Miscellany : Miscellany 1675-1684.

Format:

Book

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Quotation.

Title pages.

Prayer.

London (England).

Hertford (England).

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Summary:

Cowper appears to have begun writing D/EP F38 in 1675. The latest date in it is 1684, although she appears to have added her name to it even later, since the signature is in the shaky hand typical of her writing after 1705.

Notes:

AMDigital Reference:D/EP F38

In one side of D/EP F38, Sarah Cowper has transcribed selections from Seneca, as well as some unattributed commonplaces; in the other, she has copied biblical quotations in the Authorized Version, taken predominantly from Exodus, Proverbs, Psalms, the Gospels and Paul's Epistles. Anne Kugler notes that the volume, begun in 1675, is Cowper's first collection to concentrate "exclusively on scripture and moralists". As such, it signals a shift toward the subjects that would feature most prominently in the rest of her miscellanies. Kugler argues that in these later volumes, Cowper is trying to distract herself from the "unhappiness of her life" by "selecting edifying material, and encouraging a regular habit of industriousness" (Kugler, p.32). In a note dated 1684 (possibly added after the volume was completed) Cowper declares that the book contains scripture passages "which may be useful to review at any times" (fol.[1r][rev]). The volume is small enough to fit in a pocket, and it is possible that Cowper carried it with her in order to consult throughout the day.