Paradise, and the theme of Nature as a divine hieroglyph. Its
presentation of the garden ecstasy of the retired _beatus vir_ thus
strikes the same note to which we know from Mildmay Fane's "To
Retiredness" and Andrew Marvell's "The Garden." In slightly adapted
form, these themes were to flourish in the poetry of the Countess
of Winchilsea, Isaac Watts, John Hughes, and a number of early
eighteenth-century nature poets.

In the Romantic period Casimire's fame was again revived. While still a
young man, Coleridge planned a complete translation of Casimire's odes,
but never finished more than the ode "Ad Lyram." It was also Coleridge
who said that with the exception of Lucretius and Statius he knew no
Latin poet, ancient or modern, who could be said to equal Casimire
in boldness of conception, opulence of fancy, or beauty of
versification.[8] A knowledge of the themes and techniques of this
Latin poet should therefore be of interest to all students of English
poetry.

Maren-Sofie Roestvig
University of Oslo

NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION

1. For a complete bibliography, see Carlos Sommervogel, Bibliotheque de
la Compagnie de Jesus (Bruxelles et Paris, 1896), VII, 627-646.

2. In the preface to _The Ecstasy. An Ode_ (1720), John Hughes comments
on Cowley's indebtedness, in "The Extasie," to Casimire.

3. Norris's indebtedness has been pointed out by Hoxie N. Fairchild,
_Religious Trends in English Poetry_ (New York, 1939- ), I, 110, n. 21.

4. Compare Watts's "False Greatness," "'Tis Dangerous to Follow the
Multitude," and "The Kingdom of the Wise Man" to Casimire's Ode IV, 34;
IV, 10; and IV, 3.

5. By this term is understood the themes presented in Horace's second
epode on the happy country life.

6. Hermes Trismegistus, _Hermetica_, ed. Walter Scott (Oxford, 1924-36),
I, 129.

7. No study has as yet been made of Casimire's influence upon English
literature, but I hope shortly to publish the results of my own
investigation of this problem.

8. Coleridge prefaced his translation of the ode "Ad Lyram" with this
remark. See also _Biographia Literaria_, ed. John Shawcross (Oxford,
1907), II, 209. For further critical estimates, see Sir John Bowring,
trans., _Specimens of the Polish Poets_ (London, 1827), and Caecilius
Metellus, pseud., "On the Life and Writings of Casimir," _The Classical
Journal_, XXV (1822), 103-110.

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