John Webster

Verse

'Some giue there wiues these tytles'

First published in James E. Savage, An Unpublished Epigram, Possibly by John Webster, University of Mississippi Studies in English, 8 (1967), 13-18.

WeJ 1

Copy of untitled verses possibly by Webster, inscribed at the end of the book.

In: A printed exemplum of Sir Thomas Overbury, A Wife, 9th impression (London, 1616). c.1616.

Edited from this MS, with a facsimile, in Savage.

Prose

A Purueiour of Tobacco

First published in Sir Thomas Overbury, A Wife, 6th impression (London, 1615). Lucas, IV, 44. Cambridge edition, III, 485.

WeJ 2

Copy of the Character inscribed at the end of the book.

In: A printed exemplum of Sir Thomas Overbury, A Wife, 9th impression (London, 1616). c.1616.

Edited from this MS, with a facsimile, in James E. Savage, An Unpublished Epigram, Possibly by John Webster, University of Mississippi Studies in English, 8 (1967), 13-18.

Dramatic works

The Devil's Law-Case

First published in London, 1623. Lucas, II, 229-372. Cambridge edition, II, 75-166.

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Extracts, with comments on the play.

In: A quarto miscellany of extracts from plays and historical works, with comments on them, entitled Excerpta quædam per A. W. Adolescentem, in a single cursive predominantly italic hand, 119 leaves, in modern quarter-morocco.

Entirely in the hand of the Rev. Abraham Wright (1611-90), of St John's College, Oxford, author.

c.1640.

Inscribed (f. 1r) Ja: Wright (Abraham's son) and later of Taylor, Brighton. Bookplate of William Bromley, of Baginton, Warwickshire, 1703. Later owned by the Rev. Philip Bliss (1787-1857), antiquary and book collector. Sotheby's, 21 August 1858 (Bliss sale), lot 220.

For facsimile examples, see ShW 71 and ShW 44.

Wright's comments printed in Arthur C. Kirsch, A Caroline Commentary on the Drama, MP, 66 (1968-9), 256-61 (p. 257), and in James G. McManaway, Excerpta quaedam per A.W. adolescentem, Studies in Shakespeare, Bibliography and Theater (New York, 1969), 279-91 (p. 287).

WeJ 3.5
In: An octavo commonplace book of extracts from various authors, some under headings, compiled by William Sancroft (1617-93), Archbishop of Canterbury, written from both ends, iv + 558 pages (the majority blank), in contemporary vellum. Late 17th century.

Extracts.

The Duchess of Malfi

First published in London, 1623. Lucas, II, 1-210. Cambridge edition, I, 467-575.

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Extracts, with comments on the play.

In: A quarto miscellany of extracts from plays and historical works, with comments on them, entitled Excerpta quædam per A. W. Adolescentem, in a single cursive predominantly italic hand, 119 leaves, in modern quarter-morocco.

Entirely in the hand of the Rev. Abraham Wright (1611-90), of St John's College, Oxford, author.

c.1640.

Inscribed (f. 1r) Ja: Wright (Abraham's son) and later of Taylor, Brighton. Bookplate of William Bromley, of Baginton, Warwickshire, 1703. Later owned by the Rev. Philip Bliss (1787-1857), antiquary and book collector. Sotheby's, 21 August 1858 (Bliss sale), lot 220.

For facsimile examples, see ShW 71 and ShW 44.

Wright's comments printed in Arthur C. Kirsch, A Caroline Commentary on the Drama, MP, 66 (1968-9), 256-61 (p. 258).

WeJ 5

Copy of Bosola's couplet beginning Glories (like glowe-wormes) afarre off, shine bright (IV, ii, 141-2), headed of Glories.

In: A quarto volume, in two hands.

274 leaves, unnumbered.

Comprising:

[Part I, ff. 12r-168r], five sermons, the first four by Donne, in the hand of Knightley Chetwode, son of Richard Chetwode, of Chetwode, Buckinghamshire, and Oakley, Staffordshire. 1625/6.

[Part II, ff. 1r-78r rev.], a verse miscellany, produced when the original blank pages were later filled from the reverse end, probably by one Katherine Butler. 1696.

1626-96.

The volume inscribed as having been given to Katherine Butler by her father in May 1693.

Described in Potter & Simpson, I, 41-2.

Lucas, II, 97.

The Duchess of Malfi, IV, ii, 61-72. Song
('O let us howle, some heavy note')

Cambridge edition, I, 541.

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Copy of the Madman's song, in a musical setting by Robert Johnson, untitled.

In: An oblong folio songbook, the lyrics in two or more secretary and italic hands, 44 leaves, in contemporary vellum within brown calf gilt, stamped with the initials A. B., now within modern half red morocco. c.1630.

