Oh! friendship, how prevailing is thy force.
Title:
To Flavia. By whose perswasion I undertook the following Paraphrase ("The last chapter of Eclesiastes . . . In the full strength, of thy created frame" (see primarily religious poetry above).
Primary Text:
MS Wellesley, 57-8*; MS Harleian 7316, 76r-77r.
Secondary Ed:
1988 Ellis d'Alessandro prints Wellesley text, 89-90; McGovern & Hinnant, 13-4.
Comment:
Friendship poem; Anne Finch says her poetry and health gain strength from Catherine; poem has beautiful tone. Anne Finch recognizes the the genre of Biblical paraphrase gets in her way. She says she goes ahead only because Flavia has requested such an effort; she knows she writes better poetry when she is allowed simply "in verse, [to] describe my heart."
Date:
After March 1719, date of publication of Prior's Solomon, to which Anne Finch and Heneage both subscribed and to which "The Preacher thus, to Man, his speech adrest below" may be a response.
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