Christina Rossetti and others letters

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  Dante Gabriel Rossetti letter to William Bell Scott

  Manuscripts

  A.L.S. from D.G. Rossetti to William Bell Scott; the date of 'April 1877' added in pencil at the bottom of letter in an unknown hand.

  mssHM 80251

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  Henry James and others letters

  Manuscripts

  This material includes (1 letter) by Alice James (HM 66107), (9) by Henry James (HM 66108-66116), and (1) by William James (HM 66117).

  mssHM 66107-66117

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  Christopher Isherwood letters and postcards to Annie Avis, Emily Machell, Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood ; Richard Isherwood diary

  Manuscripts

  This material includes 7 letters and postcards written by Christopher Isherwood to his nanny, Annie Avis (1911-1933, HM 83257-83261, 83263-83264); 1 letter to his grandmother, Emily Machell-Smith (1921, Dec. 28, HM 83262); 1 postcard to his mother, Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood (1937, Mar. 22, HM 83265). Also included is a diary kept by Christopher Isherwood's brother, Richard Isherwood for the year 1956 (HM 83266); there is an inscription from Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood and various B&W photographs pasted into the volume, including photographs of Christopher Isherwood and Kathleen Bradshaw-Isherwood.

  mssHM 83257-83266

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  Prick of conscience ; Piers Plowman ; and other works : [manuscript]

