Add MS 43347

ABERDEEN PAPERS. Vol. CCCIX (ff. 210). Miscellaneous papers, arranged as follows:-

(1) Scottish State Papers, 17th-18th centt., viz.:

-(a) Licence from the Privy Council of Scotland for Sir John Gordon of Haddo, 2nd Bart., and his household to eat meat during Lent and upon other prohibited days of the ensuing year; 2 Feb. 1664. Signed by Sir Robert Murray, Lord Justice Clerk, and Sir Peter Wedderburne, Clerk to the Privy Council (Lord Gosford 1668). ff. 1-1 b;

-(b) Letter from Charles II to the Privy Council of Scotland, concering the salaries of the two Joint-Secretaries of State; 30 Sept. 1682. Contemporary copy. Printed in Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Ser., vii, 1681-1682, p. 561. ff. 2-2b;

-(c) Letter from George Haliburton, Bishop of Aberdeen, to George Gordon, 1st Earl of Aberdeen and Lord Chancellor of Scotland, referring to Aberdeen University and complaining of his lack of an official episcopal residence; 8 Apr. 1684. With seal. ff. 3-3 b; -(d) Anonymous letter (apparently from a Scottish peer) to William Gordon, Lord Haddo (2nd Earl of Aberdeen 1720), relating to the forthcoming election of Scottish Representative Peers; a few words are in cypher, some with deciphering overwritten in a hand which is not that of the writer or addressee; London, 2 Aug. 1712. ff. 4-5 b; -(e) 'Copy Off the Earle off Marrs Letter To Collonell Balfour Govenaur off Perth'; a contemporary copy of the despatch, dated 13 Nov. 1715, from John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, as Commander-in-Chief of the Jacobite forces, announcing the result of the Battle of Sheriffmuir. This letter was subsequently printed at Perth (1715); for a copy of this broadside see Lansdowne MS. 849, f. 273. ff. 6-6b;

-(f) 'A Narrative or Account of ye Insult & Rude Treatment W^ch ye most noble Dutchess of Gordon & her Family met with at Edinburgh from Persons pretending to act by Autority of ye supreme Powers of ye Nation'; an account of the forcible entry, by an Edinburgh mob, of the house of Elizabeth Gordon, the Roman Catholic widow of George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon, in search of priests and mass vestments; 29 Apr. 1722. Followed by other papers relating thereto, 1722-1723, including (f. 16) a copy of a letter (31 July 1722) to the Dowager Duchess from Robert Dundas the elder, of Arniston, Lord Advocate, refusing her request (contained in her letter to him, f. 15), to prosecute the ringleaders, and (ff. 22-25 b) drafts of a petition from the Dowager Duchess to the King for protection. ff. 7-13.

(2) Miscellaneous English occasional verse, centring chiefly round George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, and the circle of visitors he met at Bentley Priory, Stanmore, the home of his father-in-law, John James Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn, which became his own residence for many years.

As follows:

-(a) 'College confusion'; a series of mock heroic stanzas on a disturbance in St John's College, Cambridge, presumably during the period of Lord Aberdeen's residence there, circ. 1804 (watermark 1801); preceded (ff. 26-27b) by an introduction beg. 'The following is a translation of a German ballad, found in the Library of the University of Gottingen'. Verses beg. 'Gentle College, Gentle College! Gentle now thou art no more'. ff. 28-31 b;

-(b) 'To the Revd Mr. Whittington, On his grace after Meals', i.e. the Rev. George Downing Whittington, writer on architecture. Beg. '1 have known many skill'd in canonical law'. f. 32;

-(c) 'Written on hearing a Cuckoo in the Valley of St Saba near Jerusalem-by J. D. Carlyle 1800'; a copy (with slight verbal differences) of the poem published in the posthumous edition (1805) of the poems of Joseph Dacre Carlyle, the Arabic scholar. Beg. 'What sounds are those yon rocks impart?'. ff. 33- 34b;

-(d) Complimentary verses, 'To the Right Honble H. Dundas [Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville 1802], etc. Grouse Shooting in the Highlands, after retiring from office in the year 1801'. Beg. 'From Public Toils, and cares, and Strife'. ff. 35-36;

-(e) 'Stanzas written by a Young Gentleman of Stanmore ... upon seeing Lady M.H.', i.e. Lady Maria Hamilton (d. 1814), daughter of John James, 1st Marquess of Abercorn; beg.'Expiring on her spicy nest'. f. 37;

