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HESPERIDES.
xxv

certain of kingly wisdom. Something, how ever, must be allowed for his evident habit of versifying any phrase or epigram which im pressed him, and not all his poems need be regarded as expressions of his personal opi nions. But with whatever doubts his loyalty was qualified, it was sufficiently obvious to procure his ejection from his living in 1648; and, making the best of his loss, he bade fare well to Dean Prior, shook the dust of "loathed Devonshire " off his feet, and returned gaily to London, where he appears to have discarded his clerical habit and to have been made abun dantly welcome by his friends.

Free from the cares of his incumbency, and free also from the restraints it imposed, Herrick's thoughts turned to the publication of his poems. As we have said, in his old Court-days these had found some circulation in manuscript, and in 1635 one of his fairy poems was printed, probably without his leave (see Appendix). In 1639 his poem (575) The Apparition of his Mistress calling him to Elysium was licensed at Stationers' Hall under the title of His Mistress' Shade, and it was included the next year in an edition of Shakespeare's Poems (see Notes). On April 29, 1640, " The severall poems written by Master Robert Herrick," were entered as to be