The Distracted Puritane
Am I madd, O noble Festus,When zeale and godly knowledgeHave put me in hopeTo deal with the Pope,As well as the best in the Colledge?Boldly I preach, hate a crosse, hate a surplice,Miters, copes, and rotchets:Come heare mee pray nine times a day,And fill your heads with crotchets.
In the house of pure EmanuelI had my education;Where my friends surmiseI dazeled mine eyesWith the Light of Revelation.Boldly I preach, &c.
They bound mee like a bedlam,They lash’t my foure poore quarters;Whilst this I endure,Faith makes mee sureTo be one of Foxes martyrs.Boldly I preach, &c.
These injuryes I sufferThrough Anti-Christs perswasions:Take off this chaine,Neither Rome nor SpaineCan resist my strong invasions.Boldly I preach, &c.
Of the Beasts ten hornes (God blesse us!)I have knock’t off three already:If they let mee alone,I’ll leave him none;But they say I am too heady.Boldly I preach, &c.
When I sack’d the Seaven-hill’d CittyI mett the great redd Dragon:I kept him aloofeWith the armour of proofe,Though here I have never a rag on.Boldly I preach, &c.
With a fiery sword and targettThere fought I with this monster:But the sonnes of prideMy zeale deride,And all my deedes misconster.Boldly I preach, &c.
I unhorst the whore of BabelWith a launce of inspirations:I made her stinke,And spill her drinckIn the cupp of abominations.Boldly I preach, &c.
I have seene two in a vision,With a flying booke betweene them:I have bin in dispaireFive times a yeare,And cur’d by reading Greenham.Boldly I preach, &c.
I observ’d in Perkins TablesThe black lines of damnation:Those crooked veinesSoe struck in my braines,That I fear’d my reprobation.Boldly I preach, &c.
In the holy tongue of ChanaanI plac’d my chiefest pleasure:Till I prickt my footeWith an Hebrew roote,That I bledd beyond all measure.Boldly I preach, &c.
I appear’d before the arch-bishopp,And all the high commission:I gave him noe grace,But told him to his faceThat he favour’d superstition.Boldly I preach, hate a crosse, hate a surplice,Miters, copes, and rotchets:Come heare mee pray nine times a day,And fill your heads with crotchets.
Credamus tragicis quicquid de Colchide torvaDicitur et Progne: nam clamat Roma peregi,Confiteor, puerisque meis aconita paravi,Quæ deprensa patent; facinus tamen ipsa peregi.Tune duos unâ sævissima vipera cœnâ?Tune duos?—Septem, septem si forte fuissent.
Words in this poem 18
- madd v. i.
- To be mad; to go mad; to rave. See Madding.
- boldly adv.
- In a bold manner. [AS. bealdlice.]
- crosse n.
- The implement with which the ball is thrown and caught in the game of lacrosse.
- bedlam n.
- A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse. Abp. Tillotson. [See Bethlehem.]
- heady a.
- Willful; rash; precipitate; hurried on by will or passion; ungovernable. [From Head.]
- redd
- . imp. & p. p. of Read.
- armour n.
- Defensive arms for the body; any clothing or covering worn to protect one's person in battle. [OE. armure, fr. F. armure, OF. armeure, fr. L. armatura. See Armature.]
- targett n.
- A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war. [OF. targette, dim. of OF. & F. targe, of Teutonic origin; cf. AS. targe, OD. targie, G. zarge a frame, case, border, OHG. zarga, Icel. targa shield.]
- deride v. t.
- To laugh at with contempt; to laugh to scorn; to turn to ridicule or make sport of; to mock; to scoff at. [L. deridere, derisum; de- + rid to laugh. See Ridicule.]
- whore n.
- A woman who practices unlawful sexual commerce with men, especially one who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a harlot. Wyclif. [OE. hore, AS. h; akin to D. hoer, hoere, G. hure, OHG. huora, huorra, Icel. h, Dan. hore, Sw. hora, Goth. h an adulterer, AS. h adultery, OHG. huor, and probabl]
- babel n.
