The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-21
DYER, BYRD AND sOUTHwELL.

While the daily press, as rule, pays lit
tie attention to verse, and that little
usually to the ephemeral jingles which so
often, in these days, masquerade as poetry,
there is, nevertheless, a well-defined cur
rent at the present time setting toward
some of the older minor British poets. The
most marked examples of this tendency
have been noted I'm the recent and almost
simultaneous publication In some of the
leading journals of the East and West of
extracts from the so-called 'Old songs"
and "old ballads and their very general
diffusion from these sources to the smaller
papers of the country. To take still closer
line of thought there have been numerous,
but often inexact, quotations from group
OF three writer's contemporary with Shak-
speare, of varying degrees Of prominence
of divergent walks of life, of varied tenn
permanent, but of almost identical lines of
thought and great similarity of expression
These three are Sir Edward Dyer Q54O-16OO
William Byrd Q5SS-l623) and Robert South
well Q562-1595)
OF Dyer it may be said that he was a
man OF action, rather than of letters He
was minister to Denmark and held other
diplomatic appointments, and was knighted
in 1896 for gallantry in the field. Few of
his verses are known, nor is it at all likely
that he wrote many. Indeed, Grosart found
but twelve which he considered Dyer's
with reasonable certainty, and Of these "a
Fancy is somewhat in dispute with South
well and Lord Brooke, and the one on
which is based his most substantial fame
beginning My mind to me kingdom is, -
was presented in almost Identical form by
Byrd, and in only slight modification by
Southwell. Yet Dyer was written of by a
contemporary as being for elegy most
sweete, sOlempne and OF high conceit" ard
he was the last in Importance, though the
first in date, of that trio of poet friends of
whom Sir Philip Sidney wrote in his Pas
toral:''
Join hearts and hands, so let it be;
Make but one mind In bodies three"
Dyers verse usually is fluent and spirited.
good example OF the better poetry of his
age, but there is little doubt that the happy
opening of his chief production is largely
responsible for it's popularity. Its general
tenor is most strikingly shown in the first,
fifth and last stanzas, as follows:
MY mind to me kingdom is;
Such present joys therein l find
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind.
Though much / want which most / have,
Yet, still. my mind forbids to crave.
Some have too much. yet still do crave;
l little have, and seek no more;
They are but poor, though much they have.
And / am rich, with little store.
They poor, rich: they beg. / give.
They lack. have; they pine, L live
MY wealth Is health and perfect ease,
My conscience clear my chief defense:
I neither seek by brides TO please
Nor by deceit 10 breed offense:
Thus do live; thus will die;
Would all did so as well as l..
The striking similarity. indeed. the al
most identity of Byrd's version with Dyer's.
Is one of those things which cast q
shadow the origin OF the poem IL is
passing strange that two men should seize
on the same thought and work IL out IN
practically the same word-setting. Yet, this
Is the situation as regards the poem i'm
question. Byrd wrote. as found in "Psalmes
and Sonnets-l5SS.
my minde to me kingdome Is:
Such perfect joy therein l finde
As fare exceeds all earthly blisse,
That God or nature has assignde:
Though much I want, that most would
have,
Yet still my minde forbids TO crave
II IL hardly possible 10 conceive OF actual
plagiarism In connection with these two