  Manuscripts

  Part 1. ff. 1-16v, 25-32v, 17-24v, 33-94; f. 94v, blank. Pricke of Conscience. Incipit: The ferste part of þis book is soþnesse/ ys ymad of manny wrecchidnesse ffor whan god al þyng had mad of nought/ than of þe foulest matere man was wrought. Explicit: To þe which he vs brynge/ that for our loue maked all þynge. Amen. Here endet þ prikke of conscience. Rubric: Here bigynneþ þe ferste part of þis book þat telleþ of mannys wrecchidnesse. English. Text preceded by a prologue ("Here bugynneþ þe prologe on the Prikke of consciencie þat ferst telleþ of goddes power, The myght of the fadur of heuene/ the wyt of the sone wyth hys ȝyftes seuene"). IMEV 3429; Southern Recension; R. Morris, ed., The Pricke of Conscience. The Philological Society (Berlin 1863), from London, Brit. Lib., Cotton Galba E. ix; see also Stacy Waters,"The Pricke of Conscience: The Southern Recension, Book V," unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1976; Allen, Writings, 373, n. and 539-40; R. E. Lewis and A. McIntosh, A Descriptive Guide to the Manuscripts of the 'Prick of Conscience.' Medium Aevum monographs n.s. 12 (Oxford 1982) 146-47. Two quires bound out of order. Part 1. ff. 96r-v, 95; f. 95v blank. [William Langland] Piers Plowman. Incipit: //than drede went wyȝtly and warnede fals/ and badde hym fle for fere and his felawes alle. Explicit: Or togreden after goddes men. Whan ȝe delen doles/ In aduenture ȝe hauen ȝoure hire here. And ȝoure heuene als/ Nesciat sinistra manus quid faciat dextra. English. Fragment of Piers Plowman, B-text, ii, 208-iii, 72. IMEV 1459. Leaves rejected by scribe and order reversed; see R. B. Haselden,"The Fragment of Piers Plowman in Ashburnham No. CXXX," Modern Philology 29 (1932) 391-94, and pl. of ff. 96, 121. Part 1. ff. 97-112v. Incipit: Istam sequenciam cantat ecclesia dominica prima adventus domini quia in ea memoria agitur de adventu. Salus fidei generis est integritas corporis. Et dicitur de hoc sal. Explicit: Sed certe debet vocari ita et non eta, ut ipsi greci testantur. Et scribitur hoc nomen IHC cum tribus literis propter misterium ternarii numeri. Rubric: Dominica prima adventus domini sequencia, Salus eterna. Latin. An exposition of sequences which presents some similarities to the printed text, Expositio sequentiarum secundum usum Sarum [Cologne: H. Quentell, 1495]; Copinger 2386. Part 1. ff. 113-205. [William Langland] Piers Plowman. Incipit: In a someres seysoun whan set was the sunne/ y schoop me into shrowdes as y a sheep were. Explicit: and sende me hap and hele tyl y haue peris þe ploghman/ and siþ he gradde after grace tyl y gan awake. Explicit visio petri ploughman. English. Corrections in the hand of the scribe over erasures; text on ff. 156-161v disordered. IMEV 1459; W. W. Skeat, ed., The Vision of William Concerning Piers the Plowman, by William Langland. EETS os 38 (London 1869) particularly xxi-xxiii for description of HM 128; G. Kane and E. T. Donaldson, eds., Piers Plowman: The B Version (London 1975), from Cambridge, Trinity College B.15.17, with variants also from this manuscript; see pp. 9-10 for description of HM 128. See also R. W. Chambers,"The Manuscripts of Piers Plowman in the Huntington Library and their Value for Fixing the Text of the Poem," Huntington Library Bulletin 8 (1935) 1-25. Part 1. ff. 205-216. [Siege of Jerusalem]. Incipit: Here begynneth þe seege of ierusaleem & how it was destroyed, In tyberyes tyme the trewe emperowr/ Sere cesar hym seluen seysyd in rome. Explicit: Wente synggyng awey & lefte woo there/ And hool reedyn to rome yblessyd be god almyȝty. Amen. English. IMEV 1583; E. Kölbing and M. Day, eds., The Siege of Jerusalem. EETS os 188 (London 1932), from Oxford, Bod. Lib., Laud misc. 656, with variants also from this manuscript; see pp. viii-ix for description of HM 128. G. Guddat-Figge, Catalogue of Manuscripts containing Middle English Romances (Munich 1976) 303-04. Part 1. ff. 216v-219. How the Good Wife Taught her Daughter. Incipit: The goode wif taught hir doughter fele tyme & ofte gode woman for to be, Doughter ȝif þou wilt ben a wif & wiseliche werch/ Loke þat þou loue well god & holy cherch. Explicit: Her blessyng mote þou haue & wele mote þou thryue. Wele is þe childe þat thryue may my der childe. Explicit expliciat ludere scriptor eat. English. IMEV 671; T. F. Mustanoja, ed., The Good Wife Taught her Daughter; The Good Wyfe wold a Pylgremage; The Thewis of Gud Women (Helsinki 1948), with Cambridge, Emmanuel College, MS I.4.31 as the basis; HM 126 also edited in full. Also printed from this manuscript by F. Madden, ed., How the Goode Wif thaught hir Doughter (London 1838); by W. C. Hazlitt, Remains of the Early Popular Poetry of England (London 1864) 1:180-92; by C. Hindley, The Old Book Collector's Miscellany (London 1872; reprint of Madden) 2:1. Part 2. ff. 1-2v. [John of Salisbury]. [Letters]. Incipit: //penitencia et satisfactione substiterit in finibus istis. Explicit: Cum ergo hiis angustiis//. Latin. The incipit and explicit of the pastedown in the back of the book are: //pius ihesus quam ipsum pro pace vel gratia hominis. . .responderes id quod etsi imperitis rerum videatur//. John of Salisbury, Letters, ed. W. J. Millor and C. N. L. Brooke (Oxford 1979) v. 2, p. 104 line 18 to p. 110 line 4 and p. 200 line 9 to p. 206 line 4. Layout: 2 columns of 42+ lines, each column 81 mm. wide, ruled in lead. This part formed of the two pastedowns. Assigned Date: s. XIVex.

  mssHM 128

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  Charles Plummer letters to his family

