"William Shakespeare to Mrs Anne, Regular Servant to the Revd Mr Precentor of York"

• Archive Work ID: poems.wsma
• Uniform Title: "William Shakespeare to Mrs Anne, Regular Servant to the Revd Mr Precentor of York" [e-text]
• First Line: A moment's patience, gentle Mistress Anne!
• Language: English
• First Published: 1853
• References: Starr/Hendrickson (eds.), Complete Poems (1966), 80-81; Lonsdale (ed.), Poems (1969), 252-255
• Summary: Written early in July 1765 while on a visit to Thomas Wharton at Old Park, Durham, and sent in a letter to William Mason, [c. 8 July 1765]. First published in Mitford (ed.), Correspondence of Gray and Mason (1853), letter XC, 339-340.

4 Manuscripts:

• • Archive MS ID: mss.0195 (Source: EAD/XML)
  • Title: "William Shakespeare To M^rs Anne, Regular Servant to the Rev^d M^r Precentor of York"
  • Date: [8 July 1765?]
  • Physical Description: 1 page; autograph
  • Language: English
  • Location: Henry W. And Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, New York Public Library, New York, NY, USA <https://www.nypl.org/about/divisions/berg-collection-english-and-american-literature>
  • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 166, 96; Toynbee/Whibley (eds.), Correspondence (1971), letter no. 407, vol. ii, 879-881 (subscription required)
  • Contents: Autograph in a letter to William Mason, [c. 8 July 1765].
  
  
• • Archive MS ID: mss.0196 (Source: EAD/XML)
  • Title: [untitled]
  • Date: [1765]
  • Physical Description: 1 page; autograph draft, the whole erased
  • Language: English
  • Location: [privately owned]
  • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 167, 96, in a notebook, item GrT 295, 109; Toynbee, "Newly Discovered Draft" (1930), MS transcribed and discussed
  • Contents: Autograph draft, here untitled and the whole erased, owned (1988) by Lt.-Col. John Murray.
  
  
• • Archive MS ID: mss.0197 (Source: EAD/XML)
  • Title: "Verses from Wm Shakspeare to Mrs Anne Regular Servant to the Revd Mr Precentor of York"
  • Date: [between 1845 and 1856]
  • Physical Description: 1 page, 180 mm x 115 mm; transcript in the hand of John Mitford
  • Language: English
  • Location: Add. MS 32561, f. 185, Manuscripts Collection, British Library, London, UK <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/>
  • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 168, 96
  • Contents: Transcript, with stanza 5 following stanza 2, in the hand of John Mitford, here entitled "Verses from Wm Shakspeare to Mrs Anne Regular Servant to the Revd Mr Precentor of York" and annotated "Tell me, if you don't like this, and I'll send you a worse", in John Mitford, Note-Books, vol. III "Mitford. Extracts from Mr Grays Common-place books", f. 185.
  
  
• • Archive MS ID: mss.0194 (Source: EAD/XML)
  • Title: [untitled]
  • Date: [between 1845 and 1856]
  • Physical Description: 1 page, 180 mm x 110 mm; transcript in the hand of John Mitford, crossed out
  • Language: English
  • Location: Add. MS 32562, f. 31v, Manuscripts Collection, British Library, London, UK <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/>
  • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), 95
  • Contents: Transcript, with stanza 5 following stanza 2, here untitled and annotated "Tell me if you don't like this, & I will send you a worse", in the hand of John Mitford (crossed out), in John Mitford, Note-Books, vol. IV, f. 31v.