Egerton MS 3165

POEMS OF SIR ARTHUR GORGES, circ. 1586-1625, viz.:-

(1) One hundred poems entitled 'The Vanytyes of Sr Arthur Gorges Youthe' (f. 1) and 'S^r Arthur Gorges his vannetyes and toyes of yowth' (f. 1b). The first ninety-eight, with one exception (see below), were copied for Gorges in 1586 or soon after, the latest dateable poems being two laments (nos. 96, 97; ff. 100b, 101) for Sir Philip Sidney (d. 17 October 1586); shortly afterwards another hand, not found elsewhere in the MS., inserted the exception (no. 24, f. 18b-an 'Answer' to no. 23) and, in the closing months of 1589 or later, Gorges himself added two more poems, nos. 99, 100 (ff. 105b-106 b). Probably at the same time Gorges inserted a capital D at the head of nine poems written for his wife Douglas Howard (nos. 29, 44, 48, 52, 53, 57, 63, 66, 69; ff. 26, 41b, 44b, 46b, 47, 49, 52b, 54, 55b) and a capital D at the head of three tributes to Queen Elizabeth (nos. 47, 49, 61; ff. 44, 45, 51). In 1591 Spenser in Colin Clout urged Gorges to complete 'Eglantyne' (no. 100) but Gorges' renewed efforts, probably made soon afterwards, proceeded no further than the end of the sixth verse (f. 106b) when he added 'etc' at the end and 'unfynyshed' to the title. Subsequently Gorges entered on a general revision, at least from f. 30 onwards, making more additions, deletions and alterations (e.g. ff. 30b, 36b, 45, 51, 53, 58, 63b, 78, 93b, 94b, 102b), crossing through the verses on f. 59b, but inserting a title above, 'Of Mounsieur', and a note 'qd Churchyarde' at the end (they are not traceable, however, in the published verse of Thomas Churchyard, circ. 1520-1604; see The Poems of Sir Arthur Gorges, ed. H.E. Sandison, 1953, pp. xxxiv, 208), numbering the first 105 folios (Omitting f. 1) and adding the two general titles. ff. 1-106b.

(2) Eleven poems copied by a second scribe, in a cursive italic script, between 1614 and Gorges' death; the latest dateable composition is a lament for John, 2nd Baron Harington of Exton, d. 27 February 1614 (no. 108, f. 111). Nos. 101-106 (ff. 107-109) are drafts of verses which, in a corrected and more generously punctuated form, were presented to James I and are now Royal MS. 18 A. xlvii (dated 1 January 16,09/10 on f. 5 ; the devices and coat of arms described verbally in this Egerton MS. are represented in colour in the Royal MS.). There are few corrections in this section and none which is unquestionably in Gorges' autograph. ff. 107-113b.

(3) Three seventeenth-century additions on the two final flyleaves, viz.:-

(1) Two short sequences of popular doggerel, written in a rough hand. ff. 114-114b;-(2) An account, imperfect, of the behaviour and speech of Sir Walter Raleigh at the scaffold, 29 October 1618, written in a secretary hand; the text resembles that in Inner Temple MS. Petyt 538. 18, f. 240. f. 115. The whole text of the MS. is printed by H. E. Sandison in The poems of Sir Arthur Gorges, 1953, pp. 1-133; the Introduction and Commentary in this work (pp. xiii-xlviii, 183-232) discuss in detail the composition of the poems, document the dates given in the foregoing description and offer a collation of the texts in Egerton MS. 3165 with versions of some of the poems in Royal MS. 18A. xlvii, Harley MS. 7392, Add. MS. 15117, Cambridge University Library MS. Dd. 5. 75 and Bodleian MS. Rawlinson Poet. 85. Gorges' autograph is not found in these MSS. (save his formal signature in Royal MS.

18A. xlvii, f. 1) but it does appear in the corrections to Stowe MS. 426 (e.g., ff. 1O, 14) and in Add. MS. 6789, f. 538; his cursive hand, complicated by the frequent use of one curved stroke for a complete syllable and also by certain idiosyncracies of spelling (H.E. Sandison, op. cit., pp. xlvii, 189), was a trouble to his copyists who often changed letters or inserted words whilst writing out the poems (e.g. ff. 15b, 19b, 27, 39, 42b, 62, 71, 74, 100, 11O). See also H. E. Sandison, 'Arthur Gorges, Spenser's Alcyon and Ralegh's Friend', Pubs. Modern Language Ass. of America, xliii, 1928, pp. 645-674; H.I. Bell, 'Early poems of Sir Arthur Gorges', Brit. Mus. Quart., xiv, 1939-1940, pp. 88-93. Paper; ff. 115. 185 mm. x 145 mm. Circ. 1586-1625. Belonged to John Kayll in 1631 (f. 1.).