created things; the created universe
creatures, I would worship light.
6
Their vallour too the Orient Kingdooms trie
Gloss Note
the elephants’
Their valor too the
Gloss Note
the countries in the East “try” (test or prove)
Orient kingdoms try,
7
ffor in the ffeild they’l bravly ffighting die
For in the field they’ll bravely fighting die;
8
And when the Indians theſe beaſts doe Hire
And when
Gloss Note
Pulter’s description of the elephants as launching ships, fighting in battle, and mating is based on Pliny, The History of the World, trans. Philemon Holland (London, 1634), 8th chapter, pp. 192-99.
the Indians these beasts do hire
9
To Lanch their Ships, when one begins to tire
To launch their ships, when one begins to tire,
10
Thel’e bring another to lift in his place
They’ll bring another to lift in his place;
11
But Rather then hee’l ^live to know diſgrace
But rather than he’ll live to know disgrace,
12
Hee’l draw and Shov’e not onely till hee tires
He’ll draw and shove not only till he tires,
13
But Straining Bursts and Soe his Soul expires
But straining, bursts; and so his soul expires,
14
As Rather chooſing to Abrupt his Story
As rather choosing to
Gloss Note
break off
abrupt his
Gloss Note
life
story
15
Then live and let another take his Glory
Than live and let another take his glory.
16
ffor Chastitie this Gallant Creature’s Crown’d
For chastity this
Gloss Note
attractive in manners; excellent, admirable
gallant creature’s crowned,
17
ffor when hee hath a Lovly ffemale ffound
For when he hath a lovely female found
18
And mutuall fflames doe in their boſomes Glow
And mutual flames do in their bosoms glow,
19
They modestly into the Shades doe goe
They modestly into the
Gloss Note
shadows
shades do go;
20
There free from Company that might Annoy
There, free from company that might annoy,
21
They Innocently each other doe Injoy
They innocently each other do enjoy.
yet
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
22
Yet hee’s Soe tender of his Reputation
Yet he’s so
Gloss Note
concerned with
tender of his reputation
23
Hee kills his ffemale if hee doubts Scortation
He kills his female if he
Gloss Note
fears adultery
doubts scortation.
24
By this the Gallants of our Age may See
By this the
Gloss Note
men of fashion and pleasure; fine gentlemen (sometimes ironic); those who pay attention to ladies; lovers or (derogatively) paramours
gallants of our age may see,
25
In beeing Athiest’s worſ then Beaſts
Physical Note
darker “h” possibly over another letter
they bee
In being
Gloss Note
those who deny or disbelieve the existence of God but used as an anti-Royalist label for religious or political opponents in England’s civil war
atheists, worse than beasts they be.
26
Like them in Noble Actions Strive to exceed
Gloss Note
Be like them in noble actions; this is directed to the reader
Like them in noble actions, strive to exceed
27
Each other, this Want did make Us Bleed
Each other: this
Gloss Note
lack or flaw
want did make us bleed
28
In our brave King, for had you valiant been
In
Gloss Note
Charles I, executed by beheading in 1649; “this want did make us bleed / In our brave king” suggests that a flaw in England or its nobility led to the nation metaphorically losing blood when the king bled (at his execution).
our brave king. For had you valiant been,
29
Soe Sad A
Physical Note
darker “e” possibly in different hand from main scribe
change as this wee ne’re had Seen
So sad a change as this we ne’er had seen.
30
ffor had not Lords in Noble breeding faild
For had not
Gloss Note
Pulter suggests that aristocrats (“lords”), also known as nobles, failed to live up to their upbringing as such (thus invoking “noble” in its moral sense).
lords in noble breeding failed,
31
Tin^ckers and Coblers never had prevaild
Gloss Note
pot-menders and shoemakers; here, representatives of commoners
Tinkers and cobblers never had prevailed.
32
But wee our Wants and loſſes may deplore
Gloss Note
Nothing but
But we our wants and losses may
Gloss Note
lament
deplore,
33
But Sin alone that Sets us on the Score
But sin alone, that
Gloss Note
causes us to be in debt
sets us on the score.
34
Then yet bee chast and thoſe you chooſe in youth
Then yet be chaste, and those you choose in youth,
35
Loue Conſtantly for truth deſerveth Truth
Love constantly, for
Gloss Note
here, in the sense of fidelity (i.e., marital fidelity to “those you choose in youth”)
truth deserveth truth.
36
Neglect them not, to drink, Rant, throw ye Die
Neglect them not, to
Gloss Note
drink alcohol, “rant” (be jovial, boisterous, or uproariously merry; lead a riotous or dissolute life; sing loudly, dance or play music), or gamble (throw dice)
drink, rant, throw the die,
37
ffor to temptation then they open lie
For to temptation then
Gloss Note
the wives
they open lie.
38
In comon meetings they fool out their days
In
Gloss Note
public gatherings open to all classes of people; “common” could refer to the community of a people or place, or the subset distinguished as from those of higher rank; it was sometimes used as a slur to imply lower-class status.
common meetings they fool out their days
39
At Bauls, and Taverns, Seeing Wanton Plays
At balls and taverns, seeing
Gloss Note
rebellious, unruly, lawless; lustful, inciting lasciviousness; profligate, wasteful; frivolous, pleasure-seeking
wanton plays.
40
To Cenſure you In earnest I am Loth
To censure you in earnest I am
Gloss Note
averse, reluctant
loath,
41
But Sure you want or
Physical Note
comma erased imperfectly
, Vallour, Witt, or both
But sure
Gloss Note
you lack either bravery or “wit” (reason, intellect)
you want or valor, wit, or both.
42
Your Ladyes are Soe Laviſh of their ffames
Your ladies are so
Gloss Note
either the noblewomen are so extravagant or undisciplined in spending money that their reputations are damaged; or they are so extravagant in circulating that they get bad reputations
lavish of their fames,
43
They have quite out gone our Wanton Citty Dames
They have quite
Gloss Note
exceeded unruly or lustful London-based, non-elite women
outgone our wanton city dames.
44
ffor Honnours Sake looke too’t, for Shame at least
For honor’s sake look
Gloss Note
to it; here referring to moral behavior in general, or attending to their wives in particular
to’t; for shame at least!
45
You See a Wittall is below a Beast.
You see a
Gloss Note
a contented man who knows that his wife is unfaithful; also, a half-witted person
wittol is below a beast.
ascending straight line
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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

