The Scribal Publication of Verse
The scribal “publication” of these poems was probably as effective as print, since even now over 4,000 extant manuscript texts attest to an extraordinary rate of production. Survival rates vary in puzzling ways: in spite of the value they must have had even then, the survival rate of poems in Donne’s own hand is extraordinarily low: only one survives, and it was discovered n 1970. Scribal circulation was the central mode of publication for poets like Donne, Thomas Traherne, Andrew Marvell, or Katherine Phillips, most of whose poetry was not printed until after their deaths.
Donne, Elegy 18: "Love's Progress," and 6-line epigram
Like many of the 4000 plus poems that have survived by Donne, this copy shows no indication of authorship. One of the dangers of scribal publication, of course, is that attributions can easily shift or disappear, though -- as is clear in the many anonymous print publications in this exhibit -- possessive authorship was still a developing concept.
"Oceana et Brittania," probably written in 1681. The manuscript copy in an unknown hand of a poem incorrectly ascribed to Andrew Marvell; 12 pp
Another anonymous poem, long thought to be Marvell's. Because the writings of many poets were not collected until after their deaths, attribution of early modern poetry is still a source of dispute.
Sham Prophecy
The Sham Prophecy, anonymous Restoration Satire Once though to be by John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester, this "Sham Prophecy" exists in different versions and formats; it was even reportedly inscribed in the walls of an abbey. Dated "23 May 1297" in at least one version, the prophecy tells of a time in 1678 when the man call'd Oates shall bee in danger to bee devoured." Titus Oates was the infamous architect of the fictitious conspiracy known as the "Popish Plot" that ignited anti-Catholic paranoia in 1678-1681.
"Cromwell's Ghost" [sonnet] ("Rouze upp my Sons: redeeme your lost Renown.")
A radical republican sonnet, perhaps written in 1659 or 1660, which bids readers to remember 1641 -- probably as the restoration of the monarch was nearly at hand. Scribal publication was a major vehicle for subversive views, since there were no authorities to license publication, and the source of publication is virtually untraceable. Milton's on political sonnets to Cromwell and Fairfax (among others) remained in manuscript until after his death.