Lansdowne MS 740

ff. 1r–173r: A miscellany which includes extracts relating to Roman history, and poems made during the reign of King James VI and I, including several pieces by John Donne, Sir Thomas Overbury, and others.

ff. 1r–6r: Extracts relating to Roman history, from Greek historians and poets. Imperfect, in Greek.

ff. 6r–8r: Extracts from Herodian’s Ab excessu divi Marci (first half of the 17th century.)

f. 8v: List of characters from Greek mythology.

ff. 9r–39r: Extracts from works by Euripides (first half of the 17th century.)

f. 40r–44v: A copy of the old Scottish poem of ‘Christ's Kirk on the Green.’ It will supply a few various readings.

f. 45r–v: A song beginning ‘There was a fayr falcon broke out of a mews’, with three other poems.

ff. 46r–55v: A Latin poem entitled ‘Iter Boreale’, written by Richard Eedes, Dean of Worcester, and never printed. See more concerning it in Anthony Wood's Athenae Oxon. (1721 edition), vol. I, p. 326, and in Nugae Antiquae, vol. II, p. 259.

ff. 56r–v: A single leaf of prices paid for books in the seventeenth century; from which it appears that Donne's Paradoxes cost fourpence; Ben Jonson's Works sixteen shillings, and Speed's Chronicle six and thirty. See also f. 138r of this volume.

ff. 57r–v: Sums, and pen trials (including ‘good is the word of the Lord’ on f. 57r).

ff. 58r–59r: A collection of poetry made in the reign of King James VI and I, containing several pieces by John Donne, Sir Thomas Overbury, and others.

ff. 58r–59r: John Donne, Satire III. Begins, ‘Kind pity chokes my spleen, brave scorn forbids.’

ff. 59v–62v: John Donne, Satire IV. Begins, ‘Well; I may now receive, and die.’

ff. 63r–64r: John Donne, Satire V. Begins, ‘Thou shalt not laugh in this leaf, Muse.’

ff. 64v–66r: John Donne, Satire II. Begins, ‘Sir, though – I thank God for it – I do hate.’

ff. 66r–67v: John Donne, Elegy XI. Begins, ‘Not, that in colour it was like thy hair.’

ff. 68r–69v: John Donne, Satire VI. Begins, ‘Sleep, next Society.’

ff. 70r–72r: John Donne, Satire I. Begins, ‘Away thou fondling motley humourist.’

ff. 72v–74r: Sums.

f. 74v: ‘The occation of the writing viz.’

ff. 75r–79v: Poem by Sir Thomas Overbury. Begins, ‘Each woman is a brief of womankind.’

f. 79v: Sir Thomas Overbury, ‘The Method’, concerning marriage.

ff. 80r–81v: ‘A very woman’, ‘Her next part’, ‘A good woman’, and Overbury’s wife’s epitaph.

ff. 82r–v: John Donne, Elegy VIII. Begins, ‘As the sweet sweat of roses in a still.’

ff. 83r–v: John Donne, Elegy IV. Begins, ‘Once, and but once, found in thy company.’

f. 84r: John Donne, Elegy III. Begins, ‘Although thy hand and faith, and good works too.’

ff. 84v–85r: John Donne, Elegy VII. Begins, ‘Till I have peace with thee, war other men.’

ff. 85r–v: John Donne, Elegy VI. Begins, ‘Come Madam come, All rest my powers desire.’

ff. 86r–v: John Donne, Elegy IX. Begins, ‘No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace.’

ff. 87r–91r: Poem, beginning ‘I know not how it comes to passe.’

ff. 92v–93r: Sums.

f. 94r: Verse libels, ‘Many aske what Tarquin ment to marrie’; ‘It was a question in Harroldrie.’

f. 94v: Verse libel, beginning ‘Mistress Aturney [Saturnia] Scorning long to brooke.’

ff. 95r–96r: John Donne verse letter ‘The Storm.’ Begins, ‘Thou which arte I (tis nothing to be soe.’)

ff. 96r–v: John Donne verse letter ‘The Calm’ (called ‘A Calme’ here). Begins, ‘Our storm is passed, and that storm’s tyrannous rage.’

