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- VENUS AND ADONIS 57
of the poem in 1780, Malone discovered a copy of the edition of FIRST EDITION, 1593. 1596, and he noted down thirty-nine variations on his private copy of his reprint of the edition assigned to 1600.¹ It was not until August, 1805, that Malone’s search for the original edition of 1593 was rewarded with success. In that month he acquired for what he called ‘the enormous price of twenty-five pounds’ from William Ford, a bookseller of Manchester, a copy of the edition of 1593. With the Venus and Adonis was bound up a copy of Licia, or poems of Love, by Venus and Adonis? The booksellers have repeatedly advertized for the earliest copy of it, but have not yet been able to get it.² The Earl replied on May 10, ‘I am not possessed of any ancient copy of the Venus and Adonis’ (MSS. of James, 1st Earl of Charlemont, Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Report, App. Part x, 1891, vol. i, 1745–83, p. 347). The following two letters from W. Ford of Manchester, the seller of the volume of 1593 to Malone, are in the Bodleian Library and are here printed for the first time. They are bound up in a volume of Malone’s letters, numbered SC 28578 (ff. 156 c, 156 f):—
‘Manchester, July 20, 1805.
Sir, On receiving this you will be shown the Vol. of Venus and Adonis—the lowest price of which will be Twenty-five Pounds—the Licia prefixed to the Vol. is as great a rarity as the other nor have I been able to discover any notice of it in Warton, Ames, nor Ritson. Probably you may be more successful. I have not disclosed to Mr Bickerstaff the Price I ask you for it, tho’ he is furnished with another Price to ask for it, in case of your refusal. Had I not been disposing of my Books, an offer of 30 gr should not have induced me to have parted with it. I am in possession of some other Pieces of our old English Poets as Spencer, Brown, &c. which are now at Binding, as great rarities as the above, which if I have the pleasure of writing to you again I will describe more particularly.
I remain very respectfully your
Hble Ser. W. Ford.
The second letter runs:—
‘Sir, Yours I duly recd enclosing a Bank Bill Val. 25. 17. 0 for which I have given you credit and am much obliged to you.
The Bible shall be sent for your inspection the first opportunity.
I lately purchased a curious coll* of Books; among them was an old quarto Vol. of Plays, containing Green’s tu quoque, Shakspere’s Henry 4 and 5th, Ben Jonson’s Volpone, and several others all first editions. I sold it immediately otherwise shd have wrote you about it. I remain
Sir your obliged servant
W. Ford.
Manchester
August 30–1805–
¹ This copy with Malone’s manuscript annotations was kindly lent to the present editor by Messrs. Pearson & Co., 5 Pall Mall Place, London.
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