Ashley MS 2404

'Ellen Of Villenskov', 'Uranienborg', 'The Ready Answer', and 'The Spider': ballads and poems translated from the Danish and the Welsh by George Borrow. For the dating of the MSS. see the description of 2396. Ashley Library Catalogue, i, p. 54. As follows:―

1. 'Ellen Of Villenskov', a ballad translated from the Danish; [before 1857?]. Autograph fair copy, with pencil revisions, written on both sides of five quarto leaves of blue wove paper. No watermark. The leaves are accompanied by a blank leaf of the same paper, but the binding makes it impossible to see to which leaf it is conjoined. The MS. is entitled as above in Borrow's hand. Printed in The Works of George Borrow, vii, 1923, pp. 103-108. ff. 4-8b.

2. 'Uranienborg', a poem translated from the Danish of P. A. Heiberg; [before 1857?]. Autograph fair copy, with two pencil revisions, written on both sides of three quarto leaves of blue laid paper, and on one side only of a fourth. No watermark. Entitled 'Uranienborg. / From Heiberg' in Borrow's hand. On f. 15 are two cancelled alternative lines in pencil. Printed in The Works of George Borrow, viii, 1923, pp. 159-162. ff. 13-16.

3. 'The Ready Answer', a ballad translated from the Danish; [before 1857?]. Autograph fair copy, written on both sides of one quarto leaf of blue laid paper, and on one side only of another. Watermark 'E Towgood'. Entitled as above in Borrow's hand. Printed in The Works of George Borrow, viii, 1923, pp. 80-81. ff. 20-21.

4. 'The Spider', a poem translated from the Welsh of Goronwy Owen and another; circa 1850. Autograph fair copy, with one revision, written on one side only of a quarto leaf of grey laid paper, the other side of which is occupied by art. 5. No watermark. Entitled 'The Spider / From the Welsh' in Borrow's hand. Printed in The Works of George Borrow, viii, 1923, p. 312, where it is stated that the second stanza is by Owen, the first by an unknown author. f. 24b.

Also included are:

5. Three epigrams, 'There's no living my boy without plenty of gold', 'O think not you'll change what on high is designd [sic]' and 'Load not thyself with gold O mortal man, for know' in the hand of Borrow, written on the other side of the leaf used for art. 4; circa 1850. Printed in The Works of George Borrow, ix, 1923, p. 191. f. 24a.

Bound up with the MSS. is a copy of Wise's privately printed Ellen of Villenskov and other ballads, 1913 (ff. 1-3, 9-12, 17-19, 22, 23, 25).

Quarto; ff. i+25.

includes:

• ff. 4-8b Ballads ENGLISH: George Borrow, writer: Ballad, 'Ellen of Villenskov', by George Borrow: bef. [1857?]: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 13-16 George Borrow, writer: Peter Andreas Heiberg, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, 'Uranienborg', by Peter Andreas Heiberg, transl. from the Danish by George Borrow: bef. [1857?]: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 20-21 Ballads ENGLISH: George Borrow, writer: Ballad, 'The Ready Answer', by George Borrow: bef. [1857?]: Autogr. fair copy.
• f. 24 George Borrow, writer: Epigrams English: Epigram, 'Load not thyself with gold O mortal man, for know', by George Borrow: circa 1850: Autogr. fair copy with revisions.
• f. 24 George Borrow, writer: Epigrams English: Epigram, 'O think not you'll change what on high is designd (sic)', by George Borrow: circa 1850: Autogr. fair copy.
• f. 24 George Borrow, writer: Epigrams English: Epigram, 'There's no living my boy without plenty of gold', by George Borrow: circa 1850: Autogr. fair copy.
• f. 24b George Borrow, writer: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, 'The Spider', by George Borrow: circa 1850: Transl. from the Welsh: Autogr. fair copy.