ff. 97r–v: John Donne, ‘The Anagram.’ Begins, ‘Marry and love thy Flavia, for she.’

ff. 98r–v: John Donne, ‘To Mr Rowland Woodward.’

ff. 98v–99r: John Donne, ‘To Sir Henry Wotton.’ Begins, ‘Here’s no more news than virtue: I may as well.’

ff. 99v–100r: Poem often attributed to John Donne, but by Sir John Roe (the initials J. R. appear in the top left-hand corner of f. 99v). Begins, ‘Dear love continue nice and chaste.’

f. 100r: John Donne, ‘Confined love.’ Begins, ‘Some man unworthy to be possessor.’

f. 101r: Two poems, authors unknown. Begins, ‘Wonder of beauty, goddess of my sense’ and ‘Fair eyes do not think scorn to read of love.’

f. 101v: Poem by Sir Thomas Roe. Begins, ‘I can no more resist nor yet subdue.’

f. 102r: Poem by [Sir John Roe?], ‘An epistle to Mr Ben Jonson. Ja: 6: 1603.’ Begins, ‘The state, and men’s affairs, are the best plays.’

f. 102v: Poem by Sir John Roe, ‘Another epistle to Mr Ben: Jonson. No: 9. 1603.’ Begins, ‘If great men wrong me, I will spare myself.’

ff. 103r–v: Poem by Sir John Roe, ‘An elegy to Mrs Boulstred: 1602.’ Begins, ‘Shall I go force an elegy? Abuse.’

ff. 104r–v: Poem by an unknown author, ‘An elegy. To Sir Tho: Roe, 1603.’ Begins, ‘Tell her if she hired servants show.’

f. 104v: John Donne, ‘Love and Wit.’ Begins, ‘True love finds wit, but he whose wit doth move.’

ff. 105r–v: John Donne, Elegy XIII. Begins, ‘Come fates; I feare you not. All whom I owe.’

f. 106r: John Donne, ‘Legacy.’ Begins, ‘When I died last (and dear I die.’

f. 106v: John Donne, ‘The Broken Heart.’ Begins, ‘He is stark mad who ever says.’

f. 107r: Anonymous, ‘That time and absence Proves rather helps than hurts to love.’ Begins, ‘Absence, hear thou my protestation.’

f. 107v: John Donne, ‘Twickenham Garden.’ Begins, ‘Blasted with sighs and surrounded with cares.’

f. 108r: John Donne, ‘The good morrow.’ Begins, ‘I wonder by my troth, what thou and I.’

f. 108v: John Donne, ‘The curse.’ Begins, ‘Whoever guesses, thinks, or dreams he knows.’

f. 109r: John Donne, ‘Love’s Alchemy’ [called ‘Mummy, or Alchemy’ here]. Begins, ‘Some that have deeper digg’d love’s mine than I.’

f. 109v: John Donne, ‘Break of day.’ Begins, ‘Tis true, ‘tis day, what though it be?’

f. 110r: John Donne, ‘The sun rising.’ Begins, ‘Busy old fool unruly sun.’

f. 110v: John Donne, ‘Love’s lecture upon the shadow.’ Begins, ‘Stay still, and I will read to thee.’

f. 111r: John Donne, ‘The Triple Fool.’ Begins, ‘I am two fools I know.’

f. 111v: John Donne, Elegy X. Begins, ‘Image of her whom I love, more than she.’

f. 112r: John Donne, ‘Love’s diet.’ Begins, ‘To what a cumbersome unwieldiness.’

f. 112v: John Donne, ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.’ Begins, ‘As virtuous men pass mildly away.’

ff. 113r–v: John Donne, ‘A funeral elegy upon the death of Lady Markham.’ Begins, ‘Man is the world and death the ocean.’

ff. 114r–v: John Donne, ‘An Elegy to the Lady Bedford.’ Begins, ‘You that are she, and you. That’s double she.’

ff. 114v–115r: John Donne, ‘To the Countess of Bedford.’ Begins, ‘Reason is our soul’s left hand, and faith our right.’

