Beinecke Osborn c265 | Manuscript Verse Miscellanies

Title	(Poems &c)
Archive	Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Call Number	Beinecke Osborn c265
Complete	Yes
Description	Anonymous, ca. 1730. Additions and annotations possibly by a second hand in 1730s. 39 items. Centred on Swift and Pope, with a few items about them by others, and a few additional satires.
Format	Octavo
Book Size	16cm x 10cm
Filled Page Count	55 pages
Item Count	39
Poem Count	39
Periods	1701-1730
First Line Index	Yes
Digitized	No
Region	[Unknown]
Additional Genres
Print Sources	Miscellanies in Prose and V...
Major Themes	Celebrities Death, afterlife Humour, wordplay Literature Satire - social Major themes prominent among the manuscript contents in alphabetical order.
Minor Themes	Alcohol, other beverages, t... Animals, pets Imitation, parody Latin poetry Other themes of interest among the manuscript contents in alphabetical order.
Links	firstlines.folger.edu
Bibliography
Citation	“Beinecke Osborn c265.” Manuscript Verse Miscellanies, 1700–1820, edited by Betty A. Schellenberg, Simon Fraser University, https://mvm.dhil.lib.sfu.ca/manuscript/62. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
Created	2019-09-04 1:13:44 PM
Updated	2023-07-19 4:37:58 PM

First Line	Context
As on his Death-bed gasping Strephon lay	p. 103 Local title: A Pastoral on the Death of John Wilmot Earl of Rochester Born in 1648 Died July 26, 1680. Attributed author: Mr. Flatman. Adaptation: n/a Other variants: "gasping" not "grasping." Other: n/a
Careful Observers may foretel the Hour	p. 5 Local title: A description of a city shower. Oct. 1710. Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: n/a
Cries Celia to a reverend Dean	p. 113 Local title: No Marriage in Heaven. Why? Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: "Says Celia to a Certain Dean,"... rather than "Cries Celia." Other: n/a
When Foes are o'ercome, we preserve them from Slaughter	pp. 107–109 Local title: A Serious Poem upon Wm Wood, Brasier, Tinker, Hardware-man, Coiner, Founder, and Esquire. Attributed author: n/a Adaptation: n/a Other variants: n/a Other: n/a

Feature	Note
Author attributions	Occasional; later addition of references to Pope and Swift miscellany of 1731.
Binding	Post-Bound (stitched). None; first page also serves as the cover of this single quire of paper that was stitched together. Middle section on slightly smaller-sized paper.
Hands	Could be single but most likely double. Catalogue note implies a second, later hand; they are very close, although page references to the Miscellanies and the left margin note on the first page do seem to be added later (maybe not much later – still looks like an early-century hand) – this hand is about ½ the size of the first, and contributes many tiny items as fillers especially in the final section of the book.
Indications of use	Original compiler or slightly later owner has added in references. Final riddles added even later. Corners quite worn – page numbers worn off.
Item formatting	Short ruled lines under titles; double ruled lines at the ends of items. Running titles at the tops of pages.
Page layout	Ruled margins around each filled page and a few blank ones after the first filled section. Unpaginated.