- The city and tower in the land of Shinar, where the confusion of languages took place. [Heb. Babel, the name of the capital of Babylonia; in Genesis associated with the idea of "confusion"]
- spill n.
- A bit of wood split off; a splinter. [sq. root170. Cf. Spell a splinter.]
- damnation n.
- The state of being damned; condemnation; openly expressed disapprobation. [F. damnation, L. damnatio, fr. damnare. See Damn.]
- chiefest a.
- First or foremost; chief; principal. [Superl. of Chief.]
- bishopp n.
- A spiritual overseer, superintendent, or director. [OE. bischop, biscop, bisceop, AS. bisceop, biscop, L. episcopus overseer, superintendent, bishop, fr. Gr. , over + inspector, fr. root of , , to look to, perh. ]
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
- confiteor n.
- A form of prayer in which public confession of sins is made. [L., I confess. See Confess.]
- forte n.
- The strong point; that in which one excels. fort"a The construction of a fable seems by no means the forte of our modern poetical writers. Jeffrey. [IT. forte: cf. F. fort. See Fort.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Distracted Puritane 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, The Distracted Puritane, in Poems (1647), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #65375, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/corbet-poems/the-distracted-puritane.html, id L08921.
Form and metre
The Distracted Puritane is 84 lines in 13 stanzas. 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 30 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 25% 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.
- 1 -ABBA-C-C festus · knowledgeA · hopeB · popeB · colledgeA · surplice · rotchetsC · day · crotchetsC
- 2 -ABBA- emanuel · educationA · surmiseB · eyesB · revelationA · —
- 3 --AA-- bedlam · quarters · endureA · sureA · martyrs · —
- 4 -ABBA- suffer · perswasionsA · chaineB · spaineB · invasionsA · —
- 5 -A--A- us · alreadyA · alone · none · headyA · —
- 6 -ABBA- citty · dragonA · aloofeB · proofeB · onA · —
- 7 -ABBA- targett · monsterA · prideB · derideB · misconsterA · —
- 8 -ABBA- babel · inspirationsA · stinkeB · drinckB · abominationsA · —
- 9 -A--A- vision · themA · dispaire · yeare · greenhamA · —
- 10 -ABBA- tables · damnationA · veinesB · brainesB · reprobationA · —
- 11 -ABBA- chanaan · pleasureA · footeB · rooteB · measureA · —
- 12 -ABBA-C-C bishopp · commissionA · graceB · faceB · superstitionA · surplice · rotchetsC · day · crotchetsC
- 13 -A-A-- torva · peregiA · paravi · peregiA · — · fuissent
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Am I madd, O noble Festus, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| When zeale and godly knowledge | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Have put me in hope | 5 | ····· |
| To deal with the Pope, | 5 | ····· |
| As well as the best in the Colledge? | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, hate a crosse, hate a surplice, | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| Miters, copes, and rotchets: | 6 | /˘···· |
| Come heare mee pray nine times a day, | 8 | ········ |
| And fill your heads with crotchets. | 7 | ······· |
| In the house of pure Emanuel | 9 | ·····˘/˘˘ |
| I had my education; | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Where my friends surmise | 5 | ···˘/ |
| I dazeled mine eyes | 5 | ····· |
| With the Light of Revelation. | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| They bound mee like a bedlam, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| They lash’t my foure poore quarters; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Whilst this I endure, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Faith makes mee sure | 4 | ···· |
| To be one of Foxes martyrs. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| These injuryes I suffer | 7 | ·/˘˘·/˘ |
| Through Anti-Christs perswasions: | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Take off this chaine, | 4 | ···· |
| Neither Rome nor Spaine | 5 | /˘··· |
| Can resist my strong invasions. | 8 | ·˘/··˘/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Of the Beasts ten hornes (God blesse us!) | 8 | ········ |
| I have knock’t off three already: | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| If they let mee alone, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| I’ll leave him none; | 4 | ···· |
| But they say I am too heady. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| When I sack’d the Seaven-hill’d Citty | 9 | ········· |
| I mett the great redd Dragon: | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| I kept him aloofe | 5 | ····· |
