“Rich. Norwich”
The zeal of Laud did not rest here: he set sedulously about suppressingthe Dutch and Walloon congregations, of which there were several inLondon, Norwich, and other places.
Ricardus Corbet, Theologiæ Doctor,Ecclesiæ Cathedralis Christi OxoniensisPrimum Alumnus, deinde Decanus, exindeEpiscopus, illinc huc translatus, etHinc in cœlum Jul. 28. An. 1635.
His person, if we may rely upon a fine portrait of him in the hall ofChrist-Church, Oxford, was dignified, and his frame above the commonsize: one of his companions says he had
“His conversation was extreme pleasant. Dr. Stubbins was one of hiscronies; he was a jolly fat doctor, and a very good housekeeper. AsDr. Corbet and he were riding in Lob-lane in wet weather, (’tis anextraordinary deepe dirty lane,) the coach fell, and Corbet said, thatDr. S. was up to the elbows in mud, and he was up to the elbows inStubbins.
Words in this poem
- alumnus n.
- A pupil; especially, a graduate of a college or other seminary of learning. [L., fr. alere to nourish.]
- housekeeper n.
- One who occupies a house with his family; a householder; the master or mistress of a family.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
“Rich. Norwich” is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Richard Corbet, late bishop of Oxford and of Norwich 4th edition, Project Gutenberg ebook #65375; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Richard Corbet, “Rich. Norwich”, in Poems (1647), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #65375, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/corbet-poems/rich-norwich.html, id L08877.
Form and metre
“Rich. Norwich” is 17 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. 84% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 13.6 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 76% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 4 --A-A- his · as · anA · that · inA · stubbins
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The zeal of Laud did not rest here: he set sedulously about suppressing | 19 | ················˘/˘ |
| the Dutch and Walloon congregations, of which there were several in | 16 | ······˘/˘····/˘· |
| London, Norwich, and other places. | 9 | /˘/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Ricardus Corbet, Theologiæ Doctor, | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| Ecclesiæ Cathedralis Christi Oxoniensis | 13 | ·······/˘···· |
| Primum Alumnus, deinde Decanus, exinde | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| Episcopus, illinc huc translatus, et | 11 | ··········· |
| Hinc in cœlum Jul. 28. An. 1635. | 5 | ····· |
| His person, if we may rely upon a fine portrait of him in the hall of | 20 | ·/˘···˘/····/˘······ |
| Christ-Church, Oxford, was dignified, and his frame above the common | 16 | ··/˘·/˘·······/˘ |
| size: one of his companions says he had | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| “His conversation was extreme pleasant. Dr. Stubbins was one of his | 17 | ··˘/˘·˘//˘·/˘···· |
| cronies; he was a jolly fat doctor, and a very good housekeeper. As | 19 | /˘···/˘·/˘··/˘·/·˘· |
| Dr. Corbet and he were riding in Lob-lane in wet weather, (’tis an | 17 | ·/˘···/˘·····/˘·· |
| extraordinary deepe dirty lane,) the coach fell, and Corbet said, that | 17 | ˘/˘·˘·/˘·····/˘·· |
| Dr. S. was up to the elbows in mud, and he was up to the elbows in | 19 | ······/·········/·· |
| Stubbins. | 2 | /˘ |
Notes from the edition 1
The notes to the Poems of Richard Corbet (Project Gutenberg #65375).
- Stanza 3, line 3 Gomersall, in an epistle to Barten Holiday. See his poems, p. 7. edit. 1633.
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