This manuscript, a unique specimen of dramatic composition by Queen Elizabeth, represents the only surviving piece of stage property from the Elizabethan theater. It was passed from player to player during the great Theobalds Entertainment of 1591, and it is the only surviving original manuscript of any part of that Entertainment., Elizabeth was entertained by her Lord High Treasurer, Lord Burghley, at his Hertfordshire house, Theobalds, between 10 and 20 May 1591. In a contemporary manuscript text of the entertainments at Theobalds (British Library, Egerton MS. 2623), there is preserved a fanciful speech by a "Hermit," delivered to the Queen on Burghley's behalf, in which, pleading for royal permission to retire from public life, he requests her to restore to him his "cell," namely, Theobalds. The present document was prepared as an answer to Burghley's request and grants the "Hermit," her "woorthely belooved Coounceloour," the right to retire to his "cave," his "own houus," with "full & pacifik possession of all & every part thearof," and to be henceforth free from public duties if he so wishes., The text of the "charter" was printed in John Strype's Annals of the Reformation (1709), where it is described as having been "drawn up by the queen herself in a facetious style, to cheer the said treasurer." A highly characteristic example of Elizabethan wit, it has the form of a formal charter, certified and signed by Lord Chancellor Hatton, who is known to have taken part in a number of court entertainments. It bears the Great Seal and was no doubt read out and presented to Burghley, or to an actor representing him as a hermit. Instead of giving a simple answer to Burghley's request to retire from public life, Elizabeth evidently chose to enter into the spirit of the Hermit's request and frame her reply accordingly having this charter drawn up by one of her chancery scribes and passed by Hatton under the Great Seal, as part of a prearranged performance for the amusement of the court on the first day of her visit to Theobalds., The entertainment at Theobalds are described by E.K. Chambers in The Elizabethan Stage (II:247-248), Sir Walter Greg in the Review of English Studies (I[1924]:452-454), John Payne Collier in his History of English Dramatic Poetry (I:276), Alexander Dyce in The Works of George Peele (III:161-169), and John Nichols in his account of The Progress and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth (III:74)., and Purchased 1985.
Holograph diary of a stay in Brussels and France after the Battle of Waterloo. Many of the author's observations reflect the recent battle; she reports, for example, on the celebrations in Brussels when its inhabitants receive news of Napoleon's surrender; provides news about various acquaintances in the military as well as other military news after the Battle of Waterloo; and describes Paris as "a military camp for all the nations of Europe." She also makes numerous comparisons between French and English culture, as when she views a play at the Theatre Francaise and comments on the lighting techniques in French playhouses as compared to those in England. Elsewhere, she views as statue of King Henri IV and comments on his reign; vists the porcelain manufactory at Sevres; and describes acquaintances she makes in Brussels. The diary concludes with her road journey from Boulogne to Calais, where she meets several friends, and then to Dover, At the end of the volume is a table of inns in which the author stayed, and The work is the second volume of a set; see Osborn d186 for the first volume in the set. The author's diary was published in 1817
Description:
In English., Title from title page., Autograph on flyleaf: Jane Waldie., Written inside front cover: No. 118., and Binding: quarter red morocco.
Subject (Geographic):
France, Great Britain, and Belgium
Subject (Name):
Eaton, Charlotte Ann (Waldie), 1788-1859., Henry IV, King of France, 1553-1610., Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821., Waldie, John, 1781-1862., and Watts, Jane (Waldie), 1793-1826.
