Upon the approach of the shore at Harwich, in January 1668; begun under the mast at the desire of my Lady Giffard, by Sir William Temple

This material is held atUniversity of Leeds Special Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 206 Brotherton Collection MS Lt 29
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1668
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 2 ff. Two leaves, bifolium, a fair copy in a later 17th-century hand

Scope and Content

Panegyric on England - contrasting it favourably with foreign countries and also praising Charles II - written at the suggestion of Temple's sister Lady Giffard when he was returning home by sea with the Dutch proposals for the Triple Alliance. Preceded by the final couplet of Temple's poem on the death of Katherine Philips, "And he deserves it who of all the rest/Praises and imitates Orinda best".

Administrative / Biographical History

Sir William Temple (1628-99), diplomat, statesman and author, was also a patron of Jonathan Swift, who served as his secretary. See the Dictionary of National Biography for a detailed account of his life.

Access Information

Access is unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Bought from Quaritch (Sotheby), May 1969

Note

In English

Other Finding Aids

Bibliography

Identified in Oliver S. Pickering, "An Early Manuscript Fragment of Sir William Temple's Poetry", in Swift Studies, 6 (1991), 119-22.