Manuscript on paper, in a single hand, of several hundred short verse epitaphs on both famous political and historical figures and unnamed citizens. The epitaphs are often humorous or satirical, as in On A Hocus-Pocus; On A Tallow-Chandler; and On A Gentleman Falling Of His Horse & Broke Hs Neck. An epitaph titled On A Collier declares, "Here Lies the Collier John of Nashes, By whome Death nothing Gaind he swore, For living he was dust & Ashes, And being dead he is no more." More serious elegies include On Sr. Philip Sidney; On King Charles Martyr; and On One Willm. Messe Grocer & His Wife. and P. 9, 33, and 36 digitized at high resolution.
Description:
Imperfect: mutilated with some loss of text. and Two blank pages not digitized.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain --Politics and government and Great Britain --Social life and customs --17th century
Subject (Name):
Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649 and Sidney, Philip, Sir, 1554-1586
Subject (Topic):
Courts and courtiers --England, Elegiac poetry, English --17th century, English poetry --17th century, English wit and humor, Epitaphs --England, and Verse satire, English
Autograph manuscript of a collection of about 250 primarily light, satirical, or amatory English poems by various authors. In addition to twelve poems by Robert Herrick, primarily on love, the manuscript also contains poems by Thomas Carew, John Donne, Ben Jonson, Sir John Harington, Michael Drayton, George Wither, and others, as well as 17 poems in Latin. Other items include several pieces relating to Cambridge University and Suffolk, as well as numerous bawdy poems, drinking songs, political and religious verse satires, epigrams, and epitaphs both humorous and serious. Titles of these poems include An epitaph on Luce Morgan; Upon the Parliament 1624; A Puritan and A Papist; and several poems on Prince Charles' and the Duke of Buckingham's journey to Spain in 1623. Also in the manuscript is a copy of the love poem titled ""Shall I die?,"" attributed to Shakespeare in a Bodleian manuscript. At the end of the manuscript are notes and verses in later hands.
Description:
Disbound and separated into 21 folders., Marbled endpapers. Binding: full calf; blind-tooled cover., and Written on flyleaf: "Tobias Alston his booke," several times, as well as other names, including "Henricus Glisson" and "Harris Norton." In a later hand, "E L John Whitehead."
Subject (Name):
Alston, Tobias, 1620-ca. 1639, Buckingham, George Villiers, Duke of, 1592-1628, Carew, Thomas, 1595?-1639?, Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649, Donne, John, 1572-1631, Drayton, Michael, 1563-1631, Harington, John, 1589-1654, Herrick, Robert, 1591-1674, Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637, Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616, University of Cambridge--Poetry, and Wither, George, 1588-1667
Subject (Topic):
Bawdy poetry--England, English poetry--17th century, English wit and humor, Epigrams, English, Epitaphs, English, Latin poetry, Love--Poetry, Political satire, English--17th century, Songs, English--17th century, Verse satire, English, and Women--Conduct of life