-(f) 'Tea'; beg. 'Presiding at the Morning Board'. f. 38; followed (f. 38b) by two commentaries thereon in the form of double couplets, beg. 'Oh! 'tis sweet in the Morning to see the nymph turn', and "Tis pleasant I own to see grace so genteel';

-(g) Sonnet, beg. 'Maid of the blushing cheek, and dewy eye'. f. 39;

-(h) 'A proposed Inscription for the entrance gate of Lady C. Hamiltons flower garden', i.e. Catherine Elizabeth, 1st wife (1805) of George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen; [1803-1805]. Beg. 'Here Stranger pause! this consecrated shade'. f. 40;-

-(k) Two drafts of a poem, for the Welsh air 'Nos Galon'; 'The withered Violet', beg. 'As I watch thy blue eye closing', and 'Ah why neglect the Violet's hue?'. ff. 41-42b;

-(1) Verses beg. 'Says Lord Abercorns Glove, to Lord Aberdeen's Boot'. ff. 43-43 b;

-(m) 'Acme and Septimius, Parody from Catullus'; on Catherine Elizabeth and her husband George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, beg. 'Septimius brown, and Acme fair'; circ. 1805. ff. 44- 45b ; -(n) Song, written as if addressed by Lord Aberdeen to his wife Catherine, beg. 'Sweet! on the Doric Fane to gaze'. ff. 46-47; -(o) 'Taste, a Poem-Dedicated to Lady Charlotte Lindsay'; circ. 1804. Beg. 'When Athen's [sic] healthy nurture runs to waste'. ff. 48-49; -(p) Verses beg. 'And lives there One by cankered Malice led', being part of the poem ascribed in the copy in Add. MS. 28101, f. 162, to Judith, wife of Col. M. Madan, M.P., and dated 1728. f. 50; -(q) Poem, beg. 'Lo! Where the rosy-bosom'd hours'. ff. 51-52b ; -(r) 'To the Right Honourable Lady Jane Gordon [daughter of George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen]; An Ode, On her ladyships Birth-day'. Beg. 'Oh! chase those gloomy clouds away'. ff. 53- 53b ; -(s) Latin elegy, with author's name 'Abercorn' at end, apparently written by James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess and (1868) 1st Duke of Aber-

corn, 28 Apr. 1826, whilst at Harrow School, upon a fellow-Harrovian, presumably Charles William Lemon, son of Sir Charles Lemon, 2nd Bart. of Carclew, co. Cornw, who was drowned whilst bathing at Harrow on 18 Apr. 1826. Beg. 'Hic ergo periit! Deseruit calor'. ff. 54-54 b. Followed (ff. 55-55 b) by a free English translation in verse, beg. 'He's gone then! ah! those limbs how deadly cold!', in the same hand as the Latin poem and ascribed to 'W.S.', possibly William Sotheby, the poet and classical translator, whose Orestes was dedicated to Lord Abercorn, and who had himself been educated at Harrow ; -(t) 'To Lesbia'; a corrected draft, signed, of a poem in the handwriting of Matthew Gregory Lewis, author of The Monk (d. 1818) which does not occur in his Poems, 1812. Beg. 'Lesbia, we part!- Why thus with anger tremble'. ff. 56- ; -(u) 'To Mrs Siddons On Her preference of Sculpture to Painting'; verses (watermark 1799) by 'W.S.', possibly William Sotheby, cf. (s) above. Beg. 'Seek'st thou the cause why animated stone'. ff. 58-59.

(3) 'The Generous Butcher, or the Rappee'; apparently a burlesque upon the tragedies of the 'German School' of which 'The Stranger' (by Kotzebue) was the most notable example. The play (which is anonymous, the present copy being written on paper containing an 1801 watermark) was apparently never printed or publicly acted: possibly it was performed during the private theatricals held at Bentley Priory circ. 1805. In the present MS. it is cast as for a performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, presumably during the period 1794-1802; but the presence of Stephen Kemble in company with Mrs Siddons and both John Philip and Charles Kemble tends to make its genuineness highly suspect. The first scene is entirely in dumb show; the second beg. 'Lovelace-Aye, Aye always after the same trick Master'. ff. 60-77b.

