Nicholas Fisher

[Tyrrell MS]

A quarto miscellany of verse and prose, in English, Latin and French, in several hands, written from both ends, 360 pages (the majority blank), in old calf.

Inscribed (p. [41 rev.]) J. Tyrell and compiled at least in part by James Tyrrell (1642-1718), historical writer and friend of the philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), a poem by whom (ff. [16v-17r]) he dockets as By my dear Friend M^r J. Lock.

c.1670s-80s.

Later in the library of Richard Monckton Milnes (1809-85), first Baron Houghton, author and politician, and his son Robert Offley Ashburton Milnes, afterwards Crewe-Milnes (1858-1945), first Marquess of Crewe, politician.

ff. [1r-2r]

DoC 274.5: Charles Sackville, Sixth Earl of Dorset, To Mr. Edward Howard, on his Incomparable, Incomprehensible Poem Called The British Princes ('Come on, ye critics! Find one fault who dare')

Copy, headed On the Same [i.e. Edward Howard].

First published in Poems on Several Occasions, By the Right Honourable, the E. of R[ochester] (Antwerpen [i.e. London], 1680). POAS, I (1963), 338-9. Harris, pp. 7-9.

f. [2r-v]

WaE 770.5: Edmund Waller, To the Honourable Ed. Howard Esq. upon his Incomparable, Incomprehensible Poem of the British Princes ('Sir/ You have oblig'd the British Nation more')

Copy, headed On the same [i.e. Edward Howard], subscribed Sam: Butler.

First published, ascribed to Mr. Waller, in The Third Part of Miscellany Poems (London, 1716), pp. 68-9. The Works of Edmund Waller, ed. Elijah Fenton (London, 1729). The Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose of Mr. Samuel Butler, ed. Robert Thyer, 2 vols (London, 1759), I, 104-6.

f. [4r-v]

RoJ 64: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, The Disabled Debauchee ('As some brave admiral, in former war')

Copy, untitled, the poem dated 15 February 1673.

First published in Poems on Several Occasions (Antwerp, 1680). Vieth, pp. 116-17. Walker, pp. 97-9. Love, pp. 44-5.

f. [5r-v]

RoJ 520: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, A Translation from Seneca's Troades, Act II, Chorus ('After death nothing is, and nothing, death')

Copy, headed Thus Englished by the same Lord Rochester, following the Latin text (twelve lines) headed Seneca Troades Act. 2 Chorus.

First published in Poems on Several Occasions (Antwerp, 1680). Vieth, pp. 150-1. Walker, p. 51. Love, pp. 45-5, as Senec. Troas. Act. 2. Chor. Thus English'd by a Person of Honour.

ff. [6v-7v]

DrJ 115.5: John Dryden, A Prologue spoken at the Opening of the New House, Mar. 26. 1674 ('A Plain Built House after so long a stay')

Copy, headed At y^e opening of the New House, March 2--74.

First published in Miscellany Poems (London, 1684). Kinsley, I, 378-9. California, I, 148-50. Hammond & Hopkins, I, 282-4.

ff. [7v-8v]

DrJ 13.5: John Dryden, Epilogue by the same Author ('Though what our Prologue said was sadly true')

Copy, headed Epilogue for y^e same and here beginning Though what our prologue sayes was sadly true.

First published in Miscellany Poems (London, 1684). Kinsley, I, 379-80. California, I, 150-1. Hammond & Hopkins, I, 284-6.

ff. [9v-11v]

RoJ 315: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, A Satyr against Reason and Mankind ('Were I (who to my cost already am)')

Copy of lines 1-173, headed Satyr against Mankind.

First published (lines 1-173) as a broadside, A Satyr against Mankind [London, 1679]. Complete, with supplementary lines 174-221 (beginning All this with indignation have I hurled) in Poems on Several Occasions (Antwerp, 1680). Vieth, pp. 94-101. Walker, pp. 91-7, as Satyr. Love, pp. 57-63.

The text also briefly discussed in Kristoffer F. Paulson, A Question of Copy-Text: Rochester's A Satyr against Reason and Mankind, N&Q, 217 (May 1972), 177-8. Some texts followed by one or other of three different Answer poems (two sometimes ascribed to Edward Pococke or Mr Griffith and Thomas Lessey: see Vieth, Attribution, pp. 178-9).

ff. [12r-13r]

RoJ 585: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, Upon Nothing ('Nothing! thou elder brother even to Shade')

Copy, headed Vpon Nothing by my Lord Rochester.

First published, as a broadside, [in London, 1679]. Poems on Several Occasions (Antwerp, 1680). Vieth, pp. 118-20. Walker, pp. 62-4. Harold Love, The Text of Rochester's Upon Nothing, Centre for Bibliographical and Textual Studies, Monash University, Occasional Papers 1 (1985). Love, pp. 46-8.

ff. [15v-16r]

DoC 229.5: Charles Sackville, Sixth Earl of Dorset, On the Young Statesmen ('Clarendon had law and sense')

Copy, headed The game at Chesse, or A Character of our Statesmen.

First published in A Third Collection of…Poems, Satyrs, Songs (London, 1689). POAS, II (1965), 339-41. Harris, pp. 50-4.

[unnumbered pages]

MoH 32: Henry More, Extracts ('')

Extracts, headed Principles Containing the true Grounds of Faith in matters of Religion, taken out of Dr. Moor's Dialogues of the Kingdom of God. Vol IId, on 86 pages.

