THE TENTH MUSE Lately sprung up in AMERICA. OR Severall Poems, compiled with great variety of VVit and Learning,full of delight. Wherein especially is contained a compleat difcourfe and description of The Four Elements, Conftitutions, Ages of Man, Together with an Exact Epitomie of the Four Monarchies, viz. (Allyrian, The Perfian, Grecian, Roman. Also a Dialogue between Old England and ་་ TITLE-PAGE OF THE FIRST EDITION. SIZE OF THE ORIGINAL. n mirers of the author, and inserted them at the beginning of the volume directly after his own quaint preface in which he sought to appease the expected resentment of Mrs. Bradstreet. "The Tenth Muse" could not have been a woman if when she received a copy of the book she did not seize upon it, in spite of her protestations, with a fluttering, pleased excitement. But a perusal of her writings in type revealed to her mortified gaze the extent of her own shortcomings and the inevitable blunders of the printer. Mrs. Bradstreet was the first but not the last-American author whose blushing was not small" at sight of her first book; and she later (p. 266 of this edition) recorded with some asperity her feelings against those "friends less wise than true" who were responsible for the publication of her "ragged lines," and against the printer who instead of "lessening her errors" added fresh faults of his own. She undertook a revision of this edition, but with the birth of her eighth child, the death of her father, the frequent absence of her husband upon public employment, and her family cares, her literary occupations were interrupted; and when in July, 1666, the house in which she lived at Andover was burned to the ground, and her papers fell a prey to the raging. fire," she seems to have abandoned all idea of further effort in that direction. Mrs. Bradstreet died in 1672. Six years later the SECOND EDITION of her Poems was printed. At the end of the book was placed additional matter, with this heading: "Several other poems made by the author upon divers occasions were found among ber papers after her death, which she never meant should come to public view; amongst which these following, at the desire of some friends that knew her well, are here inserted." It is surmised that this edition was prepared for the press by the Rev. John Norton, of Hingham, who appended a "Funeral Elegy" upon the author. John Foster was the printer of this book. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1667, was authorized to set up a press at Boston about 1676, and died in 1681 aged thirty-three years. Although Mr. Foster appears to have been much respected, he was responsible for what may be called "a deal of indifferent printing." Just what part he took in the actual labor of book-making is not known; it is charitable to suppose that he was not bred to the art, and employed unskilful and careless workmen. In setting the types for this Second Edition a certain measure, or width of page, was chosen. This was roomy enough for the majority of lines in the book; but an occasional long-syllable verse was met, and the compositor seems to have tried hard to make each one fit the measure, and not to allow a portion of it to turn over to make another line. Thus we POEMS Compiled with great variety of Wit and Learning, full of Delight. Wherein especially is contained a compleat Difcourfe, and Defcription of The Four { ELEMENTS SEASONS of the Year. Together with an exact Epitome of Viz. The { ASSYRIAN, And beginning of the Romane Common-wealth to the end of their last King: With diverfe other pleafant & ferious Poems, By a Gentlewoman in New-England. The fecond Edition, Corrected by the Author, and enlarged by an Addition of feveral other Poems found amongst her Papers after her Death. Boston, Printed by John Foster, 1678. TITLE-PAGE OF THE SECOND EDITION. *c SIZE OF THE ORIGINAL. frequently find words in such a case huddled together with very little space between them, sometimes none at all; and when that did not avail words were abbreviated, with or without an apostrophe, capitals were reduced to small letters, long "and" was replaced by short "&," punctuation marks were omitted, and other devices applied to accomplish the purpose. This heroic treatment was the common resort of compositors in the early stages of typography, and had not fallen entirely into disuse in the seventeenth century, as a few examples from the Second Edition of Mrs. Bradstreet's poems will show; the first line of each couplet gives normal typography, the second as Mr. Foster printed it. He peer'd, and por'd, and glar'd, and faid, for wore, He peer'd, and por'd, & glar'd, & faid for wore, (page v) Earth, thou haft not moe countrys, vales, and mounds Earth thou haft not moe countrys vales & mounds (page 16) Laughter (though thou fay malice) flows from hence, Laughter (thô thou fay malice) flows from hence, (page 36) Now up, now down, now chief, and then brought under. Now up now down now chief, & then broght under, (page 184) |