Inscribed (f. 1r) Richard Elliotts his Booke and William Wilkins 1743. The cover initials A. B. conjecturally attributed to Adrian Batten (1591-1637), composer. Puttick & Simpson's, 30 June 1873.

Facsimile of ff. 2r-26v in English Song 1600-1675, ed. Elise Bickford Jorgens, Vol. 1 (New York & London, 1986).

Lucas II, 95. Edited from this MS in John P. Cutts, Two Jacobean Theatre Songs, M&L, 33 (1952), 333-4. Collated in Cutts, Musique de la troupe de Shakespeare, pp. 143-4.

WeJ 6.5

Originally a copy in a musical setting, listed in the table of contents (as O let vs howle) but now lacking.

In: A folio songbook, largely in a single secretary hand, with poems and (reversed) culinary and medical receipts in later hands at the end, imperfect or incomplete, now 27 leaves, lacking half the songs listed in a Table at the end. c.1620s-30s.

The original cover inscribed Ann Twice her booke. Inscribed on the first page My Cosen Twice Leftte this Booke with me...which is to be returne to her AGhaine.... Later owned by Edward Francis Rimbault (1816-76), organist and author.

A complete facsimile is in English Song 1600-1675, ed. Elise Bickford Jorgens, Vol. 11 (New York & London, 1987). Discussed in John P. Cutts, Songs Vnto the Violl and Lute—Drexel Ms. 4175, Musica Disciplina, 16 (1962), 73-92.

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Copy, in a musical setting by Robert Johnson.

In: A folio songbook, in a single secretary hand, some items misnumbered, 144 leaves. c.1640s.

Once owned by the Shirley family, Earls Ferrers, of Staunton Harold, Leicestershire. Also owned, and annotated, by Edward Francis Rimbault (1816-76), organist and author. Acquired in 1888.

Generally cited as the Earl Ferrers MS. Collated in Cutts, Drexel Manuscript 4041, Musica Disciplina, 18 (1964), 151-202. A complete facsimile is in English Song 1600-1675, ed. Elise Bickford Jorgens, Vol. 9 (New York & London, 1987).

This MS collated in Cutts, Musique de la troupe de Shakespeare, pp. 143-4.

WeJ 8

Copy, in a musical setting by Robert Johnson.

In: A folio songbook, largely in a single secretary hand, with poems and (reversed) culinary and medical receipts in later hands at the end, imperfect or incomplete, now 27 leaves, lacking half the songs listed in a Table at the end. c.1620s-30s.

The original cover inscribed Ann Twice her booke. Inscribed on the first page My Cosen Twice Leftte this Booke with me...which is to be returne to her AGhaine.... Later owned by Edward Francis Rimbault (1816-76), organist and author.

A complete facsimile is in English Song 1600-1675, ed. Elise Bickford Jorgens, Vol. 11 (New York & London, 1987). Discussed in John P. Cutts, Songs Vnto the Violl and Lute—Drexel Ms. 4175, Musica Disciplina, 16 (1962), 73-92.

This MS collated in Cutts, Musique de la troupe de Shakespeare, pp. 143-4.

WeJ 9

Copy, untitled and here beginning Come, lett vs howle some heavy Note.

In: A quarto verse miscellany, pp. 13-244 in a single largely roman hand, the remainder in varying styles in one or more other hands (up to c.1655), probably associated with Oxford University, 541 pages (of which pp. 1-12, 87-8 have been extracted and pp. 251-68, 334, 400, 410-540 are blank, with stubs of other extracted leaves at the end), in contemporary brown calf.

Including 15 poems (plus one of uncertain authorship) by Corbett and 57 poems (plus a second copy of one poem and four poems of doubtful authorship) by Strode.

c.1630s[-55].

Later in the library of Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bt (1792-1872), manuscript and book collector: possibly his MS 18123. Owned c.1903 by Bertram Dobell (1842-1914), literary scholar and bookseller. Formerly MS 646.4.

Cited in IELM, II.i-ii (1987-93), as the Dobell MS: CoR Δ 8 and StW Δ 18. Discussed in Bertram Dobell in The Athenaeum, No. 4475 (2 August 1913), p. 112. A complete microfilm is at the University of Birmingham, Shakespeare Institute (Mic S 23).

WeJ 10

Copy, headed Lovers deluded by their Mrss.

In: A sextodecimo pocket miscellany, ff. 3r-53r in a single hand, other hands and scribbling on ff. 1r-2r, 54v, 87v-90v, 90 leaves in all (including blanks ff. 55r-87r), in contemporary calf, with remains of clasps.

Including 12 poems by Carew.

c.1650s.

