Aristomenes (Emblem 45)

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Aristomenes (Emblem 45)

Poem 110

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 24

 Physical note

double strike-through
Line number 24

 Physical note

in different hand from main scribe
Line number 25

 Physical note

“w” originally “h”
Line number 27

 Physical note

imperfectly erased descender (as for “g”) under “c”
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 45]
Aristomenes
(Emblem 45)
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
People find support, comfort, and freedom where they least expect it—from those they consider enemies or even inferiors. In this emblem, Pulter turns to animal fables, Greek history, the Bible, and contemporary political struggles to show the widespread applicability of this lesson. The poem begins with the story of how the ancient Greek Aristomenes wisely did not give way to fear when a fox entered his prison; instead he used a seeming enemy to make a jailbreak. This apparently universal moral, however, is predicated on specific social hierarchies, as we see in the story of how the biblical prophet Jeremiah is saved by the unexpected compassion of an African (identified in the poem as a “cursed race”) and in the mention of how national stereotypes shape expectations. Directed to “her royal friends” and the royal family, Pulter tailors her lesson to offer hope specifically to Royalists imprisoned by Parliamentarians during the civil war and its aftermath. While the poem’s ending appears simply to invoke the comfort of divine providence, it implicitly adds an odd twist to the overall moral: in presenting comfort and punishment, God's salvation becomes aligned with the unexpected rescue offered by subversive figures and forces marked as outsiders by their species, race, nationality, or sect.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
1
45Ariſtominus his Strang Ambiguous ffate
Gloss Note
Aristomenes was a hero of seventh-century BCE Greece who, as this poem recounts, held out in a stronghold for eleven years, escaping capture several times, once (according to legend) by grasping a fox’s tail in order to be led to the hole by which it had entered.
Aristomenes, his strange ambiguous fate,
2
Unto the Noble Reader I’le Relate
Unto the noble reader I’ll relate.
3
Thrice of his Liberty hee was Reſtrain’d
Thrice of his liberty he was restrained;
4
Thrice by A Miracle his freedome gain’d
Thrice by a miracle his freedom gained.
5
Last in A diſmale Dung’on hee was put
Last in a dismal dungeon he was put
6
ffrom Light, and Joy, to Night, & Sorrow ſhut
From light and joy, to night and sorrow shut.
7
Noe ffellows but dead Bodys bout him Lay
No fellows but dead bodies ’bout him lay,
8
On which ô Strang A Jaccall came to prey
On which–O, strange!–a jackal came to prey.
9
Hee whoſe Couragious Heart did never fayl
He whose courageous heart did never fail
10
Start up and Caught old Renard by the Tayl
Gloss Note
Started
Start up and caught old
Gloss Note
traditional name for a fox who is the trickster hero of European folk tales
Reynard by the tail.
11
The ffrighted ffox Returnd the way Shee came
The frighted fox returned the way she came;
12
Hee kept in’s hold in hope to doe ye Same
Gloss Note
Aristomenes kept the fox in his grasp.
He kept in’s hold, in hope to do the same.
13
And when the hole too little was (Alas)
And when the hole too little was (alas!),
14
Hee Scrapt it bigger till himſelf could paſs
He scraped it bigger till himself could pass.
15
The Anchorite with’s nails Soe digs his Grave
The
Gloss Note
person who has withdrawn from the world and lives in confinement, often for religious reasons; this line refers to the anchorite’s commitment to contemplate death.
anchorite
Gloss Note
with his
with’s nails so digs his grave;
16
Hee Scrapt, his Life and Liberty to have
He scraped, his life and liberty to have.
17
Then let my Royall ffriends that Captive bee
Then let my
Gloss Note
supporters of Charles I imprisoned during the civil war
royal friends that captive be,
18
The various ffortune of this Warior See
The
Gloss Note
changeful; marked by variety of incident or action
various fortune of this warrior see
19
And Rest in hope, for though noe help bee found
And rest in hope; for though no help be found
20
Above, yet it may come from under ground
Above, yet it may come from underground.
21
Who would have thought one of Chams Curſed Race
Who would have thought one of
Gloss Note
In the Bible, Ham’s son Canaan is cursed by his grandfather, Noah, causing his descendants to become subject to Israelites (Genesis 9:20–27). Numerous early modern texts suggest that Ham’s dark-skinned lineage populated Africa. This and the next line refer to the Ethiopian eunuch Ebed-melech who cared for the imprisoned prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:10).
Ham’s cursed race
22
Should onely pitty Jeremias Caſe
Should only pity
Gloss Note
the biblical prophet’s imprisonment for treason
Jeremiah’s case?
Or
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
23
Or who that Merodock Should Comfort bring
Or who that
Gloss Note
The Babylonian monarch Amel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach in the Bible) freed Jehoiachin (king of Judah) from imprisonment after Merodach inherited the throne from his father, Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25.27–30). This was unexpected benevolence since Nebuchadnezzar had imprisoned Jehoiachin.
Merodach should comfort bring
24
To Judas
Physical Note
double strike-through
blind
Physical Note
in different hand from main scribe
\sad \ dejected Captive, King
To Judah’s sad, dejected, captive king?
25
Or that The Swaſhing
Physical Note
“w” originally “h”
Sweads Should hear ye Moan
Or that the
Gloss Note
Because the English caricatured the Swedish as ostentatious, blustering, swaggering, and swashbuckling, their sympathy for a deposed Protestant leader is noted as unusual.
swashing Swedes should hear the moan
26
Of Reans Elector him to Reinthrone
Gloss Note
The introduction of Sweden’s support for the Protestants was a major turning point in the European Thirty Years’ War (the conflict between Protestants and Catholic Holy Roman Empire-Hapsburgs, 1618–1648). After the war, Charles I Louis, son of the deposed Protestant Elector Frederick V (1596–1632) was reinstated as Elector Palatine (a territory now in Germany).
Of Rhine’s elector, him to reinthrone?
27
Then let the Royall
Physical Note
imperfectly erased descender (as for “g”) under “c”
branches Trust in God
Then let
Gloss Note
descendent of the king; the royal family “tree”
the royal branches trust in God:
28
The Staff of Comfort Still Succeeds the Rod.
Gloss Note
God always offers the comfort of his “staff” (a stick used to guide one in walking) more than or after using his “rod,” a stick used as an instrument of punishment. The passage picks up on language from Psalms 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
The staff of comfort still succeeds the rod.
horizontal 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