Elemental Edition

 Headnote

Elephants provide the model for a surprising number of virtues in this poem. If upper-class Royalists in England had emulated their piety, industriousness, bravery, and fidelity, Pulter suggests, they might have turned the political tide and prevented the regicide of King Charles I, along with the side benefit of keeping their wives in line. Drawing on moralizing natural histories, Pulter excoriates the elites of her own class for their interlaced personal and political failures, flaws which extend into the realm of sexuality. Gentlemen, she advises directly at the poem’s conclusion, need to stop wasting their time by gallivanting about, drinking and gambling. If they don’t attend to their mates (which the male elephants do so scrupulously that they murder mates suspected of infidelity), they are likely to wind up with wives who fritter away their time attending plays, frequenting taverns, and committing adultery. The elephant’s graceful bowing to the rising sun, with which the emblem begins, gives way to a stern lecture on how the social hierarchy may crumble under the weight of its own immorality.
Amplified Edition

 Headnote

Elemental Edition
Line number 1

 Gloss note

personification of the Sun and an ancient Roman god
Elemental Edition
Line number 4

 Gloss note

Pulter’s description of the elephants’ worship, which may seem “vain” (idle, unprofitable, useless) to some, is drawn from Edward Topsell: “They have also a kind of Religion, for they worship, reverence, and observe the course of the Sun, Moon, and Stars … they reverence the Sun rising, holding up their trunk or hand to heaven, in congratulation of her rising” (Edward Topsell, History of Four-Footed Beasts [1607], p. 192; cited by Stefan Christian, “The Poems of Lady Hester Pulter (1605?–1678): An Annotated Edition.” PhD diss. [University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2012], p. 310).
Elemental Edition
Line number 5