| With the armour of proofe, | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Though here I have never a rag on. | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| With a fiery sword and targett | 9 | ··/˘˘··/˘ |
| There fought I with this monster: | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| But the sonnes of pride | 5 | ····· |
| My zeale deride, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| And all my deedes misconster. | 7 | ······· |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| I unhorst the whore of Babel | 8 | ······/˘ |
| With a launce of inspirations: | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| I made her stinke, | 4 | ···· |
| And spill her drinck | 4 | ···· |
| In the cupp of abominations. | 9 | ····˘·˘/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| I have seene two in a vision, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| With a flying booke betweene them: | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| I have bin in dispaire | 6 | ······ |
| Five times a yeare, | 4 | ···· |
| And cur’d by reading Greenham. | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| I observ’d in Perkins Tables | 8 | ·˘/·/˘/˘ |
| The black lines of damnation: | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Those crooked veines | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Soe struck in my braines, | 5 | ····· |
| That I fear’d my reprobation. | 8 | ········ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| In the holy tongue of Chanaan | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| I plac’d my chiefest pleasure: | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Till I prickt my foote | 5 | ····· |
| With an Hebrew roote, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| That I bledd beyond all measure. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, &c. | 5 | /˘··· |
| I appear’d before the arch-bishopp, | 9 | ·˘/····/˘ |
| And all the high commission: | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| I gave him noe grace, | 5 | ····· |
| But told him to his face | 6 | ······ |
| That he favour’d superstition. | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Boldly I preach, hate a crosse, hate a surplice, | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| Miters, copes, and rotchets: | 6 | /˘···· |
| Come heare mee pray nine times a day, | 8 | ········ |
| And fill your heads with crotchets. | 7 | ······· |
| Credamus tragicis quicquid de Colchide torva | 13 | ············· |
| Dicitur et Progne: nam clamat Roma peregi, | 14 | ····/˘···/˘··· |
| Confiteor, puerisque meis aconita paravi, | 14 | ˘/˘˘·········· |
| Quæ deprensa patent; facinus tamen ipsa peregi. | 16 | ····/˘·········· |
| Tune duos unâ sævissima vipera cœnâ? | 11 | ··········· |
| Tune duos?—Septem, septem si forte fuissent. | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
Notes from the edition 3
The notes to the Poems of Richard Corbet (Project Gutenberg #65375).
- Stanza 9, line 5 Richard Greenham was educated at Pembroke-Hall in Cambridge, and became minister of Dry-Drayton, three miles distant; where it should seem, from a rhyming proverb, that his success in the ministry was not proportionate to his zeal: Greenham had pastures green, But sheep full lean. “What,” says Fuller (Church Hist. lib. ix. 220.), “was Dry-Drayton but a bushel to hide,—London an high candlestick to hold up the brightness of his parts?” Thither he repaired; and, after an ‘erratical and planetary life,’ settled himself at Christ-Church, where he ended his days in 1592. “His master-piece,” says Fuller, “was in comforting wounded consciences.”—Quid multis!
- Stanza 10, line 1 “Tous les tempéramens,” say our neighbours, “ne se ressemblent pas.” The Divine thus satyrized by Corbet is lauded by Fuller in high strains of eulogy. He was born at Marston near Coventry, and was educated at Christ College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of M. A. Having obtained the living of St. Andrew’s parish in that university, he resided there till his death.—“He would pronounce the word damme with such an emphasis,” says Fuller, (Holy State, p. 80. fol. 1652.) “as left a doleful echo in his auditors’ ears a good while after.” This passage is of itself a sufficient illustration of the poet. His works were published in three volumes, folio, 1612. The first in the collection is, “A Golden Chaine, containing the Order of the Causes of Salvation and Damnation, &c., in the tables annexed.”
- Stanza 13, line 6 Juvenal. Sat. vi.
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