People find support, comfort, and freedom where they least expect it—from those they consider enemies or even inferiors. In this emblem, Pulter turns to animal fables, Greek history, the Bible, and contemporary political struggles to show the widespread applicability of this lesson. The poem begins with the story of how the ancient Greek Aristomenes wisely did not give way to fear when a fox entered his prison; instead he used a seeming enemy to make a jailbreak. This apparently universal moral, however, is predicated on specific social hierarchies, as we see in the story of how the biblical prophet Jeremiah is saved by the unexpected compassion of an African (identified in the poem as a “cursed race”) and in the mention of how national stereotypes shape expectations. Directed to “her royal friends” and the royal family, Pulter tailors her lesson to offer hope specifically to Royalists imprisoned by Parliamentarians during the civil war and its aftermath. While the poem’s ending appears simply to invoke the comfort of divine providence, it implicitly adds an odd twist to the overall moral: in presenting comfort and punishment, God's salvation becomes aligned with the unexpected rescue offered by subversive figures and forces marked as outsiders by their species, race, nationality, or sect.
Line number 1

 Gloss note

Aristomenes was a hero of seventh-century BCE Greece who, as this poem recounts, held out in a stronghold for eleven years, escaping capture several times, once (according to legend) by grasping a fox’s tail in order to be led to the hole by which it had entered.
Line number 10

 Gloss note

Started
Line number 10

 Gloss note

traditional name for a fox who is the trickster hero of European folk tales
Line number 12

 Gloss note

Aristomenes kept the fox in his grasp.
Line number 15

 Gloss note

person who has withdrawn from the world and lives in confinement, often for religious reasons; this line refers to the anchorite’s commitment to contemplate death.
Line number 15

