The Williams Manuscript, Edmund Duncon, and Herbert's Quotidian Fever

The Williams Manuscript, Edmund Duncon, and Herbert's Quotidian Fever by Frank L. Huntley Certain events ettend the existence of en eerly end incomplete menuscript of Herbert's religious lyrics. Known es the Williems menuscript (W) from its current piece in Dr. Williems's Library in London, it beers no title end contains only 69 of the 164 poems in The Temple (Cambridge, 1633). The handwriting is thet of en amanuensis with corrections and emendations by George Herbert himself.1 Like the Bodleien menuscript (B), it elso came from Little Gidding, where it passed into the hands of the Mapletoft family, Judith Mapletoft being e niece of Nicholes Ferrer, founder of the religious community. The problem is, how did it get there end why should it heve left Herbert's hends in its unfinished stete? Was it discovered in his study at Bemerton efter his deeth, after, that is, he had surrendered the complete manuscript of his life's poetic work for publication? This is possible, but I do not think likely. When one notices the meticulous wey in which Herbert worked most of the IfV poems into the final Temple end rejected others, there seems to be no reeson for his keeping the earlier end partial draft. On the other hand, did e severe illness in body end mind before completing The Temple induce him to relinquish the eerlier copy of poems thet he hed written end corrected up to that critical juncture? Enquiry in this direction seems to offer the more plausible explenetion. The femilier story of the transmission of Herbert's poems told by the Reverend Edmund Duncon to Izeek Welton was published in 1670 in Walton's The Life of George Herbert. Briefly, it goes like this: "About one month before . . . [Herbert's] death," thet is, in eerly Februery, 1633 (I use 24Frank L. Huntley modem year-deting), Nicholas Ferrar, hearing of Herbert's illness, sent Edmund Duncon to assure the patient of the earnest prayers of his "femily" et Little Gidding. Herbert, very ill, received Duncon graciously. Thet evening "Mrs. Herbert provided Mr. Duncon a plein supper end e cleen lodging," end the following morning he continued his journey to Beth on some errand of his own. "Five deys leter" he returned to Herbert's bed-side end found the petient's condition worse. At this point Herbert geve Duncon e "little book" of his poems to teke beck to Nicholes Ferrer, end is seid to heve seid, emong other things: "Sir, I prey deliver this little book to my dear brother Ferrar . . . ; I desire him to read it; end then, if he think it mey turn to the edventege of eny dejected poor Soul, let it be mede public; if not, let him burn it; for I end it, ere less than the least of God's mercies."2 Traditionelly this pessege hes been teken to refer to the completed menuscript of The Temple (from which B was made), the basis of the first printed text. My hypothesis, however, is thet Duncon's visit to the poet took piece not in Februery, 1633, but in the Fell of 1626 when Herbert elmost died from en ecute quotidien fever et his brother Sir Henry's house in Woodford, Essex; end thet the "little book" wes not the complete mensucript of The Temple but only thet pert of it conteined in the IV menuscript, poems written end corrected before Herbert became e priest.3 Duncon's phrase "little book" is ept, for the W menuscript is ectuelly e little book, containing fewer then helf the poems of The Temple on 120 leeves measuring five and three-quarters inches by three and three-quarters. The whole hypothesis cen be ergued only on grounds of probability since no document providing absolute proof is likely to be forthcoming. We begin with the poet's first very serious illness. "About the year . . . [1626], end the 34th of his Age, Mr. Herbert wes seized with e sherp Quotidian Ague," wrote Welton (p. 22), "end thought to remove it by the chenge of Air; to which end, he went to Woodford in Essex, but thither more chiefly, to enjoy the compeny of...