Abraham Fraunce

1559?–1592/3?

Introduction

Abraham Fraunce is perhaps better known for the distinguished literary circle to which he belonged, including Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe, Sir Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser, than for the verse, academic Latin, drama, and philosophical treatises he wrote on logic, rhetoric, emblems, and the law. His influence in this circle may indeed have been significant, for Steven May has recently argued that he may well have been responsible not only for showing Marlowe early parts of The Faerie Queene in manuscript (c.1587), quotations from which appear in both parts of Tamberlaine (1590), but also for the publication of Sidney's Astrophil and Stella (1591) (Marlowe, Spenser, Sidney and — Abraham Fraunce? Review of English Studies, NS 62 (2011), 30-63).

Fraunce himself published a number of his own works in verse and prose during his relatively short lifetime, but left several notable works in manuscript, which either remain unpublished or were never published until recent times. Three of them were dedicated or presented to Sir Philip Sidney (*FrA 3), to Sir Edward Dyer (FrA 5), and to Sir Robert Sidney (*FrA 6) respectively. What may possibly have been yet another manuscript presented to Philip Sidney — it would not seem to correspond to any of the items recorded in CELM — was later owned by Benjamin Heywood Bright (1787-1843), book collector, and was sold at Sotheby's, 18 June 1844 (Bright sale, Part II), lot 101, to Rodd. It is catalogued as (Fraunce, Abraham) Yeeld, Yeeld, Yeeld, O Yeeld: Omnia vincit amor. Venus est Dignissima pomo … addressed to Sir Philip Sidney. For a brief comment on this, see H.R. Woudhuysen, Sir Philip Sidney and the Circulation of Manuscripts 1558-1640 (Oxford, 1996), p. 339.

Verse

Correctio: Vixisti: Viuis: viues ('Vixisti viuis, viues fine fine beatus')

Six lines in Latin. Unpublished.

FrA 1

Copy, subscribed Abrah: Frances, following an unascribed six-line poem in Latin In obitu Henrici Sydney militis (beginning Regia Sydney facies dulceque lepores).

A quarto miscellany of verse and some prose, in at least seven secretary and italic hands, 118 leaves (plus some blanks), currently disbound.

Possibly compiled by one or more persons connected with the Inns of Court.

c.1600-1620s

Later in the library of the Rev. Richard Farmer, FSA (1735-97), Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, literary scholar. Lot 8055 in the sale of his library by Thomas King, 7 May to 16 June 1798. Probably owned afterwards by James Crossley (1800-83), author and book collector. Formerly Chetham's MS 8012.

The volume edited by Alexander B. Grosart as The Dr. Farmer Chetham MS. being a Commonplace Book in the Chetham Library, Manchester, temp. Elizabeth, James I, and Charles I, Chetham Society, vols 89 and 90 (Manchester, 1873).

Chetham's Library, Manchester (Mun. A.4.15 ff. 86v-7r (pp. 139-40))

Prose

A bryef and general comparison of Ramus his Logike with that of Aristotle

FrA 2

Copy.

A folio volume comprising three works by Abraham Fraunce, in two hands, 36 leaves, in contemporary vellum.

With (f. 2r) a general title-page The Sheapheards Logike: conteyning the præcepts of that art put downe by Ramus; examples set owt of the Sheapheards Kalender; notes and expositions collected owt of Beurhusius, Piscator, Mr. Chatterton and diuers others. Together with twooe general discourses, the one touchinge the prayse and ryghte vse of Logike, the other concernynge the comparison of Ramus his Logike with that of Aristotle, subscribed To the Ryght worshipful m^r Edwarde Dyer and followed (ff. 2v) by a fourteen-line verse dedication to Dyer (beginning Some arts wee bynde to some one kynde of subject generallye) and subscribed in an italic hand Abraham franse, the main text (ff. 3r-36r) in a neat secretary hand.

c.1580-5

Bookplate of James Bindley, FSA (1737-1818), book collector, dated 1811. Bindley sale, part 3, 1819, lot 1665, bought by Triphook for George Watson Taylor, MP (1771-1841), collector (his sale 1823, part 2, lot 38). Then owned by Richard Heber (1774-1833), book collector (Heber sale, part 11, 1836, lot 800); and by Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bt (1792-1872), collector of books and manuscripts. Sotheby's, 19-22 June 1893 (Phillipps sale), lot 232.

The British Library: Additional MSS, numbers 30000 through 34999 (Add. MS 34361 ff. 32r-6r)

Emblemata varia, ad principes Europae et rem historicam spectantia, calamo bene depicta, et versibus latinis illustrata

*FrA 3

Autograph

Comprising pen and ink drawings by Fraunce of forty imprese, with Latin verse and prose captions beneath, copied from Paulo Giovio's Dialogo dell' imprese (1555; but probably from the illustrated edition published in 1574).

