The Emblem Book Tradition
Donne's compass image in the Valediction has so much of an emblem that the first question we think of after reading the poem may be whether a source of his image should be sought in some emblem books. To our disappointment, no emblem image has so far been discoverd that is directly related to Donne's compasses. There are, no doubt, some compass emblems or those in which a compass appears. Höltgen gives some emblems as possible sources, if not direct ones (73-5). First, he refers us to an emblem by Picinelli; it has the motto "Uno immoto," ("One unmoved") which reminds us of the "fixed foot" in the poem. The motto and the emblem are seen in Boschius's emblem book. The slanting movement of the compasses in the emblem suggests some relation with those in Donne's poem, ll. 29-32. Then Höltgen refers to Antonio Abbondanti, an Italian poet, and his impresa with "the motto 'Dirigor et dirigo,' 'I am directed and I direct.'" He remarks that the absent lover "feels that his movements abroad are being guided by his virtuous lady." And he further points out that "[at] the same time his own conduct abroad affects the situation of the lady at home" (75). Although this seems to be thematically very close to Donne's poem, there is no evidence that confirms Donne's aquaintance with the impresa.
Höltgen also points out the close relation of Lord Hay's impresa, which uses the image of a pair of compasses with the motto "Redit unde fuit," meaning "He returns to where he began." Donne's relationship with Hay was close and it is very probable, as Höltgen suggests, that Lord Hay "discussed the question of the impresa for the tilt in 1610 or 1611 with his friend Donne. . . ."(89). But he discreetly concludes that Lord Hay's impresa is not "another 'influence' on Donne," but rather that "the influence may well have worked the other way round." (90).
Another emblem shows compasses one of which is broken. The motto is "Entreprendre par dessus sa force" (Enterprise beyond one's power); and the verse paraphrases thus: "Those who try to understand what is beyond their comprehension, are like those who are venturing to do what is beyond their power." The compass will break and the circle will never be completed. This emblem makes a salient contrast to the famous device of Christopher Plantin the printer's. In the device which appeared first in 1558 you see a pair of compasses held by a hand coming out of the cloud and a circle half-completed, with the motto 'Constantia et Labore.' The hand coming out of the cloud is undoubtedly divine; so the device with the motto should mean that God will make complete the human circle of constancy and effort. This device, as a trade-mark, with slight modifications, continued to be used by Plantin and his successors. We see the device in the title-page of his monumental publication of Biblia Sacra, Hebraice, Chaldaice & Latine (Antwerp 1571)
Rollenhagen's emblem may be derived from this device; it has the same motto, but the background is different. Wither used the same emblem in A Collection of Emblemes (1635); it is apparent that he used the same printing block. The English caption is explicit: "Good Hopes, we best accomplish may, /By lab'ring in a constant-Way." The verse tells us that our constancy, as the fixed foot in the centre, wiil bring our enterprise not only to its completion, but also to do more than what we first intended. Is the divine help faintly implied?
When we turn to the emblem itself, however, we find some details perplexing: the compass is distinct in the front, which is moved by a big hand from the cloud as in Plantin's device. But when we look closely at the background detail, we find some people observing the heavens. The female figure measuring the sky is perhaps Urania. Henry Peacham presents Urania as Musa in Minerva Britanna (Tung 121). And the man using a pair of compasses on the globe is an astronomer. But what do these figures have to do with the motto "Labore et Constantia"? Wither seems to be just ignoring the background. I suggest that it is the idea of circle that connects the compass and the background in this emblem. There are two circles in the picture: one is the visible in the foreground which is drawn with the compass and the other is only partly seen or rather transparent, since it is celestial. In Rollenhagen's other emblem what is depicted in the background comes to the foreground. The motto is "Deus regit astra" ("God rules the stars"). Now it is clear that God rules circles on the two different plane: those in the heavens, that is, the celestial spheres, and those on earth, that is, human lives; in other words, physical circles and metaphorical ones. God rules both. The circle is very pervasive figure not only in the physical world, but also in the imaginative world. And in the circle imagery the physical and the spiritual are, as it were, interlocked, as are many other images in the Middle Ages and the Ranaissance. Now we will proceed to other traditions to fully understand the emblem: the circle imagery and the iconograhphic tradition.
To Iconographic Tradition
To Circle Imagery Tradition
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