(4) 'Copia di Poesie Inedite di Lorenzo il Magnifico, di Giuliano e di Piero de' Medici, tratte da diversi Codici Manoscritti dell Biblioteche Florentine': poems from Florentine MSS. by Lorenzo de' Medici and his two sons, Giuliano and Piero. Italian. Most of the poems (ff. 82-167), beg. 'Per dir di Clizia il matutino occaso', are by Giuliano and are drawn mainly from MS. Pluteus XLI, xxv in the Laurentian Library (cf. Bandini, Cat. Cod. Bibl. Med. Laur., v, 1778, cols. 129-131, where the incipits are given), with collations from a MS. in the Archivio Segreto of the Palazzo Vecchio, from which and from Riccardi MS. 2921 other poems not extant in the Laurentian MS. are copied in full. The poems of Piero (ff. 168-174, beg. 'Non posso far che gli occhi non anacqui') are taken from MS. Pluteus XLI, xxxviii in the Laurentian Library (cf. Bandini, op. cit., col- 156). The poems of Lorenzo (ff. 175-185 b, beg. 'Ragionavasi di sodo') are copied from Laurentian and other MSS., but chiefly from Riccardi MS. 2723. A second group (ff. 187-197), in the hand of a different copyist and from an unnamed source, consists of Canti Carnascialeschi or Carnival Songs, some at least by Lorenzo, and printed in various collections (cf. Opere di Lorenzo de' Medici, 4 vols., 1825). Prefixed (ff. 79-80) is a pedigree

and tree of the Medici family in the hand of Lord Aberdeen (who presumably commissioned the copies of the poems), 6 Sept. 1807. ff. 78-197.

(5) Modern Greek proverbs with translation and comment in Italian. Beg. 'ton akribon ta stamena se charokopou cheria. Le richezze dell'avaro

cadono finalmente nelle mani del prodigo'. Compiled by a Greek (cf. f. 210, 'Noi facciamo qualche differenza dal zourlos al bourlismenos'). ff. 198-210b.

Antiquities: George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen; formerly Gordon; Prime Minister: Papers of Lord Aberdeen, mostly rel. to Greek antiquities: early 19th cent.

includes:

