At last, my old invetrate foe
Title:
Areta [Folger writes over original name: Ardelia] to Melancholy. Primary Texts:
MS's: F-H 283, 70-3*; Folger, 16 Secondary Eds:
1903 Reynolds prints Folger text, 15-6; rpts of 1903 Reynolds: 1928 Murray, 30-1; 1930 Fausset, 6-7; 1979 Rogers AF, 19-20; 1987 Thompson, 34-5. 20C:
Rpt of 1713/1903: 1949 Bax, 25-6; 1972 Stanford (via 1928 Murray), 79-80; 1973 Goulianos, 74-5; 1991 Uphaus/Foster, 173-4. Comment:
Years of combating depression have been endured, and Anne "at last" yields -- or perhaps once again momentarily. I suggest a period of real illness "fell upon" Anne Finch in later 1690's; it was then she felt that "her numbers failed" her; it was also this crisis which may lead to a family invitation to Heneage and she to move to Eastwell which Finch loved, needed as a permanent home, and where they could obviously have companionship -- though this was a mixed blessing. The subject of the second stanza also intrigues me: Anne is recording the loss of some particular friendship; I suggest it was with a woman. She had become too much for a woman friend as she was to do later with Lady Worseley. See Annotated Chronology No. 175: The long the long expected Hour is come . . .". This crisis and moving to Eastwell may have lead Charles and Heneage to encourage Anne to write for publication resulting in 1701 Gilden. She turned to male companions for a while. She would confide in them less and thus was safer from hurt.
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