Musæ Anglicanæ sive Poemata Quædam Melioris Notæ
| Musae Anglicanae | ||
 at the College of William & Mary. |
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| Edition | Precise edition unknown | |
| Desc. | 12mo | |
Musarum Anglicanarum was an anthology of Latin verse written by English authors. It was published in multiple volumes and saw many different editions. The first volume was published in 1692, while the second was first published in 1699. The 1699 volume included the poems of the 1692 edition.[1] Later editions appeared in 1714, 1721, 1741, and 1761, the most important of which being the 1741 edition, completed by Vincent Bourne.[2]
While some may think the Anglo-Latin poetry of the 17th and 18th centuries merely imitates the classics, these works instead represent "a whole body of Latin poetry completely English in its content and spirit."[3] Especially in 18th century England, "the Latin poets ... [caught] the national character and [held] up a faithful mirror to life."[4]
The book elevates English authors, highlights English styles of writing, and even some English pride. The first edition of Musarum Anglicanarum contained many Oxford authors, particularly those from Christ Church college. "[O]ut of thirty-four poems only two are not by Oxford men."[5] English universities are thus represented and reflected in the poetry’s stylistic form. In fact, "the unanimity of form in the odes from Christ Church is striking."[6] The book’s preface further demonstrates that this focus on English works within the field of Latin poetry was a conscious one, as it tells readers "that almost every other European nation has published an anthology of its Latin verse and that [this book] offers [its] own volume lest readers should think England entirely cut off from the literary world."[7]
The 1699 edition of Musarum Anglicanarum reflects unity of purpose with its predecessor. It elevated and celebrated English authors of Latin poetry, particularly those from the English universities. It was edited by Joseph Addison. Addison was a poet, but also a political theorist and author. He had significant fame in the UK, but also in the Americas, and was "admired by Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson."[8] Addison’s version had wide popular appeal and significance during the start of the 18th century. It "set the tone for that century, and ... was the most popular anthology during that age."[9] In Addison’s version, "the authors were all Oxford men and with a few exceptions almost all from Magdalen (Addison’s college) and Christ Church."[10] Its focus was thus similarly fixated on English universities.
Still, while it followed from the 1692 version in its commitment to celebrating English authors, there were some differences in the type of poetry that was added in. There was a large "increase in the number of odes and in the larger space devoted to humorous or descriptive verse."[11] Notably, Addison included his own poems in this volume, and "Addison’s own contributions are found mainly in these two categories ... we may be witnessing simply the result of his own taste."[12] But, the relevance of Addison’s own preferences may take on wider significance. If the inclusion of these styles of poetry reflect his own tastes, "the poetry of the next fifty years shows that his tastes were remarkable prophetic."[13]
From this we can see that Musarum Anglicanarum’s stated purpose and its historical significance are one and the same. It demonstrates the significance of Latin poetry in England and within English university culture, especially during the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries.
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Listed in two different places of the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as "Musae Anglicanae. 3.v. 12mo." Thomas Jefferson gave one set to his grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph and kept the other. He later sold a copy to the Library of Congress in 1815, but it no longer exists to verify the edition or Wythe's prior ownership.[14] The Brown Bibliography[15] identifies both copies as Musarum Anglicarum Analecta, comprising three volumes published in London and Oxford between 1714 and 1717.[16] George Wythe's Library[17] on LibraryThing includes the title Musae Anglicanae sive Poemata Quaedam for both copies, but composed of different editions. For the Jefferson copy, LibraryThing lists a 1741 London edition for volumes one and two with the 1717 Oxford edition of volume three of Musarum Anglicanarum Analecta, based on E. Millicent Sowerby's entry in Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson.[18] For Randolph's copy, LibraryThing suggests an edition published by J. & R. Tonson, & J. Watts with the notation "Precise edition unknown. Duodecimo editions in two volumes were published at London in 1741 and 1761. This perhaps was one of those plus a spare volume of an earlier edition." The Wolf Law Library has not purchased a copy of Musae Anglicanae sive Poemata Quaedam.
See also
References
- ↑ Leicester Bradner, Musae Anglicanae: A History of Anglo-Latin Poetry 1500-1925 (Modern Language Association of America, 1940), 364.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid., 1.
- ↑ Ibid., 9.
- ↑ Ibid., 213.
- ↑ Ibid., 208.
- ↑ Ibid., 213.
- ↑ Stephen Miller, "The Strange Career of Joseph Addison," The Sewanee Review 122, no. 4 (2014): 650.
- ↑ Bradner, Musae Anglicanae, 223.
- ↑ Ibid., 219.
- ↑ Ibid., 219.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson (Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress, 1952-1959), 4:480, no.4412.
- ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, 2009, rev. 2023) Microsoft Word document (on file at the Wolf Law Library, William & Mary Law School).
- ↑ Londini: 1714-16, Volumes I & II; [Oxford] Oxon: 1717, Volume III [12mo.] Volume I - 3rd edition; Volume II - 2nd edition (Edited by Joseph Addison).
- ↑ LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe", accessed July 10, 2025.
- ↑ Sowerby determined that Jefferson's copy consisted of the 1741 London edition of volume one, a 1721 edition (also published by J. & R. Tonson, & J. Watts) of volume two and the 1717 Oxford edition of volume three.