THE WELCHMAN'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT … The second edition.

[WELCHMAN.]

Published by London: printed and sold by Tho. Bickerton at the Crown in Pater-Noster-Row, 1719

About this Item

8vo in fours, pp. 24; woodcut on title page; dark green half morocco, spine lettered in gilt. 'Second edition', but from the same setting of type of the first edition of the same year, with the mere addition of 'The second edition' to the title page otherwise this is identical with the first. A satire on the Welsh, and Welsh society, in 107 six-line stanzas, and signed at the end, 'Shone ap Morgan ap Shenkin ap Howell, &c.' Most of the poem consists of stanzas on various professions and character types, including doctors and surgeons, lawyers and clerks, constables, ladies and beaus, sharpers and bullies, tailors, drapers, and even booksellers: To the Bookseller, pray, Observe what her say, Provided the Book wou'd not sell: Her grant and her give, And forever bequeath Don Quevedo's Visions of Hell. (p. 16) The use of 'her' for 'he' throughout the poem is apparently intended to represent a humorous imitation of Welsh pronunciation. The title woodcut shows the Welshman dictating his will. This 'second edition' is not recorded by Foxon, although ESTC now lists a copy at the Huntington. The first edition is also very rare, with only two copies noted by Foixon, those at the British Library and Cincinnati. ESTC now adds three more copies: at Lampeter, Newport Central and Armagh Robinson Library. See Foxon W284.

Seller Inventory # 24328

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE WELCHMAN'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT … The second edition.
• Publisher: London: printed and sold by Tho. Bickerton at the Crown in Pater-Noster-Row
• Publication Date: 1719
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Poetry