The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 1 of 2. — Background and Themes

Argument in Verse: Structure and Voice

Davies's Nosce Teipsum is structured as a scholastic disputation. He poses an objection—'That the Soule is Extraduce'—then refutes it with numbered reasons. The voice is measured, almost forensic: 'None are so grosse as to contend for this, / That soules from bodies may traducèd bee.' The poet frequently addresses an imagined opponent, using rhetorical questions ('How can we say that God the Soule doth make, / But we must make Him author of her sinne?') to drive his argument. This combative yet orderly tone distinguishes the poem from more lyrical contemporaries.

Pace and the Shifting Currents of the Poem

The poem's pace varies markedly between exposition and rebuttal. In passages of pure doctrine, the lines move steadily, each couplet completing a logical step: 'For all things made, are either made of nought, / Or made of stuffe that ready made doth stand.' But when Davies turns to refute his opponents, the rhythm quickens. He piles up objections in swift succession—'If by themselues, what doth their working let, / But they might soules engender euery houre?'—creating a sense of urgency. The most dramatic shifts occur when he moves from abstract reasoning to vivid metaphor, as when he likens the soul's origin to wine and dregs: 'Faine would we make Him Author of the wine, / If for the dregs we could some other blame.'

Recurring Details: The Poet's Tools of Persuasion

Throughout the excerpts, Davies relies on a small set of rhetorical devices. He frequently uses the word 'againe' to introduce a new argument, signaling a methodical accumulation of proofs. He also employs parallel constructions: 'If by themselues... If by the body... If lastly...' These patterns give the verse a catechistic quality. Another recurring detail is his appeal to 'Nature' as a witness: 'light of Nature, and by light Diuine.' The poet also invokes 'reuerend Fathers' whose errors he corrects, positioning himself as a corrective to tradition. These repeated moves—the listing of alternatives, the appeal to natural reason, the respectful correction of authorities—define Davies's persuasive strategy.

This edition invites readers to attend to the interplay of poetic form and philosophical argument. Grosart's textual notes, though not reproduced here, signal the care taken to present Davies's work accurately. For those approaching early modern verse, the poem rewards slow reading: its arguments unfold in layers, and its couplets often repay a second look. The volume stands as a record of how one Elizabethan poet reconciled faith, reason, and the demands of meter.

I keep thinking about how Davies tried to map the soul’s quiet workings, and it reminded me of another book where evenings themselves feel weighted with that same inwardness. Eventide A Series of Tales and Poems — Key Ideas to Explore carries that gentle hush, like a familiar room after the lamp’s been turned low. Some books simply sit with you, unasked, until their light feels almost personal.