Subject (Topic):
Theater, Travelers' writings, English, Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815, Women authors, Description and travel, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a daily journal recording the events of Waldie's daily life. He goes on daily excursions with his family and describes the landscapes and estates they visit; mentions teas, dinners, dances, and singing with acquaintances; plays card games; records and reviews books he has read, including Aaron Hill's Zara and Maria Edgeworth's Belinda; and frequents the theater. In describing the plays he attends, he provides the names of the actors, including those of Sarah Siddons and Priscilla Kemble, and reviews their performances
Description:
John Waldie (1781-1862) was the administrator of Hendersyde Park at Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland. While a student at the University of Edinburgh, he began to keep daily journals recording his extensive travels and his observations of theaters, museums, and concert halls. An accomplished tenor, Waldie performed at private entertainments with Angelica Catalani, Michael Kelly, and John Braham; met with the composer Gioachino Rossini; and socialized with such well-known actors as John Philip Kemble and Sarah Siddons. Waldie also served on the committee of the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, as one of its proprietors. He was the brother of Jane (Waldie) Watts (1793-1826) and Charlotte (Waldie) Eaton (1788-1859), whose diaries are cataloged as Osborn d182, Osborn d186, and Osborn d187., In English., Pasted at beginning of manuscript: floor plans "made by J. Waldie in 1802 for Hendersyde Park House the uppermost nearly as adopted in 1803.", Pasted inside front cover: bookplate of John Waldie, Hendersyde., Title from title page., and Binding: half calf over marbled boards.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain and Scotland
Subject (Name):
Eaton, Charlotte Ann (Waldie), 1788-1859., Edgeworth, Maria, 1767-1849., Hill, Aaron, 1685-1750., Kemble, Priscilla, 1756-1845., Siddons, Sarah, 1755-1831., Waldie, John, 1781-1862., Watts, Jane (Waldie), 1793-1826., and Waldie family.
Subject (Topic):
Theater, Social life and customs, and Description and travel
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a letter from Mason to Horace Walpole, in which Mason writes that he has read Walpole's tragedic play, The Mysterious Mother, several times and has provided a sketch of alterations he believes necessary to improve the denouement. The list of alterations accompanies the letter, which consist of dialogic emendations at specific page and line numbers. At the end of the letter, a note signed by Walpole states his reasons against adopting Mason's suggestions, "because they woud totally have destroyed my Object."
Description:
William Mason (1724-1797) was a poet, editor, and gardener. In 1747, his poem "Musaeus, a Monody on the Death of Mr. Pope" was published to acclaim and quickly went through several editions. In 1775, he published the Poems of Mr Gray, a friend who was a great influence on his own work. Ten years later, William Pitt nominated him for the post of Poet Laureate, but he turned it down. Among Mason's other works are the historical tragedies Elfrida (1752) and Caractacus (1759), as well as a long poem on gardening, The English Garden (1772-1782). Indeed, Mason was an influential garden designer, designing several flower gardens for his friends and patrons, especially for Richard Hurd, Lord Jersey, and Lord Harcourt. In 1797 he fell and injured his leg while entering his carriage, and died several days later at his rectory in Aston., In English., Typed transcript available in object file., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Mason, William, 1725-1797. and Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797.
Subject (Topic):
English drama (Tragedy), Family, Incest, Religion, and Theater
Holograph diary which chronicles a journey through France, Switzerland and Italy, compiled from several diaries of different journeys, the earliest being a tour in the summer of 1816. The author travels to Calais from London with members of her family. In Paris, she sees King Louis XVIII reviewing his troops in commemoration of his return to Paris last year; attends the theater; visits the Conservatorie des Arts et des Metiers to view the models of machines; and dines at Very's. She also visits the porcelain manufactory at Sevres; climbs Montanvert, describing the system of sticks used by their guides to protect them from falling; and spends the night in a monastery in St. Bernard, in the same room in which Napoleon stayed on his way to the Battle of Marengo. In Italy, she attends the opera in Turin, commenting on its lighting system, "which like the theatres in France is dark, the only lights being on the stage." She also vists churches, admires artwork and architecture, ascends Mount Vesuvius, and attends Mass at the Sistine Chapel. The diary concludes with a visit to the Devil's Bridge in Switzerland and The diary is annotated throughout, in the same hand, with further notes concerning the journey
Description:
In English. and Binding: quarter pigskin. Taped on spine: MS. Diary 1816.
Subject (Geographic):
France, Italy, Europe, Switzerland, and Vesuvius (Italy)
Subject (Topic):
Mountaineering, Alps, Theater, Travelers' writings, English, Description and travel, and Social life and customs