Verses on the Death of Lord Nelson.

A PRESENTATION COPY TO LORD HOLLAND

First Edition. 4to (250 x 195mm). 9, [3, bookseller's advertisement]pp., with the half title. First and final leaves a little grubby and dusty, two neat fold lines, uncut and stitched as issued. Preserved in a custom made cloth folder, lettered in gilt on the spine. 

 

London: for William Clarke, 

Rare. OCLC records BL and Huntington [presentation copy to Revd. Mr Dutens] only. Included in the second expanded edition of Howard's Poems (London, 1807). No copies recorded on Rare Book Hub except for the present.

 

"Nelson is no more": An elegy on the death of England's most famous naval leader by Frederick Howard, guardian of Lord Byron and object of Byron's wrath in English Bards and Scotch Reviewers. 

 

Lord Nelson was killed on 21st October 1805 and this poem was most likely published (anonymously) some time around the beginning of February 1806 (the Morgan library has a letter from George Canning to Lord Richard Wellesley dated 12th Feb 1806 in which Canning encloses a copy of the poem (MA 854.11).

 

One of a slew of poems on the death of Nelson, neatly summarised by the The Monthly Mirror:

 

"All we can say of this publication, is to repeat the title; as thus - Here are 'Verses on the Death of Lord Nelson,' in nine pages, and you may buy them of Mr. Clarke for one shilling". The next poem reviewed is another elegy on Nelson treated as such: "Another shilling's worth! the title page is worth the money. Six more pages than in the last." (The Monthly Mirror (1806) p.176)

 

The poetry is not exactly ground-breaking, but as the ODNB notes, Howard, "achieved lasting literary fame only through the works of his ward, Lord Byron". Howard was made guardian of the eleven year old Byron in 1799. Byron praised Howard in the preface to Hours of Idleness and dedicated the second edition of that work to him but the pair became estranged when Howard was called upon to prove Byron's ancestry in order to allow him to enter the Lords. Byron was furious and removed a couplet in praise of Howard from the first edition of English Bards and Scotch Reviewers and replaced it with: "No muse will cheer with renovating smile / The paralytic puling of Carlisle". 

 

The feud continued for many years despite the attempts of the recipient of this book, Henry Fox, third Lord Holland (1773-1840) who attempted to repair the relationship. Fox was the centre of the Holland House set, a circle of politicians and writers centred around Holland House in Kensington. 

 

With a note at the end announcing "A New Catalogue for 1806" by William Clarke of 38 New Bond Street: 

 

"Containing a large Collection of rare and curious Books in all Languages; any of which are in elegant Morocco and Russia leather bindings...The above Catalogue, with large Manuscript Additions, may be seen at the Place of Sale" 

 

Provenance: Henry Fox, third Lord Holland (1773-1840), presentation copy inscribed at the head of the half-title, "Lord Holland from the Author". Later in the collection of Ron Fiske of Morningthorpe Manor who had a notable collection of Nelsoniana; his book label on the inside of the upper cover of the cloth folder.

 

Stock Code: 247314