The Collected Poems of Laurence Whyte

Though his name might not be familiar to many twenty-first century readers, Laurence Whyte (d.1753) is an important missing link in eighteenth-century Ireland's literary and musical histories. A rural poet who established himself in Dublin as a teacher of mathematics and as an active member (and poetic chronicler) of the much admired and supported Charitable Musical Society, Whyte was a poet of considerable talent and dexterity, and his body of work yields a wealth of insight into the intersecting cultures of his time and place. Published in 1740 and 1742, Whyte's writing, by turns humorous and poignant, insightful and nostalgic, straddled the worlds of Gaelic and Anglo-Irish, of the rural midlands and the capital, of Catholic and Protestant. Some of the dualities explored in his verse were present, to varying extents, in the work of Jonathan Swift and Oliver Goldsmith. In matters poetical, political and cultural, Whyte is an important, though as yet neglected and unstudied, figure. This edition, comprehensively introduced and annotated, retrieves him from that neglect.

Edited by Michael Griffin

Acknowledgments
Introduction
A Note on the Text
The Preface [to the original 1740/42 editions]
To Mr. Allan Ramsay, on the Author's making him a Present of one of his Books.
AN ESSAY ON DUNNING.
ADISSERTATION ON FASHIONS (Or a Poem Ala-mode).
THE PARTING CUP, Or, The HUMOURS of Deoch an Doruis.
The Captain's Retreat. A Tale in two Canto's.
The Broken Mug. A Tale.
A Short View of Parnassus,being a Sequel to the Broken Mug.
Some Critical Annotations,on various Subjects, which have been handled by several Authors.
A Dissertation on Italian, and Irish Musick.
A POEM in Praise of Toast and Butter
AN ELEGY on the much lamented Death of Patt. Beaghan
The Hue and Cry after the Clieve-Boy, Dublin Feb. 22nd. 1725.
The Inchantment. A Tale.
The Fatigues of a Faithful Curate
To the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin, on the publishing of a new Edition of his Works in four Volumes.
TO Mrs. Mary and Elizabeth Burgh, Daughters of the Honourable Captain Thomas Burgh
An ELEGY on the much Lamented Death of that Excellent Mathematician, Mr. ROBERT STEELE
An ELEGY, On the much Lamented Death of Mr. Arthur Judge
A Divine POEM on the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, written December the 25th,1733.
A POEM on a Hexagon fortified according to Monsieur Vauban's Method
An ENIGMA.
ANOTHER.
To the Right Honourable Nicholas, Lord Viscount Netterville
A Funeral ELEGY on the much lamented Death of Frances, Lady Dutchess of Tyrconnel
On St. Patrick's-Eve. Dublin, Friday March the 16th, 1738.
To Mr. Am--se F--l, on the Birthof his first-born Richard
The Old Westmeath-Ballad; or, Young Bobb's Lamentation for the Deathof Old Sara
An Occasional PROLOGUE to the Miser, acted June the 23rd. 1736
An Epithalamium on the Nuptials of Min-heer Van Hoey, with Miss B-, by Wayof Letter to Mr. G- F-r.
ABURLESQUE upon MUSICK, Or a CURE for a SCOLD; together with a Recipe to drive away Rats andMice. By Dr. C--.
An Historical POEM, On the Rise and Progress of the Charitable and Musical Society
An Occasional Prologue design'd for the Provok'd Husband, or a Journey to London
An Elegy on the much lamented Deathof the Right Honourable Henry, Lord Viscount Dillon
Mr. Barnaby Harrington's Apology for the Erratas, in his Book call'd,Barnabyae Itinerarium, a new English Version.
[Poems added in the second edition (1742)]
A Poem on The general Effect and Excellency of Musick
FAMINE: A Poem.
PLENTY: A Poem.
GAFFER and GAMMER,with the Humours of a bad Landlord. A TALE.
Some Yearly OBSERVATIONS on Astrologers.
A POETICAL Description of Mr. NEAL'S new Musick-Hall in Fishamble-Street
Ready Wit as good as ready Money
Four different ALPHABETS in Verse to induce Children to Read and Write.
The seven Liberal Arts, Grammar, Rhetorick, Logic, Musick, Arithmetick,Geometry,and Astronomy
A Translation of the Motto to Cardinal Fleury's Picture.
On the Emperor Domitian's return to Rome.
To the Revd. Dr.-- on his going to reside in the Country.
The Character of an Honest Jolly Companion from the lrish Language.
To my much honoured, and well beloved Friend--on presenting him with two Large Maps,one of the World,and another of Europe.
Some Letters of Acknowledgment wrote by a Miss of eight Years old, to her Father and Mother
To all the Worthy Gentlemen who frequent P-'s Coffee-House. The humble PETITION, of Tom G-y.
On a Lawyer's old Breeches.
On the Death of Sir Isaac Newton, Knight, and President of the Royal Society.
Appendix 1
From Faulkner's Dublin Journal, 17-20 April, 1742.
On Mr. Handel's performance of his Oratorio, called the Messiah.
Appendix 2
List of Subscribers
Bibliography
Index
About the Editor