Beinecke Osborn d492 | Manuscript Verse Miscellanies

Title	Untitled
Archive	Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Call Number	Beinecke Osborn d492
Complete	Yes
Description	John Waite, ca. 1800. In a single hand up to f. 139 when two other hands take over for the last twenty folios. This entry considers only the first hand's section of the manuscript. 139 folios. Lyrics, fables, and occasional verse. Multiple poems about violets.
Format
Book Size	21cm
Filled Page Count	70 pages
Item Count	31
Poem Count	31
Periods	1791-1820
First Line Index	No
Digitized	No
Region	[Unknown]
Additional Genres
Print Sources
Major Themes	Animals, pets Conduct, morality Courtship, marriage Death, afterlife Humour, wordplay Nature Major themes prominent among the manuscript contents in alphabetical order.
Minor Themes	Other themes of interest among the manuscript contents in alphabetical order.
Links	hdl.handle.net
Bibliography
Citation	“Beinecke Osborn d492.” Manuscript Verse Miscellanies, 1700–1820, edited by Betty A. Schellenberg, Simon Fraser University, https://mvm.dhil.lib.sfu.ca/manuscript/113. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Created	2019-09-04 1:13:44 PM
Updated	2023-07-20 1:42:51 PM

Contributor	Role
John Waite	Primary compiler

First Line	Context	Print Source
Beneath this Stone lies Katherine Gray	pp. 131r–132r. Local title: A Whimsical Epetaph[sic] on Katherine Gray a dealer in Earthen Ware. Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: n/a	Unknown
The Counsels of a Friend, Belinda, hear	pp. 39r–46r Local title: Advice to Belinda. Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: n/a	Unknown
The Curfew tolls the Knell of parting Day	pp. 16r–26r Local title: An Elegy. Written in a Country Church Yard. Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: n/a	Unknown
Turn, gentle hermit of the dale,	pp. 99r–111r Local title: Edwin & Angelina Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: Annotation on 98v: 'Nb Edwin having been rejected by Angelina took Upon himself the resolution of becoming an Hermit so Angelina after that could not rest but sought him in the Dress of a Male turning at length the the Vale where Edwin was is adress'ed by Edwin she at length was descover'd to be a Maid and relates her story when they discover Each other.' Written in the space below in a larger font: 'I never knew a proudman that was not ill natured no an ill natured man that was not proud. John Waite Book.	Unknown
Why should our joys transform to pain;	pp. 94r–95r Local title: Extracts of the Indian Philosopher Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: Extract begins at line 42: 'Happy the Youth who finds the Bride...'	Unknown

Feature	Note
Author attributions	Never.
Binding	Original half calf over marbled paper boards.
Decorations - hand-drawn	Calligraphic flourishes. Decorative "Finis" at the end of each poem.
Hands	Single copperplate hand, with some additions in two other hands (one which is identified as J.H. Waite, possibly the compiler's son) at the end of the volume.
Indications of use	Faintly in pencil on the first page: "TRACTS," followed by some numbers which are either dates or prices. p. 69 the compiler mistakenly began to re-copy the stanza he just finished then scribbled out the duplicate line. Otherwise a very fair copy, decorative book. Taken over other nineteenth-century hands at the end, one of which is J.H. Waite, which suggests the compiler died or otherwise passed it on to a relative after the manuscript's composition.
Item formatting	"John Waite Book" appears throughout, usually at the ends of poems. Decorative "Finis" at the end of each poem, plus other flourishes. Large font and decorative titles. Frequently numbered stanzas. Items regularly begun on a new page with only a couple exceptions. Frequent maxims, potentially original to the compiler, at the ends of poems, e.g. "If we did not flatter ourselves flattery from others would have no effect. John Waite Book" (114r).
Organization	Recto side only, excepting a few pages at the beginning of the manuscript.
Ownership mark	Ownership inscriptions of "John Waite's Book" and "John Waite Book" appear throughout. Lengthy annotation in pencil signed by Colin George Parker and dated "6th March 1983," discussing personal experiences.
Page layout	Some traces left of erased pencil lines. Perhaps the compiler wanted or needed a guide for his writing. Paginated up to 139 by folio (recto side only).