Folger Shakespeare Library
CELM

Mary Monck

1677?–1715

Introduction

Mary Monck (née Molesworth) was a poet and a translator of chiefly Italian works, whose writings seem to have been largely confined to a private social circle during her lifetime. Most of them were published posthumously by her father, Robert, Viscount Molesworth, as Marinda: Poems and Translations upon Several Occasions (London, 1716). He records having found most of them in her Scrittore after her Death, written with her own Hand, little expecting, and as little desiring the Publick shou'd have any Opportunity either of Applauding or Condemning them.

What may perhaps have been the one poem missing from her papers, and omitted from Marinda, was not published until 1755. This is the touching poem written on her death-bed, as a faithful wife to her tend'rest husband. This clearly became her most popular poem and is the one poem by her which did circulate widely in manuscript (MkM 1-22).

Verse

Verses Wrote on her Death-Bed at Bath, to her Husband, in London ('Thou, who dost all my worldly thoughts employ')

Twenty-two lines, first published, introduced The following verses were wrote by her (as I am inform'd) on her death-bed at Bath, to her husband in London, in George Ballard, Memoirs of Several Ladies of Great Britain (Oxford, 1752), pp. 418-22.

MkM 1

Copy.

In: A quarto verse miscellany, 171 leaves, with an index, imperfect at the beginning, in contemporary calf (rebacked).

Compiled by Colonel Gabriel Lepipre, being the 4th Vol. of his compilations.

c.1748-50s

Donated in 1938 by F.F. Madan.

MkM 2

Copy.

In: A commonplace book of English and Latin verse, compiled by John Burn of St John's College, Oxford, later undermaster at Merchant Taylors' School, London, some entries in another hand, begun 1722, viii + 368 pages, in contemporary vellum.
Early 18th century

Bought from Simmons & Waters's sale catalogue No. 213 (1907) by Falconer Madan (1851-1935), librarian and bibliographer, and donated by him in 1917.

MkM 3

Copy.

In: A tall folio composite volume of chiefly verse MSS, in various hands and paper sizes, 91 leaves, mounted on guards, in half red morocco.

At least some individual items here were later owned by Sir Thomas Osborne (1632-1712), first Earl of Danby, Marquess of Carmarthen and Duke of Leeds, politician. Sotheby's, 6-10 April 1869 (Leeds sale), including lot 725, item 10.

MkM 7

Copy.

In: A folio volume of antiquarian collections, including much verse, in a single neat hand, 238 leaves, in half-morocco.

In the hand of the Rev. William Cole, FSA (1714-82), antiquary (Volume XXXI of the Cole Collection).

Mid-18th century
MkM 8 Early-mid-18th century

Copy, headed The following Verses were wrote by Mrs Monk on her death-bed at Bath to her husband at London, on a pair of conjugate quarto leaves.

In: An unbound collection of verse manuscripts, in various hands and paper sizes, 212 leaves.

Volume CCCLV of the Evelyn Papers.

MkM 9

Copy, headed Mrs Molesworth.

In: A quarto verse miscellany, in a single possibly female hand, 36 leaves, in modern half-morocco.
Mid-18th century

Inscribed (f. 36r) M Lowthers Jun:, by a member of the Lowther family, Baronets and later Earls of Lonsdale.

The British Library: Stowe MSS (Stowe MS 971 ff. 21v-2r) | Catalogue
MkM 10

Copy.

In: A folio commonplace book of verse, in several hands, 102 leaves, in half-sheepskin.
Early 19th century

Once owned by the master of the Europe, the ship that Byron was suposed to have traveled on when he went to Greace [sic].

Harvard, other MSS (MS Eng 630 f. 32r) | Catalogue
MkM 11

Copy.

In: A large folio verse miscellany, headed (p. 1) Poems on Severall Occasions, 298 pages, in contemporary calf (rebacked).
c.1735
Harvard, other MSS (fMS Eng 629 p. 48) | Catalogue
MkM 12

Copy.

In: A folio miscellany of poems chiefly on affairs of state, entitled A Collection of Poems, including 27 poems by Rochester (all ascribed to him), xii + 299 pages (plus a number of blanks), including a table of contents, in contemporary calf (rebacked).

In a single professional hand but for a few later additions at the very end (pp. 295-8, with some pages tipped-in).

c.1690s

Recorded in IELM, II.ii as the Harvard MS: RoJ Δ 7.

Harvard, other MSS (fMS Eng 636 p. 48) | Catalogue
MkM 13

Copy.

In: A folio commonplace book of chiefly Quaker authors, 49 leaves, in a paper wrapper.
c.1745
Harvard, other MSS (fMS Eng 676 f. 32r) | Catalogue
MkM 17

Copy.

In: An octavo verse miscellany, including 13 poems by or attributed to Herrick, almost entirely in a single small predominantly italic hand, 250 pages (plus numerous blanks), originally in contemporary calf, but now disbound.

Inscribed four times on a flyleaf Tobias Alston his booke: i.e. probably Tobias Alston (1620-c.1639) of Sayham Hall, near Sudbury, Suffolk. His half-brother Edward (b.1598) was a contemporary of Herrick at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, while his cousin, Edward Alston, later President of the College of Physicians, was a contemporary of Herrick at St John's College, Cambridge, some of the other contents also relating to Cambridge, besides some relating to Suffolk. The date 1639 occurs on p. 241, and pp. 243-50 contains verses written in two later hands (to c.1728) and some prose pieces written from the reverse end.

c.1639 [-c.1728]

Names inscribed on a flyleaf including Henry Glisson (later Fellow of the College of Physicians); Thomas Avral(?); Horace Norton; Henry Rich; and James Tavor (Registrar of Cambridge University). Later owned by one John Whitehead, and by Dr Mary Pickford. Sotheby's, 27 June 1972, lot 309.

Cited in IELM, II.i (1987), as the Alston MS: HeR Δ 7. A complete set of photocopies of the MS is in the British Library, RP 772. Facsimile of pp. 6-7 in Sotheby's sale catalogue (see HeR 176, HeR 405) where the MS is described at some length. See also letters by Peter Beal and Donald W. Foster in TLS (24 January 1986), pp. 87-8.

MkM 21

Copy.

In: One of a set of two commonplace books compiled by James Forbes (1749-1819), c.500 pages in all.
1766-1800
Yale, Osborn, others (Osborn MS fc 132/1 p. 165)

Contents