 Gloss note

with his
Line number 17

 Gloss note

supporters of Charles I imprisoned during the civil war
Line number 18

 Gloss note

changeful; marked by variety of incident or action
Line number 21

 Gloss note

In the Bible, Ham’s son Canaan is cursed by his grandfather, Noah, causing his descendants to become subject to Israelites (Genesis 9:20–27). Numerous early modern texts suggest that Ham’s dark-skinned lineage populated Africa. This and the next line refer to the Ethiopian eunuch Ebed-melech who cared for the imprisoned prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:10).
Line number 22

 Gloss note

the biblical prophet’s imprisonment for treason
Line number 23

 Gloss note

The Babylonian monarch Amel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach in the Bible) freed Jehoiachin (king of Judah) from imprisonment after Merodach inherited the throne from his father, Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25.27–30). This was unexpected benevolence since Nebuchadnezzar had imprisoned Jehoiachin.
Line number 25

 Gloss note

Because the English caricatured the Swedish as ostentatious, blustering, swaggering, and swashbuckling, their sympathy for a deposed Protestant leader is noted as unusual.
Line number 26

 Gloss note

The introduction of Sweden’s support for the Protestants was a major turning point in the European Thirty Years’ War (the conflict between Protestants and Catholic Holy Roman Empire-Hapsburgs, 1618–1648). After the war, Charles I Louis, son of the deposed Protestant Elector Frederick V (1596–1632) was reinstated as Elector Palatine (a territory now in Germany).
Line number 27

 Gloss note

descendent of the king; the royal family “tree”
Line number 28

 Gloss note

God always offers the comfort of his “staff” (a stick used to guide one in walking) more than or after using his “rod,” a stick used as an instrument of punishment. The passage picks up on language from Psalms 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
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 45]
Aristomenes
(Emblem 45)
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
People find support, comfort, and freedom where they least expect it—from those they consider enemies or even inferiors. In this emblem, Pulter turns to animal fables, Greek history, the Bible, and contemporary political struggles to show the widespread applicability of this lesson. The poem begins with the story of how the ancient Greek Aristomenes wisely did not give way to fear when a fox entered his prison; instead he used a seeming enemy to make a jailbreak. This apparently universal moral, however, is predicated on specific social hierarchies, as we see in the story of how the biblical prophet Jeremiah is saved by the unexpected compassion of an African (identified in the poem as a “cursed race”) and in the mention of how national stereotypes shape expectations. Directed to “her royal friends” and the royal family, Pulter tailors her lesson to offer hope specifically to Royalists imprisoned by Parliamentarians during the civil war and its aftermath. While the poem’s ending appears simply to invoke the comfort of divine providence, it implicitly adds an odd twist to the overall moral: in presenting comfort and punishment, God's salvation becomes aligned with the unexpected rescue offered by subversive figures and forces marked as outsiders by their species, race, nationality, or sect.

— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall


— Leah Knight and Wendy Wall
1
45Ariſtominus his Strang Ambiguous ffate
Gloss Note
Aristomenes was a hero of seventh-century BCE Greece who, as this poem recounts, held out in a stronghold for eleven years, escaping capture several times, once (according to legend) by grasping a fox’s tail in order to be led to the hole by which it had entered.
Aristomenes, his strange ambiguous fate,
2
Unto the Noble Reader I’le Relate
Unto the noble reader I’ll relate.
3
Thrice of his Liberty hee was Reſtrain’d
Thrice of his liberty he was restrained;
4
Thrice by A Miracle his freedome gain’d
Thrice by a miracle his freedom gained.
5
Last in A diſmale Dung’on hee was put
Last in a dismal dungeon he was put
6
ffrom Light, and Joy, to Night, & Sorrow ſhut
From light and joy, to night and sorrow shut.
7
Noe ffellows but dead Bodys bout him Lay
No fellows but dead bodies ’bout him lay,
8
On which ô Strang A Jaccall came to prey
On which–O, strange!–a jackal came to prey.
9
Hee whoſe Couragious Heart did never fayl
He whose courageous heart did never fail
10
Start up and Caught old Renard by the Tayl
Gloss Note
Started
Start up and caught old
Gloss Note
traditional name for a fox who is the trickster hero of European folk tales
Reynard by the tail.
11
The ffrighted ffox Returnd the way Shee came
The frighted fox returned the way she came;
12
Hee kept in’s hold in hope to doe ye Same
Gloss Note
Aristomenes kept the fox in his grasp.
He kept in’s hold, in hope to do the same.
13
And when the hole too little was (Alas)
And when the hole too little was (alas!),
14
Hee Scrapt it bigger till himſelf could paſs
He scraped it bigger till himself could pass.
15
The Anchorite with’s nails Soe digs his Grave
The
Gloss Note
person who has withdrawn from the world and lives in confinement, often for religious reasons; this line refers to the anchorite’s commitment to contemplate death.
anchorite
Gloss Note
with his
with’s nails so digs his grave;
16
Hee Scrapt, his Life and Liberty to have
He scraped, his life and liberty to have.
17
Then let my Royall ffriends that Captive bee
Then let my
Gloss Note
supporters of Charles I imprisoned during the civil war
royal friends that captive be,
18
The various ffortune of this Warior See
The
Gloss Note
changeful; marked by variety of incident or action
various fortune of this warrior see
19
And Rest in hope, for though noe help bee found
And rest in hope; for though no help be found
20
Above, yet it may come from under ground
Above, yet it may come from underground.
21
Who would have thought one of Chams Curſed Race
Who would have thought one of
Gloss Note
In the Bible, Ham’s son Canaan is cursed by his grandfather, Noah, causing his descendants to become subject to Israelites (Genesis 9:20–27). Numerous early modern texts suggest that Ham’s dark-skinned lineage populated Africa. This and the next line refer to the Ethiopian eunuch Ebed-melech who cared for the imprisoned prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:10).
Ham’s cursed race
22
Should onely pitty Jeremias Caſe
Should only pity
Gloss Note
the biblical prophet’s imprisonment for treason
Jeremiah’s case?
Or
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
Facsimile Image Placeholder
23
Or who that Merodock Should Comfort bring
Or who that
Gloss Note
The Babylonian monarch Amel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach in the Bible) freed Jehoiachin (king of Judah) from imprisonment after Merodach inherited the throne from his father, Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25.27–30). This was unexpected benevolence since Nebuchadnezzar had imprisoned Jehoiachin.
Merodach should comfort bring
24
To Judas
Physical Note
double strike-through
blind
Physical Note
in different hand from main scribe
\sad \ dejected Captive, King
To Judah’s sad, dejected, captive king?
25
Or that The Swaſhing
Physical Note
“w” originally “h”
Sweads Should hear ye Moan
Or that the
Gloss Note
Because the English caricatured the Swedish as ostentatious, blustering, swaggering, and swashbuckling, their sympathy for a deposed Protestant leader is noted as unusual.
swashing Swedes should hear the moan
26
Of Reans Elector him to Reinthrone
Gloss Note
The introduction of Sweden’s support for the Protestants was a major turning point in the European Thirty Years’ War (the conflict between Protestants and Catholic Holy Roman Empire-Hapsburgs, 1618–1648). After the war, Charles I Louis, son of the deposed Protestant Elector Frederick V (1596–1632) was reinstated as Elector Palatine (a territory now in Germany).
Of Rhine’s elector, him to reinthrone?
27
Then let the Royall
Physical Note
imperfectly erased descender (as for “g”) under “c”
branches Trust in God
Then let
Gloss Note
descendent of the king; the royal family “tree”
the royal branches trust in God:
28
The Staff of Comfort Still Succeeds the Rod.
Gloss Note
God always offers the comfort of his “staff” (a stick used to guide one in walking) more than or after using his “rod,” a stick used as an instrument of punishment. The passage picks up on language from Psalms 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
The staff of comfort still succeeds the rod.
horizontal straight line
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