Inscribed Richard Archard his booke Amen 1650; Richard Archard his penn Amen 1657; to Mr Satars[?] towads the Casting of ye lead 1657; Tho: Wise; John Smith of halmortaine and I…went to Thornebury; and Edward Watt. Bookplate of William Harris Arnold.

Cited in IELM, II.i, as the Archard MS: CwT Δ 24.

Westward Ho

See DkT 47.

The White Devil

First published in London, 1612. Lucas, I. Cambridge edition, I, 139-254.

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Extracts.

In: The greater part of a quarto commonplace book of extracts, compiled by Edward Pudsey (1573-1613), iii + 104 leaves, in 19th-century green morocco gilt.

Four leaves of this commonplace book are in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, ER 82/1/21.

c.1604-9.

Owned in 1615-16 by one Bassett and in the 1880s by Richard Savage. At the Neligan sale, 2 August 1888, lot 1098. Bought by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps (1820-89), and his sale 4 July 1889, lot 1257.

All the Shakespearian texts except Othello were edited from this MS in Richard Savage's Shakespearean Extracts (1887). The MS also edited in Juliet Mary Gowan, An Edition of Edward Pudsey's Commonplace Book (c.1600-1615) (unpublished M. Phil., University of London, 1967). It was then found that the miscellany lacked several of its original leaves, including extracts from six plays by Shakespeare. These leaves were rediscovered in 1977 among Savage's papers at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, ER 82/1/21, and the Othello extracts identified by Gowan. The MS also discussed in J. Rees, Shakespeare and Edward Pudsey's Booke, 1600, N&Q, 237 (September 1992), 330-1; in Juliet Gowan, One Man in His Time: The Notebook of Edward Pudsey, Bodleian Library Record, 22 (2009), 94–101; in Fred Schurink, Manuscript Commonplace Books, Literature, and Reading in Early Modern England, HLQ, 73/3 (2010), 453-69 (pp. 465-9), with a facsimile of f. 31r on p. 467; and in Tom Lockwood, At Mr Marston’s Request: Edward Pudsey and the Inns of Court, N&Q, 63 (September 2016), 450-3.

WeJ 12

Extracts, with comments on the play.

In: A quarto miscellany of extracts from plays and historical works, with comments on them, entitled Excerpta quædam per A. W. Adolescentem, in a single cursive predominantly italic hand, 119 leaves, in modern quarter-morocco.

Entirely in the hand of the Rev. Abraham Wright (1611-90), of St John's College, Oxford, author.

c.1640.

Inscribed (f. 1r) Ja: Wright (Abraham's son) and later of Taylor, Brighton. Bookplate of William Bromley, of Baginton, Warwickshire, 1703. Later owned by the Rev. Philip Bliss (1787-1857), antiquary and book collector. Sotheby's, 21 August 1858 (Bliss sale), lot 220.

For facsimile examples, see ShW 71 and ShW 44.

Wright's comments printed in Arthur C. Kirsch, A Caroline Commentary on the Drama, MP, 66 (1968-9), 256-61 (p. 258).

WeJ 13
A few minor MS corrections in an exemplum of the printed quarto edition of 1612. 17th century.

Formerly owned by David Garrick.

These corrections recorded in Lucas, I, 276 et seq.

WeJ 14
Exemplum of the quarto edition of 1612 with numerous minor MS annotations consisting of alterations of directions, punctuation or spelling, the deletion or insertion of single words, underlinings, and the insertion of act or scene numbers, in 19th-century half-calf on marbled boards. 17th century.

Later in the library of James Orchard Halliwell (from 1872 Halliwell-Phillipps) (1820-89), literary scholar and book collector, in Penzance, Cornwall.

WeJ 15

Extracts.

In: A quarto commonplace book of extracts illustrating specified topics, largely in a single cursive hand, entitled Miscellanea Tragica Theatrical Index of Sentimts. & Descriptions Vol. 7, 244 pages (including blanks, plus a seven-page index and further blanks), in quarter crushed morocco on marbled boards.

Inscribed W. Harte 1726: i.e. by Walter Harte (1709-41), compiler of the MS, which also has his bookplate.

c.1726.
WeJ 16

Extract, by Stanhope, from Webster's Epistle to the Reader in The White Devil.

In: An exemplum of the printed edition of Cresacre More's Life of Sir Thomas More (London, 1642) copiously annotated by Charles, second Baron Stanhope of Harrington (1593-1675). c.1640s.

Once owned by Horace Walpole.

Discussed, with a facsimile page, in G.P.V. Akrigg, The Curious Marginalia of Charles, Second Lord Stanhope, in Joseph Quincy Adams Memorial Studies, ed. James G. McManaway, Giles E. Dawson, and Edwin E. Willoughby (Washington, DC, 1948), pp. 785-801.

Quoted in Akrigg, p. 799.