English translation of Homer's Iliad into blank verse, by James Morrice

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 206 Brotherton Collection MS Lt 92
  • Dates of Creation
      ca. 1800-1809
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      2 vols., manuscript. In one hand, probably autograph. Finely bound in brown leather with some blind and gilt tooling and gilt embossed on the spines thus: MORRICE'S HOMER'S ILIAD M.S. VOL. I/II respectively. In Vol.2 on f.258r there is a date noted in the same hand as that of the text, namely, 'Dec. 1803'. There are armorial bookplates of Frederick Edward Morrice pasted on to the inside front covers of each volume.

Scope and Content

Comprises probably the original manuscript of Morrice's translation, together with a press cutting from the local Northants newspaper containing an excerpt from the translation and a favourable review of it entitled "New translation of Homer, by the Rev. I. Morrice, Rector of Flower, in this County".

Administrative / Biographical History

James Morrice, the son of William Morrice of Betteshanger, Kent, matriculated at Christ Church Oxford on 1 July 1758 at the age of 18, graduated B.A. in 1762, and M.A. in 1767. After serving as rector at Betteshanger, he was vicar of Flower, Northants, for 38 years. He died on 9 January 1815. He is known chiefly for this translation of Homer's Iliad into English blank verse which was published in 1809.

Access Information

Access is unrestricted.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Pickering and Chatto's bookshop on 9 January 1990.

Note

In English.

Other Finding Aids

The poem is indexed in the BCMSV database http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll/bcmsv/bcmvlink.htm#bclt92