• f. 1 Sir Robert Murray, Lord Justice Clerk: Scottish Privy Council licence signed by: 1665.
• f. 1 Sir Peter Wedderburne, Clerk to the Privy Council of Scotland; Lord of Session and Lord Gosford 1668: Privy Council licence signed by: 1665.
• f.1 Sir John Gordon, 2nd Baronet: Licence to, from the Privy Council for Scotland, to eat meat in Lent: 1665.
• ff. 1-25b Scotland General: Miscellaneous Scottish State Papers: 1664-1723.
• f. 2 Charles II of England: Letter to the Scots Privy Council, 1682. Copy: 17th cent.
• f. 3 George Gordon, 1st Earl of Aberdeen; Lord Chancellor of Scotland: Letter to, from the Bishop of Aberdeen: 1684.
• f. 3 George Haliburton, Bishop of Aberdeen: Letter to Lord Aberdeen: 1684.
• f.3 University of Aberdeen: Letter from the Bishop to Lord Aberdeen rel. to: 1684.
• f. 4 Elections Parliamentary: Letter rel. to election of Scots representative peers: 1712.
• f. 4 Cyphers: Letter rel. to election of Scottish Representative Peers partly written in: 1712.: Partly deciphered.
• f. 4 England; Parliament: Letter rel. to forthcoming election of Scottish Representative Peers: 1712.
• f. 4 Peerage: Letter rel. to election of Scottish Representative Peers: 1712.
• f. 6 Jacobites: Letter from the Earl of Mar to the Governor of Perth rel. to the Battle of Sheriffmuir: 1715.: Copy.
• f. 6 Prince James Francis Edward Stuart,; the 'Old Pretender': Account by the Earl of Mar of the Battle of Sheriffmuir: 1715.: Copy.
• f. 6 Sheriffmuir Battle of, 1715: Description of, by the Earl of Mar: 1715.: Copy.
• f.6 John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar: Letter, as Commander-in-Chief of the Jacobite army, describing the Battle of Sheriffmuir: 1715.: Copy.
• f. 7 Roman Catholics: Account of attack by an Edinburgh mob upon the house of the Dowager Duchess of Gordon, in search of priests and vestments, etc.: 1722.
• ff. 7-25b Elizabeth Gordon, widow of George, 1st Duke of Gordon: Account of attack by Protestant mob on her Edinburgh house, etc.: 1722-1723.: Mostly copies.
• ff. 15, 16 Robert Dundas, of Arniston; Lord Advocate of Scotland: Correspondence with the Dowager Duchess of Gordon: 1722.: Copies.
• f. 28 Cambridge; St. John's College: Verses rel. to a dispute in: circ. 1804.
• ff. 28-59 Poetry ENGLISH: Occasional verse, by members of Lord Aberdeen's circle: 1810-1826.
• f. 32 Reverend George Downing Whittington, writer on architecture: Verses to, on his saying grace after meals: circ. 1804.
• f. 33 Joseph Dacre Carlyle, Vicar of Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Poem written on hearing a cuckoo in the valley of St Saba: 1800.: Copy.
• f.35 Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville: Complimentary verses to: 1801.
• f. 37 Lady Maria Hamilton, d 1814 daughter of John James Hamilton: Stanzas written to, by 'a Young Gentleman of Stanmore': n.d.
• f. 40 Catherine Elizabeth Gordon, née Hamilton; 1st wife of George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen: Verses by: 1803-1805.
• f.44 Catherine Elizabeth Gordon, née Hamilton; 1st wife of George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen: Verses, 'Acme and Septimus', on her and her husband: circ. 1805.
• f. 48 Lady Charlotte Lindsay, wife of Lieutenant -Colonel Hon. J Lindsay: 'Taste', a poem dedicated to: circ. 1804.
• f.48 Poetry ENGLISH: 'Taste', a poem dedicated to Lady Charlotte Lindsay: circ. 1804.
• f. 50 Judith Madan, wife of Colonel M Madan, MP: Poem by: 1728.: Copy (early 19th cent.).
• f. 53 Jane Gordon, daughter of George, 4th Earl of Aberdeen: Ode to, on her birthday: circ. 1818.
• f. 54 Poetry LATIN: Elegy by Lord Abercorn on C. W. Lemon: 1826.
• f. 54 James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess and (1868) 1st Duke of Abercorn: Elegy by, on C. W. Lemon: 1826.: Lat.: Copy.
• ff. 54-55b Charles William Lemon, d 1826 son of Sir C Lemon, 2nd Baronet, of Carclew, county Cornwall: Elegy on, by Lord Abercorn: 1826.: Lat., with transl. in Engl. verse.
• f. 55 William Sotheby, poet: Verse translation by, of Lord Aberdeen's Latin clegy on C. W. Lemon: 1826.: Copy.
• f. 56 Poetry ENGLISH: M. G. Lewis,'To Lesbia', 1807-1818. Draft: with corrections.
• f. 56 Matthew Gregory Lewis, called 'Monk' Lewis: Corrected draft of poem'To Lesbia': 1807-1818.
• f. 58 Mrs Sarah Siddons, née Kemble; actress: Verses to, by W. S. (?WilliamSotheby), 'On her preference of Sculpture to Painting',: aft. 1799.
• f.58 William Sotheby, poet: Verses [to Mrs Siddons?] by: aft. 1799.: Copy.
• f.58 Mrs Sarah Siddons, née Kemble; actress: 'On her preference of Sculpture to Painting': aft. 1799.
• f. 60 Drama: 'The Generous Butcher or the Rappee': a burlesque on the German tragedies, cast for the Kembles at Drury Lane: 1794-1802.
• f. 78 Art. Portraits: Lorenzo de' Medici; pen-and-ink portrait: early 19th cent.
• f.78 Lorenzo de' Medici, called the Magnificent: Pen and ink portrait of: 19th cent.
• ff. 79, 80 Medici family: Pedigree by Lord Aberdeen: 1807.
• ff. 82-167 Giuliano de' Medici, son of Lorenzo de' Medici: Poems: 15th cent.: Ital.: Copies, early 19th cent.
• ff. 82-197 Poetry ITALIAN: Poems by the Medici, etc.: early 19th cent.: Copies.
• ff. 168-174 Piero de' Medici, son of Lorenzo de' Medici: Poems: 15th cent.: Ital.: Copies, early 19th cent.
• ff. 175-197 Lorenzo de' Medici, called the Magnificent: Poems: 15th cent.: Ital.: Copies, early 19th cent.
• ff. 198-210 b Greek MSS: : early 19th cent.
• ff. 198-210b Proverbs: Proverbs in Modern Greek, with Ital. transl.: early 19th cent.
• ff. 198-210v Proverbs: Proverbs: early 19th cent.: Mod. Gr. and Ital. transl.