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Fly leaf, recto: an illegible pencil note (very short) at the top right
hand side. Pasted on are two small pieces of paper. The first, written on
both sides is headed: Copy from a Letter to the Author. It commends Children
in the Wood and is signed J.L. [or I.L.?] The other scrap is not identified
by any other signature. The third, loose, piece of paper contains 8 notes
of music and underneath the words Chickweed and Groundsel for ye Birds.
Verso of fly leaf, page pasted on: Children in the Wood. From this beautiful
Old Song. I have had various inducements for making 4 dramas...
Pasted onto next leaf are two leaves of paper. The first is written on recto only: Mr P. the author of this Drama & others, wrote solely for his private amusement: so much so that his more intimate friends seldom saw any of his works. He however (as an Assay) communicated this & another to the Hon. H. Walpole ... It has remaind lock'd up in his study since 1762.
Second leaf headed Advertisement. The Honble Horace Walpole did the Author
the honor to peruse this present MSS. [Over present is written the word 'identical'.]
Quotes letter from Walpole, dated from Strawberry Hill.
Verso: notes on the letter. Continued on recto and verso of the leaf.
Next leaf: The Children in the Wood. | a | Tragedy. | T.P. | ...
Verso: list of characters and continuation of the notes on previous leaf
and lower half of the first title-page.
Next leaf, recto, in pencil: all pencill'd Lines & Pages not
to be printed.
Verso: blank.
Next leaf: The | Children in the Wood | (founded on the beautifull | old
popular Song | of that Name.) | a Drama: | Quis talia fando temperet a | Lacrymis?
| Virgil. | Printed | by C. Rowarth.
Verso: Characters in the Play ... Scene in Norfolk.
Next leaf: Pasted on a small watercolour drawing, 8.4 x 9.4 cms. Heading:
Children in the wood. At foot: Sweet Dears - I'll be Parent to ye | Untill
your own be found. Act 3. P.62.
On verso of drawing: T.P Inv. & fect. Under the drawing a
few lines crossed through.
Verso: Advertisement. The Inhabitants about Woodrising, in Norfolk, have
a Tradition that their Wood was the actual Place of the Exposition
of the Children as recorded in the popular Old Song & is call'd 'Wayling'
or Wayland Wood...
Next leaf, recto: Prologue. In verse. Continues on verso.
Next leaf is pp. 1-2. The heading is The Children in the Wood. | T.P. | Act 1st Scene 1st pp. 1-87, verso of 87 unnumbered.
Next leaf is pp. 88-89. To 96 which is a recto. 10 leaves, of which first has lost top half, blank. End paper blank. Inside back board blank.
Various leaves stuck in, as follows: 3 leaves between pp. 14 and 15; 1 slip between 16 and 17; 2 leaves between 22 and 23; 2 leaves between 24 and 25; 1 slip between 32 and 33; 1 leaf between 36 and 37; 1 slip between 56 and 57; 1 slip between 70 and 71; 1 slip between 74 and 75; 1 slip between 89 and 90.
Size of leaf: 17.1 x 10.7 cms.
See
Notes and Queries 3rd Ser. vol.3, pp. 348 amd 479-80
Halkett and Laing under Children...
H.P. broadsides, nos. 285 and 1339, for two printed versions of the ballad.
No. 285, with illustrations, printed in Aldermary Churchyard, London. n.d.
No. 1339, no illustrations, printed and sold by S. Harward, Tewkesbury. n.d.
The text was printed in 1805. Copy in British Museum catalogue.
There is a printed copy of this work in the British Museum (11630 bb 18).
17.1 x 10.2 cms.
Bound in full brown calf, with gilt border. Spine panelled. Gilt borders.
At top of spine, in gold, lion with staff (?)
Title: Children | in the | Wood | etc.
Engraved title page: Works | of | Thomas Powell, Esqr. | Au moins il s'amuse
elegamment | Genlis.
Engraving of house, surrounded by trees. Suffield sc. T.P. delt. E. Scriven
sculpt.
Printed title-page (see Xerox copy, kept with the volume): The | Children
in the wood. | Founded on | the beautiful old popular song | of that name.
| A drama. | Quis talia fando temperet a lacrymis? - Virg. | London: | Printed
for the author. | by C. Roworth, Bell Yard, Fleet Street. | 1805.
Verso blank.
Then the two engraved leaves which appear in A.2.4, the same author's
Silvia la Zingara, i.e. 1) Poetry and the bust of Shakespeare. In
the B.M. copy, the letter S in T.S. Esqr is written over to read T.P. The
verso of this plate has the B.M. stamp with the date 16 Ap. 84. 2) Then follows
the engraved poem headed 'Inscriptio'. Verso of leaf blank.
List of characters in the play. Scene in Norfolk.
Verso blank.
Next leaf contains the Advertisement which also appears in the manuscript,
about the inhabitants of Woodrising, Norfolk. Signature is A3.
Verso of leaf blank. The text proper begins on page 9 Act I Scene 1 and continues
to p. 105.
p. 106 blank.
p. 107 Minute. | In the MS of the foregoing DRAMA were some parts
sup- | posed too long for recitation. The speeches to which they | belong
have therefore been shortened; and, as it was | imagined that the 'excerpta'
would not be disagreeable to | the Reader in the closet, they are here collected
for his | amusement. | to p. 112.
p. 115-118 (t.p. not numbered) On the | epic poem. |
p. 121-126 Praeludium | to | the Columbiad | and | the Parachutus.
p. 121 pencil footnote ? in Powell's hand.
p. 127 The | Columbiad, | a | pantomime, | or | Visible epic poem: | Animum
pictura pascit Vir. | to p.159.
p. 160 blank.
p. 161 Parachutus: | a | pantomime; | or | Visible epic. | Animum pictura
pascit.
p. 162 blank.
p. 163 To | M. Garnerin, | the | first aeronautus parachutus | in the universe.
| to p. 191.
Verso: stamp, in red: British Museum 16 Ap. 84. Printed in black: C. Rowarth,
Printer, | Bell Yard, Temple Bar.
At p. 100, almost at the end of the text, there are pencil notes at the foot of the page, possibly written by T. Powell.
Opposite p. 66 which begins: Enter a Woodman (Act III Sc. V) Wood. Fairies, masters! fairies in the wood - is an engraved picture, T.P. invt Griffith, sculpt and in front of it the original sketch in watercolours, signed T.P. in ink. The sketch is very much like those which appear in the two Chetham manuscripts, A.2.1. and A.2.4. A photographic copy is added (from the British Museum).
T.Powell's son's books were sold by Puttick, 17th Feb 1859.
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