ff. 115v–116v: An elegy upon the death of Mistress Boulstred. Begins, ‘Death I recant, and say unsaid by me.’

ff. 117r–v: Another elegy upon the death of Mistress Boulstred. Begins, ‘Language thou art too narrow and too weak.’

ff. 118r–v: John Donne, Elegy VI. Begins, ‘O let me not serve so, as these men serve.’

ff. 119r–v: John Donne, ‘The Will.’ Begins, ‘Before I sigh my last gasp, let me breathe.’ The third verse is written at the end, in a different hand.

ff. 120r–v: Francis Beaumont, ‘A letter to the Countess of Rutland.’ Begins, ‘Madam: so may my verses pleasing may be.’

ff. 121r–v: John Donne, Elegy XVI. Begins, ‘To make the doubt clear that no woman’s true.’

f. 122r: John Donne, ‘Song.’ Begins, ‘Go and catch a falling star.’

f. 122v: John Donne, ‘Love’s diety.’ Begins, ‘I long to talk with some old lover’s ghost.’

f. 123r: John Donne, ‘The funeral.’ Begins, ‘Who ever comes to shroud me do not harm.’

f. 123v: John Donne, ‘Love’s usury.’ Begins, ‘For every hour that thou wilt spare me now.’

f. 124r: John Donne, ‘The Flea.’ Begins, ‘Mark but this flea, and mark in this.’

f. 124v: John Donne, ‘Community.’ Begins, ‘Good we must love, and must hate ill.’

f. 125r: John Donne, ‘Woman’s Constancy.’ Begins, ‘Now thou hast loved me one whole day.’

f. 125v: John Donne, ‘The dream.’ Begins, ‘Dear love for nothing less than thee.’

f. 126r: John Donne, ‘A Valediction.’ Begins, ‘Let me pour forth.’

f. 126v: John Donne, ‘A Fever.’ Begins, ‘O do not die for I shall hate.’

f. 127r: John Donne, ‘The Paradox.’ Begins, ‘No lover saith I love, nor any one [other].’

ff. 127v–128r: Ben Jonson, ‘To sickness.’ Begins, ‘Why disease dost thou molest.’

f. 128v: Poem by Sir John Harington (1561–1612), ‘Upon a precise tailor.’ Begins, ‘A tailor, thought a man of upright dealing.’

ff. 129r–v: Poem by Sir John Davies. Begins, ‘Unto that sparkling wit, that spirit of fire.’

f. 130r: Poem entitled ‘Daedalus Hercules Medea Columnus thessala maga.’ Author unknown. Begins, ‘There hath been one that strove ‘gainst Nature’s power.’

ff. 131r–136v: Sir Thomas Overbury’s translation of the first two books of Ovid’s Ars amatoria. Begins, ‘When love did read the title of my book.’

f. 137v: Unfinished recipe.

f. 138r: Prices of some books.

f. 138v: Account of why anger and contention are hurtful.

ff. 139v–140r: List of some items delivered.

ff. 141r–v: List of some books.

ff. 143r–167v: Anne Southwell’s poems on the Ten Commandments, dedicated to James VI and I.

f. 168r: Text in Latin, beginning ‘In Germanos ab alto ad Venoram…’

f. 169r: ‘The Extraction of the Square Root.’

f. 169v: Lucian, Dialogue between Mercury and Maia, translated from Greek into Latin.

f. 170r: Sums.

f. 170v: First and third verses of John Dryden’s ‘Whilst Alexis lay prest’ from Marriage A-la-mode (1671).

f. 171r: Unknown author, [on Celia’s charms], ‘Let Hector, Achilles and each brave commander.’

ff. 171v–172r: Henry Purcell, ‘Bess of Bedlam.’ Begins, ‘From silent shades and from the Elysian groves.’

ff. 172v–173r: John Dryden, ‘A Dialogue on King Arthur.’ Begins, ‘You say tis love creates the pain.’

f. 173r: Verse by an unknown author, ‘Leave these useless arts in Loving.’

f. 173v: Signature (Davies?).