Ashley MS 408

'Poems on Various Subjects' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge; 1796-1797. Printed, with autograph corrections and additions. The contents are as follows, viz.:

(1) MS. of the 'Advertisement' first printed on pp. 243-245 of the second edition, 1797. ff. 1-4;

(2) Cancelled MS. version of ll. 7-12 of the poem 'Religious Musings', as printed in the second edition. f. 5;

(3) MS. of ll. 1-23 of 'Religious Musings', as printed in the second edition, with different readings in ll. 4, 5, 7, 16 and 21. f. 5b;

(4) Pages 141-168 of the first edition, 1796, with autograph corrections and blank folios interleaved on all of which, except that between ff. 20 and 21, are autograph additions. There is no interleaf between ff. 29 and 30, i.e. pp. 166 and 167. ff. 6-30b;

(5) Pages 169-175 of the first edition (i.e. the 'Notes on Religious Musings') with autograph corrections. These pages have also been interleaved with blank folios, but only f. 34b is written on. ff. 31-35;

(6) Proof sheets for the 'Notes' to the first edition, 1796. The first section (ff. 36, 36b) is corrected proofs for 'Notes on the Monody to Chatterton'. In the event these were not published, and in the first edition the page numbers (177 and 178) and signature (N) became those of the first two pages of 'Notes'. The second section (ff. 37-49b) is two identical sets of proofs, with autograph corrections, for 'Notes', the first of which lacks one leaf (pp. 191, 192 i.e. pp. 187, 188 in the first edition). The third section (ff. 50-57b) is sets of proofs for both the 'Notes on the Monody to Chatterton' and the 'Notes', identical to those previously described, but uncorrected. ff. 36-57b;

(7) Two identical sets of proofs for the 'Ode on the Departing Year' (first published in the second edition, 1797, pp. 1-16), both with autograph corrections. The second (ff. 66-72b) was evidently corrected after the other, as a point raised by Coleridge in the first is answered in the second by the publisher, Joseph Cottle. Moreover, on f. 58b Coleridge has written, referring to a quotation from Aeschylus which he wished printed on the fly-title, 'The Motto! where is the Motto? I would not have lost the motto for a kingdom twas the best part of the Ode.' The printer having apparently ignored this instruction, on f. 66b Coleridge has written 'Motto I beseech you, let the Motto be printed; and printed accurately'. On the first Coleridge has written 'composed Decembr 23rd, 1796', and on the second 'This ode was written on the 24th, 25th and 26th days of December, 1796.'

(For another example of Coleridge's alterations to the substance of his notes cf. Add. MS. 50847, 'Kubla Khan', with the printed version.) ff. 58-72b. Ashley Library Catalogue, i, pp. 197-198.

Octavo; ff. ii+72. The original covers of 408 are preserved separately.

Poetry ENGLISH: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet and philosopher: `Poems on various subjects' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 1796-1797: Printed with autogr. corrections and additions.