 Gloss note

created things; the created universe
Elemental Edition
Line number 6

 Gloss note

the elephants’
Elemental Edition
Line number 6

 Gloss note

the countries in the East “try” (test or prove)
Elemental Edition
Line number 8

 Gloss note

Pulter’s description of the elephants as launching ships, fighting in battle, and mating is based on Pliny, The History of the World, trans. Philemon Holland (London, 1634), 8th chapter, pp. 192-99.
Elemental Edition
Line number 14

 Gloss note

break off
Elemental Edition
Line number 14

 Gloss note

life
Elemental Edition
Line number 16

 Gloss note

attractive in manners; excellent, admirable
Elemental Edition
Line number 19

 Gloss note

shadows
Elemental Edition
Line number 22

 Gloss note

concerned with
Elemental Edition
Line number 23

 Gloss note

fears adultery
Elemental Edition
Line number 24

 Gloss note

men of fashion and pleasure; fine gentlemen (sometimes ironic); those who pay attention to ladies; lovers or (derogatively) paramours
Transcription
Line number 25

 Physical note

darker “h” possibly over another letter
Elemental Edition
Line number 25

 Gloss note

those who deny or disbelieve the existence of God but used as an anti-Royalist label for religious or political opponents in England’s civil war
Elemental Edition
Line number 26

 Gloss note

Be like them in noble actions; this is directed to the reader
Elemental Edition
Line number 27

 Gloss note

lack or flaw
Elemental Edition
Line number 28

 Gloss note

Charles I, executed by beheading in 1649; “this want did make us bleed / In our brave king” suggests that a flaw in England or its nobility led to the nation metaphorically losing blood when the king bled (at his execution).
Transcription
Line number 29

 Physical note

darker “e” possibly in different hand from main scribe
Elemental Edition
Line number 30

 Gloss note

Pulter suggests that aristocrats (“lords”), also known as nobles, failed to live up to their upbringing as such (thus invoking “noble” in its moral sense).
Elemental Edition
Line number 31

 Gloss note

pot-menders and shoemakers; here, representatives of commoners
Elemental Edition
Line number 32

 Gloss note

Nothing but
Elemental Edition
Line number 32

 Gloss note

lament
Elemental Edition
Line number 33

 Gloss note

causes us to be in debt
Elemental Edition
Line number 35

 Gloss note

here, in the sense of fidelity (i.e., marital fidelity to “those you choose in youth”)
Elemental Edition
Line number 36

 Gloss note

drink alcohol, “rant” (be jovial, boisterous, or uproariously merry; lead a riotous or dissolute life; sing loudly, dance or play music), or gamble (throw dice)
Elemental Edition
Line number 37

 Gloss note

the wives
Elemental Edition
Line number 38

 Gloss note

public gatherings open to all classes of people; “common” could refer to the community of a people or place, or the subset distinguished as from those of higher rank; it was sometimes used as a slur to imply lower-class status.
Elemental Edition
Line number 39

 Gloss note

rebellious, unruly, lawless; lustful, inciting lasciviousness; profligate, wasteful; frivolous, pleasure-seeking
Elemental Edition
Line number 40

 Gloss note

averse, reluctant
Transcription
Line number 41

 Physical note

comma erased imperfectly
Elemental Edition
Line number 41

 Gloss note

you lack either bravery or “wit” (reason, intellect)
Elemental Edition
Line number 42

 Gloss note

either the noblewomen are so extravagant or undisciplined in spending money that their reputations are damaged; or they are so extravagant in circulating that they get bad reputations
Elemental Edition
Line number 43

 Gloss note

exceeded unruly or lustful London-based, non-elite women
Elemental Edition
Line number 44

 Gloss note

to it; here referring to moral behavior in general, or attending to their wives in particular
Elemental Edition
Line number 45

 Gloss note

a contented man who knows that his wife is unfaithful; also, a half-witted person
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