Elemental Edition

 Headnote

People find support, comfort, and freedom where they least expect it—from those they consider enemies or even inferiors. In this emblem, Pulter turns to animal fables, Greek history, the Bible, and contemporary political struggles to show the widespread applicability of this lesson. The poem begins with the story of how the ancient Greek Aristomenes wisely did not give way to fear when a fox entered his prison; instead he used a seeming enemy to make a jailbreak. This apparently universal moral, however, is predicated on specific social hierarchies, as we see in the story of how the biblical prophet Jeremiah is saved by the unexpected compassion of an African (identified in the poem as a “cursed race”) and in the mention of how national stereotypes shape expectations. Directed to “her royal friends” and the royal family, Pulter tailors her lesson to offer hope specifically to Royalists imprisoned by Parliamentarians during the civil war and its aftermath. While the poem’s ending appears simply to invoke the comfort of divine providence, it implicitly adds an odd twist to the overall moral: in presenting comfort and punishment, God's salvation becomes aligned with the unexpected rescue offered by subversive figures and forces marked as outsiders by their species, race, nationality, or sect.
Amplified Edition

 Headnote

Elemental Edition
Line number 1

 Gloss note

Aristomenes was a hero of seventh-century BCE Greece who, as this poem recounts, held out in a stronghold for eleven years, escaping capture several times, once (according to legend) by grasping a fox’s tail in order to be led to the hole by which it had entered.
Elemental Edition
Line number 10

 Gloss note

Started
Elemental Edition
Line number 10

 Gloss note

traditional name for a fox who is the trickster hero of European folk tales
Elemental Edition
Line number 12

 Gloss note

Aristomenes kept the fox in his grasp.
Elemental Edition
Line number 15

 Gloss note

person who has withdrawn from the world and lives in confinement, often for religious reasons; this line refers to the anchorite’s commitment to contemplate death.
Elemental Edition
Line number 15

 Gloss note

with his
Elemental Edition
Line number 17

 Gloss note

supporters of Charles I imprisoned during the civil war
Elemental Edition
Line number 18

 Gloss note

changeful; marked by variety of incident or action
Elemental Edition
Line number 21

 Gloss note

In the Bible, Ham’s son Canaan is cursed by his grandfather, Noah, causing his descendants to become subject to Israelites (Genesis 9:20–27). Numerous early modern texts suggest that Ham’s dark-skinned lineage populated Africa. This and the next line refer to the Ethiopian eunuch Ebed-melech who cared for the imprisoned prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:10).
Elemental Edition
Line number 22

 Gloss note

the biblical prophet’s imprisonment for treason
Elemental Edition
Line number 23

 Gloss note

The Babylonian monarch Amel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach in the Bible) freed Jehoiachin (king of Judah) from imprisonment after Merodach inherited the throne from his father, Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25.27–30). This was unexpected benevolence since Nebuchadnezzar had imprisoned Jehoiachin.
Transcription
Line number 24

 Physical note

double strike-through
Transcription
Line number 24

 Physical note

in different hand from main scribe
Transcription
Line number 25

 Physical note

“w” originally “h”
Elemental Edition
Line number 25

 Gloss note

Because the English caricatured the Swedish as ostentatious, blustering, swaggering, and swashbuckling, their sympathy for a deposed Protestant leader is noted as unusual.
Elemental Edition
Line number 26

 Gloss note

The introduction of Sweden’s support for the Protestants was a major turning point in the European Thirty Years’ War (the conflict between Protestants and Catholic Holy Roman Empire-Hapsburgs, 1618–1648). After the war, Charles I Louis, son of the deposed Protestant Elector Frederick V (1596–1632) was reinstated as Elector Palatine (a territory now in Germany).
Transcription
Line number 27

 Physical note

imperfectly erased descender (as for “g”) under “c”
Elemental Edition
Line number 27

 Gloss note

descendent of the king; the royal family “tree”
Elemental Edition
Line number 28

 Gloss note

God always offers the comfort of his “staff” (a stick used to guide one in walking) more than or after using his “rod,” a stick used as an instrument of punishment. The passage picks up on language from Psalms 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.
ManuscriptX (Close panel)
image
ManuscriptX (Close panel)
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