[Artemisa MS]

Copy, headed A letter fancyed from Artemisa in the Town To Cloe in the Country, on nine quarto pages, endorsed on the blank tenth page Richard Willughby bound to Willm Hun[t?] 7. May 21, Car: 2. [i.e. 1669] to pay 18^li upon the 24^th of June, once folded as a letter or packet. c.1669.

Sotheby's, 17 July 1997, part of lot 20.

This MS discussed, with facsimile pages, in Nicholas Fisher, A new dating of Rochester's Artemiza to Chlöe, EMS, 8 (2000), 300-19.

RoJ 159.5: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, A Letter from Artemisia in the Town to Chloe in the Country

This MS discussed, with facsimile pages, in Nicholas Fisher, A new dating of Rochester's Artemiza to Chlöe, EMS, 8 (2000), 300-19.

First published, as a broadside, in London, 1679. Poems on Several Occasions (Antwerp, 1680). Vieth, pp. 104-12. Walker, pp. 83-90. Love, pp. 63-70.

[Dryden MS]

Copy. Late 17th century.

Sotheby's, 17 July 1997, part of lot 20.

DrJ 43.82: John Dryden, An Essay upon Satire

A satire written in 1675 by John Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave, but it was widely believed by contemporaries (including later Alexander Pope, who had access to Mulgrave's papers) that Dryden had a hand in it, a belief which led to the notorious assault on him in Rose Alley on 18 December 1679, at the reputed instigation of the Earl of Rochester and/or the Duchess of Portsmouth.

First published in London, 1689. POAS, I (1963), pp. 396-413.

The authorship discussed in Macdonald, pp. 217-19, and see John Burrows, Mulgrave, Dryden, and An Essay upon Satire, in Superior in His Profession: Essays in Memory of Harold Love, ed. Meredith Sherlock, Brian McMullin and Wallace Kirsop, Script & Print, 33 (2009), pp. 76-91, where is it concluded, from stylistic analysis, that Mulgrave had by far the major hand. Recorded in Hammond & Hopkins, V, 684, in an Index of Poems Excluded from this Edition.

[Dryden Prologue MS]

Three prologues and epilogues by Dryden, in a professional hand, on a pair of long ledger-size conjugate leaves. Late 17th century.

Sotheby's, 17 July 1997, part of lot 20.

f. [1r]

DrJ 154.5: John Dryden, Prologue To the Second Part of The Conquest of Granada ('They who write Ill, and they who ne'r durst write')

Copy, headed (erroneously) Epilogue To y^e first part of y^e Seige of Granada and here beginning They who write ill, & they who neer durst write.

First published in The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards (London, 1672). Kinsley, I, 133-4. California, XI, 103-4. Hammond & Hopkins, I, 240-2.

f. [1v]

DrJ 39.5: John Dryden, Epilogue to the Second Part of The Conquest of Granada ('They, who have best succeeded on the stage')

Copy, headed (erroneously) Prologue To the ij^d part of the Conquest of Granada. Spoken by M^r Mohun and here beginning Those who have best succeeded on y^e Stage.

First published in The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards (London, 1672). Kinsley, I, 134-5. California, XI, 201-2. Hammond & Hopkins, I, 243-4.

f. [2r]

DrJ 32.5: John Dryden, Epilogue to the First Part of The Conquest of Granada ('Success, which can no more than beauty last')

Copy, headed Epilogue to the Same. Spoken by M^r Hart and here beginning Successe (w^ch can, no more then Beauty last.

First published in The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards (London, 1672). Kinsley, I, 129-30. California, XI, 99-100. Hammond & Hopkins, I, 236-7.

[Rochester Imitation MS]

Copy, headed In Imitation of y^e. 10^th Satyr of y^e 1^st. Book of Horace By my L^d. Rochester, on three pages of a pair of conjugate folio leaves. c.1670s.

Later owned by John R.B. Brett-Smith (1917-2003), publisher and bookseller. Sotheby's, 27 May 2004 (John Brett-Smith sale), lot 492.

Facsimile of one page in Sotheby's sale catalogue.

RoJ 30.5: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, An Allusion to Horace, the Tenth Satyr of the First Book

Facsimile of one page in Sotheby's sale catalogue.

First published in Poems on Several Occasions (Antwerp, 1680). Vieth, pp. 120-6. Walker, pp. 99-102. Love, pp. 71-4.

Rochester Letters

Copies of letters by Rochester. Early 18th century.

Bonham's, 27 June 2006, lot 383.

The MS as a whole

RoJ 649: John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, Letter(s) ('')

Copies of a series of c.80 letters From, and To The Earl of Rochester. 1670 &ca., largely in a single professional hand (possibly that of Harley's secretary William Thomas, fl. 1685-1740), with a loosely inserted memorandum at the end humbly Submitted to My Lord Harley, 188 pages (including blanks), in half-leather marbled boards.

The majority of the copies are of the original letters in British Library, Harley MS 7003 (RoJ 648), and twelve letters to Rochester chiefly by Henry Savile are copied from the originals in the Marquess of Bath, Longleat, Thynne Papers, Vol. XXVII (RoJ 650). Included (p. 39) is a copy of an otherwise unknown letter to Rochester by his wife.

Discussed, and the letter by Rochester's wife edited, in Nicholas Fisher, Copies of Letters From, and To the Earl of Rochester: An Unexpected Assemblage Commissioned by Edward Harley, second Earl of Oxford (1689-1741), EMS, 17 (forthcoming).

pp. 118-21

DrJ 305: John Dryden, Letter(s) ('')

Copy of Dryden's letter to the Earl of Rochester, [c.summer 1673].

c.1673.

Ward, Letter 4.