Steele Papers 03 Poetry 2 [47]

47. Volume of Verses

Volume of 64 verses and dialogues in Anne Steele's hand (112 pp). Many refer to family and friends by pseudonyms: Silviana (Anne Steele), Amira (Anne Steele's half-sister Mary Wakeford), Mira (the author Mary Scott, later Taylor), Lucius (Philip Furneaux), Lysander (John Lavington), Philander (Anne Steele's brother William [junior])—

p. 1 Reviewing my verses for publication (“As o'er the various page I bend”);

p. 3 “In a dirty cold village”;

p. 5 To — (“I'll tell you if I can in rhyme”);

p. 8 (“Thus in a careless hour”);

p. 10 To Melinda (“From driving rattling up and down”);

p. 13 “So charming her features”;

p. 14 To Solitary with Answer and Reply (“Lemira in her lonely cell”);

p. 17 On the death of an old apple tree (“Thee I invoke O Goddess fam'd”);

p. 20 Silviana, Amira, Lucius [dialogue] (S: The melancholy passing bell; A: The gentle Muse from Lucius run away; S: You bid me write the Muse a letter; S: Lucius commanded by Chagrin; L: The Lamp, a Simile (The Vestal Nun in ancient days); S: To tune my lyre I sought in vain);

p. 25 A Dialogue: Amira, Lucius, Sylviana (A: Sylviana, Lucius, it is in vain; L: No more let Amira of dullness complain; A: Though those who are wise their own folly discern; L: With rhetorick and logic let Amira go on; A: We shall make something out of this confabulation; L: How brittle the glory acquired by arms; A: As to forming conclusions in logical state; L: Hey day! See Amira, she rallies again; A: I knew I should conquer you from the beginning; S: If you love fighting stories I'll tell you a true one);

p. 38 A Dialogue (S: Ye happy kind mortals the married folks way; A: Ye happy free mortals the single folks way; S: We yet have the best on't, whate'er you can say; A: I submit to your power, I acknowledge your writing; S: At length dear Amira all jesting apart; A: Sincerely disclose the true sense of my heart; S: Amira his advocate Cupid will choose);

p. 45 (“As to filling up rhymes I don't know what to say”);

p. 46 Ancient old story turn'd and brush'd (“How will the wretched race of spiders moan”);

p. 47 Written on a chamber door (“In this abode if neatness keeps”);

p. 48 (“Timenious wiser far than all mankind”);

p. 49 (“Now view Melinda that majestic mien”);

p. 50 (“In Philo virtue, sense, good nature meet”);

p. 51 A dialogue (Were I to choose a mate, Myrtilla [Jane Attwater] cries; Says Sylvia gravely sure my dear you're ever wrong; Philander: Well this is charming);

p. 53 Silviana [marked “written again by mistake”] (“Lucius commanded by chagrin”);

p. 54 Silviana [marked "written again by mistake"] (“So tune my lyre”);

p. 55 “In lone apartment when I sit”;

p. 56 On being desired to send some verses to the “Gentleman's Magazine” (“In Urban Magazine to shine”); 

p. 57 (The wisest men may sometimes err);

p. 58 (“‘Twas yesterday in idle scuffle”);

p. 59 To Melinda (“I boast no charms”);

p. 60 (“Once more to your indulgent ear”);

p. 61 (“If you for verse have such a passion”);

p. 62 Amira to Silviana (“Should I try to make verses”);

p.63 Silviana to Amira (“Yes you have convinc'd me”);

p. 65 To Miss Lacey on receiving a Ruff from her (“In good Queen Bess's days of yore”);

p. 67 On Amira's reading Grandison in the absence of Portius (“The live-long day tho' some folks say”);

p. 69 (“Portius has faults I can't deny”);

p. 70 Epitaph on a favourite dog (“Here Rover lies, a dog of fame”);

p. 71 (“Portius presents a shade”);

p.72 To Delia (“On dark Oblivion's gloomy coast”);

p. 73 On Pope's Essay on Criticism: To Lysander (“Well skill'd the Bard in every critic art”);

p. 74 —ingham Fair (“While then you are blest”);

p. 76 Invitation to Amira (“If rural simplicity nature and ease”);

p. 78 A new simile for the Ladies (“I've often toy'd in vain”);

p. 83 A Simile (“What since he owns 'tis not to mend”);

p. 84 Epitaph on a cork (“Here lies entomb'd a cork of Spirit”);

p. 85 (“When darkest clouds o'erspread the skies”);

p. 88 (“By Portius’ hand the work I've done”);

p. 89 By Mr Lavington [Presbyterian minister at Exeter], on visiting Broughton with Dr Furneaux [Congregationalist minister at Clapham] (“Our time, O ye Muses, how happily spent”);

p. 90 Reply (“How dully the time O ye Muses was spent”); and further down this page is the verse (“How unlucky was I”) that refers to Lysander and Lucius and suggests that Lysander was Lavington and Lucius was Furneaux [see STE 3/17, which also suggests that Lavington was Lysander]

p. 91 The sentence of the High Court of Critics at Andover (“Our books are the standard of goodness and sense”);

p. 92 (“Are love and Friendship both an empty name”);

p. 93 “The mutual wish the mutual hopes arise”, and “Fond love approach'd in Friendship's gentle guise”;

p. 94 “When love instead of gold shall purchase land”, and “May you be happy in Eliza's love”;

p. 95 “The many long days I wou'd count”;

p. 97 “To convince you dear Nan”;

p. 99 “Shew me the mind where an alloy is seen”;

p. 100 “Ah where are the once pleasing senses”;

p. 101 “Happy the maid who scorns”, and “The faults and follies of the friend we love”;

p. 102 “Don't tell me of patience”;

p. 103 “Above the puny softness of her sex”;

p. 104 “I sometimes have a rhyming fit”;

p. 105 On Amira calling the Muses Old Maids (“Old Maids indeed, Amira you are wrong”);

p. 106 “Your matchless rhymes”;

p. 110 Enigma (“From ancient stock my high descent”);

p. 112 Enigma(“No longer let kings or heroes fight”).