This MS discussed in Katherine Duncan-Jones, Two Elizabethan Versions of Giovio's Treatise on Imprese, English Studies, 52 (1971), 118-23.

A folio presentation volume containing two neatly written autograph works by Abraham Fraunce in Latin verse and prose, 56 leaves (plus a few blanks), in contemporary vellum bearing gilt and coloured pictorial imprese.

Prepared by Fraunce probably as a leaving present for Philip Sidney before departing from Cambridge in February 1582.

[1582]

Later inscribed (f. ii^r) by Edward Umfreville (1775-1858), collector of legal manuscripts, and (f. iii^v) Richard Munn his booke the gift of the right honourable the lord Viscount Chaworth.

Discussed in Katherine Duncan-Jones, Two Elizabethan Versions of Giovio's Treatise on Imprese, English Studies, 52 (1971), 118-23.

Bodleian Library, Rawlinson Collection, other shelfmarks (MS Rawl D. 345 ff. 17r-56v)

Insignium, armorum, emblematum, hieroglyphicorum, et symbolorum, quae in Italia imprese nominantur, explicatio: quae symbolicae philosophicae postrema pars est

First published in London, 1588.

See Symbolicae philosophiae liber quartus et ultimus: FrA 6.

The Lawiers Logike, exemplifying the preecepts of Logike by the Practise of the Common Lawe

First published in London, 1588.

See The Sheapheards Logike: FrA 5.

Of the nature and vse of Logike

FrA 4

Copy.

A folio volume comprising three works by Abraham Fraunce, in two hands, 36 leaves, in contemporary vellum.

c.1580-5

The British Library: Additional MSS, numbers 30000 through 34999 (Add. MS 34361 ff. 29r-31v)

The Sheapheards Logike

A treatise, partly an earlier version of Fraunce's The Lawiers Logike, exemplifying the præcepts of Logike by the Practise of the Common Lawe which was published in London, 1588.

FrA 5

Copy, in two books, with numerous quotations from Edmund Spenser's Shepheardes Calender (1579).

A facsimile of this MS published by the Scolar Press (Menston, 1969), which is the first publication of the work itself.

A folio volume comprising three works by Abraham Fraunce, in two hands, 36 leaves, in contemporary vellum.

c.1580-5

The British Library: Additional MSS, numbers 30000 through 34999 (Add. MS 34361 ff. 3r-28r)

Symbolicae philosophiae liber quartus et ultimus

Basically an addendum to Fraunce's Insignium, armorum, emblematum, hieroglyphicorum, et symbolorum, quae in Italia imprese nominantur, explicatio: quae symbolicae philosophicae postrema pars est which was published in London, 1588.

*FrA 6

Autograph

A formal presentation copy, in a small secretary hand, with a title-page bearing a dedication to Sir Robert Sidney (Ad illustriss: D Dominu Robertum Sydneyu, signed at the end by Fraunce Abrahamus Fransus, 24 small quarto leaves, in contemporary vellum, with remains of green silk ties.

c.1586-93

Among papers of the Sidney family, Viscounts De L'Isle, of Penshurst Place, Ashford, Kent.

Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone (U1475/Z16)

Tractatus de usu dialectices

*FrA 7

Autograph

Autograph fair copy, with margins ruled in red.

Prepared by Fraunce probably as a leaving present for Philip Sidney before departing from Cambridge in February 1582.

[1582]

Later inscribed (f. ii^r) by Edward Umfreville (1775-1858), collector of legal manuscripts, and (f. iii^v) Richard Munn his booke the gift of the right honourable the lord Viscount Chaworth.

Discussed in Katherine Duncan-Jones, Two Elizabethan Versions of Giovio's Treatise on Imprese, English Studies, 52 (1971), 118-23.

Bodleian Library, Rawlinson Collection, other shelfmarks (MS Rawl D. 345 ff. 1r-16v)

Dramatic Works

Victoria

First published, edited by G.C. Moore Smith (Louvain, 1906).

*FrA 8

Autograph

Autograph? presentation copy to Sir Philip Sidney, in a secretary hand, with dedication Heroi Nobilissimo, Domino illustrissimo Mæcenati optimo Philippo Sidneio S P D:, followed by eight Latin verses beginning Meus erat immenso, nuper confecta Idore subscribed Abrahamus Fransus, the page of Personæ (p. 5) headed Victoria, v + 91 folio pages, in contemporary vellum, with remains of green silk ties.

c.1570s-80s

Among papers of the Sidney family, Viscounts De L'Isle, of Penshurst Place, Ashford, Kent.

Facsimile of the dedication to Sidney in DLB, vol. 236, British Rhetoricians and Logicians, 1500-1660. First Series, ed. Edward A. Malone (Detroit, 2001), p. 142.

Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone (U1475 Z15)

Abraham Fraunce

Introduction

Verse

Prose

Dramatic Works

Contents