'Original Letters collected by William Upcott... Poets... 1824.', 16th century to about 1770
'Original Letters collected by William Upcott... Poets... 1824.' Letters of British poets who died before 1824, with a few facsimiles, arranged in chronological order and generally illustrated by engraved portraits. An index of names and a note by Upcott begin the volume. The most important pieces are as follows:
- Sidney, sir Philip (signature only), Dec. 13, 1578 (fol. 23).
- Dorset, earl of, i.e. Thomas Sackville, lord Buckhurst (d. 1608), Aug. 17, 1570 (fol. 26).
- Digby, sir Kenelm (dr. William Stroke's Latin version of an Ode by Ben Jonson, stated to be in Digby's hand: beg. 'Scenam desine Musa nauseatum': fol. 30): there is a 19th cent. note 'I had it from Mr. Whalley, T. G. W.': given to Upcott by William Gifford.
- Holyday, Barten, March 12, 1660 (fol. 34).
- Davenant, sir William, Aug. 14 (1646) (fol. 40).
- Waller, Edmond, two, 1646-1679 (with some French and some English verses by him: fols. 47, 51).
- Stepney, George (three, 1698-1701: fol. 62).
- Sprat, Thomas, bp. of Rochester, Oct. 7, no year (fol. 74).
- Halifax, earl of, i.e. Charles Montagu ((d), 1715), with a poem on the l' lot (1683 ?) (fols. 77, 84).
- Parnell, dr. Thomas, Dec. 3, 1725, with a poem 'Piety or the Vision' (fol. 85v).
- Garth, sir Samuel, Jan. 10, 1715/6 (fol. 91).
- Buckinghamshire, duke of, i.e. John Sheffield, Oct. 14, 1714 (fol. 96).
- Prior, Matthew, Aug. 9, 1698 (fol. 99).
- D'Urfey, Thomas, 1698, a poem (fol. 103).
- Settle, Elkanah, undated (fol. 111).
- Congreve, William (signature only), April 26, 1717 (fol. 121).
- Gay, John, May 1, 1721 (fol. 133).
- Tickell, Thomas, May 27, 1718 (fol. 138).
- Savage, Richard, June 29, 1731 (fol. 141).
- Pope, Alexander (signature only), Nov. 1, 1721 (fol. 143).
- Swift, Jonathan, Nov. 22, 1711 (fol. 152).
- Watts, Isaac, Feb. 2, 1727/8 (fol. 160).
- Cooke, Thomas, eight letters, 1732-37 (fol. 161).
- Shenstone, William, Dec. 9, 1759, with a poem, etc. (fol. 190).
- Young, Edward, undated (fol. 206v).
- Falconer, William, three, undated (fol. 215).
- Smart, Christopher, April 16, 1769 (fol. 224).
- Goldsmith, Oliver, undated (fol. 227).
Dates
- Creation: 16th century to about 1770
Extent
234 Leaves
Language of Materials
- English
- Latin
- French
Shelfmark
MS. Montagu d. 1
Other Finding Aids
Falconer Madan, et al., A summary catalogue of western manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford which have not hitherto been catalogued in the Quarto series (7 vols. in 8 [vol. II in 2 parts], Oxford, 1895-1953; reprinted, with corrections in vols. I and VII, Munich, 1980), vol. V, no. 25427.
Custodial History
Part of lot 496 in the Upcott sale in 1846.
Old (until about 1890) MS. Montagu no. 29 (part).
Physical Facet
On paper
Dimensions
10 3/4 × 8 3/4 in.
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk