THE POEMS OF SIR JOHN DAVIES

First edition, first printing. Original dark blue cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in dustwrapper. A very near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt sharp, the contents clean throughout. Upper edge a little dusty with a few faint spots. In the neatly price-clipped dustwrapper, lightly toned and with a couple of light marks to the spine, with a little rubbing and a few nicks to spine tips and corners. A nice copy of the quite scarce first edition.

In his preface to this meticulously prepared edition, Robert Krueger notes that Davies' writings had until now "formed the most important collection of Elizabethan poetry by a single author to have remained unedited in this century." Krueger and Ruby Nemser's critical edition more than makes up for this lack, providing, in addition to the poems themselves, a substantial introduction and an extended and detailed critical commentary which helpfully identifies literary and philosophical sources for these complex works. Sir John Davies (1569-1626), born in Wiltshire and educated at Winchester College and Queen's College, Oxford, enrolled in the Middle Temple in 1588 (where he studied with John Donne) and was called to the bar in 1595. Eventually knighted by King James, he became solicitor general for Ireland, and speaker in the Irish Parliament in 1613. Returning to England, he served in the Parliament of 1621, and was in 1626 appointed Lord Chief Justice by Charles I, dying however before taking office. Donne gave his funeral oration. Amidst all these commitments, Davies produced a rich and varied body of poetry, notably including 'Nosce teipsum' (1594), a poetic treatise dedicated to Henry, Earl of Northumberland (The Wizard Earl), 'Orchestra, or, A Poeme of Dancing' (1596), and the 'Hymnes of Astraea'. This volume also includes Davies' versions of the Psalms, his series of Epigrammes, and a great deal more.