Ashley MS 5092

'A Channel Passage and Other Poems'. 'After the Verdict'; 1899. Fair copy, with revisions, written on one side only of a large quarto leaf of blue wove paper (f. 3). No watermark. The MS. is entitled 'After the Verdict' in another hand, but dated 'Sept. 99' by Swinburne. The final text found in the fair copy differs by one word only from that printed on p. 155. The poem was first published in the Nineteenth Century for Oct. 1899.

Bound up with the MS. are an engraved portrait of Swinburne by William Bell Scott (f. ii), a title page and note by T. J. Wise (ff. iii-v), a typewritten transcript of 'After the Verdict' and the two sonnets described below (ff. vi-viii), and the MSS. of two apparently unpublished sonnets by Swinburne, as follows:―

'Lutetia' and 'Meretrix Moribunda', 1899. Autograph fair copies, written on one side only of two octavo leaves of flecked grey wove paper. Watermarks Silurist / double rule / Moted Grey / double rule / Wove / J S & Co Ltd, (f. 1) and monogram 'IS' (f. 2). The two sonnets are printed in T. J. Wise, Catalogue of the Ashley Library, vi, 1925, pp. 201-202. As follows:―

a. 'Lutetia' (thus entitled in Swinburne's hand). Beneath the title is the motto 'O lutum! lupanar! / Catullus'. Begins 'City begot on mire, baptized with mud'. The poem is dated by Swinburne 'Nov. 27th, 1899.'. This date, together with internal evidence, suggests that it may have been inspired by the storm of vituperation which arose in France after the outbreak of the Boer War on 11 Oct. 1899, rather than, as Wise states, by the Dreyfus Case, in which the second trial ended on

9 Sept. 1899. f. 1.

b. 'Meretrix Moribunda' (thus entitled in Swinburne's hand). Begins 'France, eldest daughter of the whore whom John'. The poem is dated by Swinburne 'Nov. 23rd, 1899'. It appears to have had the same inspiration as 'Lutetia'. f. 2.

Quarto; ff. viii+3.

Poetry ENGLISH: Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet: A Channel Passage and Other Poems by Algernon Charles Swinburne: 1904: Autogr. drafts and fair copies of poems included in.

includes:

• f. 1 Poetry ENGLISH: Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet: Sonnet, 'Lutetia' beg. 'City begot on mire, baptized with mud', by Algernon Charles Swinburne: 1899: Autogr. fair copy.
• f. 2 Poetry ENGLISH: Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet: Sonnet, 'Meretrix Moribunda', beg. 'France, eldest daughter of the whore whom John', by Algernon Charles Swinburne: 1899: Autogr. fair copy.
• f. 3 Poetry ENGLISH: Algernon Charles Swinburne, poet: Poem, 'After the Verdict', by Algernon Charles Swinburne: 1899: Autogr. fair copy.