  Manuscripts

  These manuscripts are a series of letters written by Charles Plummer to his family. The first four letters (HM 23343-23346) are addressed to his father, Farnham Plummer, with the final letter (HM 23347) written to his sister Elizabeth. The first letter, HM 23343 dated 1849, February 4 - July 7, also contains a table of daily observations taken by Charles during his trip to California from his home state of Massachusetts, via Cape Horn. The chart is divided by latitude and longitude, and includes barometer and thermometer readings for each date. Also included are incidental details such as landmarks sighted, other ships sighted, and Charles' health (eg. "A little unwell. Took medicine"). The letter is dated 1849, June 30 and July 4, and describes the latter part of Charles' voyage and arrival at San Francisco. He writes that the voyage by sea (as a while has been a pleasant and a lucky one." HM 23344, dated 1851, March 14, sees Charles in San Francisco, and in fine health, but concerned about how he might make some money. He describes local gold mines, each being different from the next, and says he will send home some of the "gold burning quartz" he has found. He writes of meeting Chinese and French immigrants, and asks about family back home in Massachusetts. In HM 23345 (1853, March 10), Charles wishes to hear news of home, in his father's hand in particular, for he has had none for a good while. He has made new friends, and has met a few people he knew from home. He closes his letter as follows: "I would like much to see my native town once more, and trust I may ere another frontier shall pass away." HM 23346, dated 1855, January 1, finds Charles asking once more for a letter from home. He wishes everyone a Happy New Year, and says that the day is marked in California much like it is in New York or Massachusetts, and most of the local stores are closed. He is astonished by how much liquor has been consumed in San Francisco for the occasion. Included in HM 23347 (dated 1856, August 4) is a print of the public execution of Hetherington and Brace, "The Murderers of Baldwin, Randall, West, and Marion, July 29th, 1856" outside Fort Vigilance, upon which Charles has made handwritten notes. In the letter, written to his sister Elizabeth, Charles describes being a witness at this execution, which he went to because "business was suspended all about town and I could accomplish nothing." He writes of the fruit industry in San Francisco, and how it differs in operation compared to back home.

  mssHM 23343-23347

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  H.O. Comstock letters to his family

  Manuscripts

  These manuscripts are three letters written by H.O. Comstock to his family, describing his journey from New York to California. The first letter is dated 1849, February 17 (HM 24501) and addressed to "Father", and finds the younger Comstock in good spirits, setting sail from New York in fine weather aboard the brig "Empire." The ship is bound for Vera Cruz, Mexico, which Comstock believes should be reached in about fifteen days, and then on to Cape Horn, and finally to California. In HM 24502 (1849, March 1-12, and addressed to "Father, Mother, Brother, & Sister"), Comstock is 360 miles out from Vera Cruz. The sea voyage has been very cold, cramped, and unpleasant, but he is in good health, and he describes the journey at length. The "Empire" reaches Vera Cruz on March 12. Comstock and the other travelers are relieved to exit the ship, and he marvels at a castle built on a coral reef, and other details of the Mexican coast, such as the buildings, flora, and fauna. He finds the local fare to be exotic and delicious. He thinks the Mexicans all look similar, with the same hair, skin, and noses, and the noise of animals and watchmen keeps him awake at night. He writes that so far, he and his companions "have not found half the difficulty so far that we expected & unless we find hardship more than is common, we shall have nothing but a pleasant jaunt through to the country." He promises to write again once he reaches San Francisco. Comstock writes to his parents from San Francisco in HM 24503 (1849, June 5) that he has "arrived at the 'Promised Land' with health unimpaired." He is thankful that his voyage has been uneventful, compared with others that he has heard of which were fraught with misfortune. On April 28, Comstock visited San Blas, which he describes as "a miserable little village, composed chiefly of mud huts," and finds San Francisco much more agreeable. He describes the city and its inhabitants in considerable detail, as he wishes to give his father "a true account (as far as I am able)," and includes description of gold mines. He wishes he could write to family letters individually, but has not had time. As he closes, Comstock writes that he is heading for the mines, and says he may not write or receive letters for six months, until his return to San Francisco.

  mssHM 24501-24503