Poems copied by James Diman, ca. 1730-1733

Small pamphlet-sized notebook containing handwritten transcriptions of three poems copied by James Diman, likely in the early 1730s. The notebook contains "The Catholic Remedy. to ye Tune of To all you Ladies, not at land &c.," "Father Ab--y's Will. Col. Sweeper Camb: Dec. 1731," and "The Poet's Lamentation for ye Loss of his cat, w'ch he used to call his Muse" copied from the London Magazine, November 1733. The "Catholic Remedy" begins "You Peope who desire to mend / your Desperate Estate..." and includes the note, "Made upon A--D--'s goving over to take orders. The note refers to the voyage of Addington Davenport (Harvard AB 1719) to England join the priesthood of the Church of England in 1730. "Father Ab--y's Will" begins "To my dear Wife, / My joy and Life..." and was a humorous poem published in 1731 after the death of Harvard College Sweeper Matthew Abdy, and attributed to Jonathan Seccombe (Harvard AB 1728). The "Poet's Lamentation" begins "Oppress'd with Grief, in heavy strains I mourn..." and was written by Joseph Green (Harvard AB 1726) as a parody of a psalm composed by Mather Byles (Harvard AB 1725). Pages 10-12, holding part of "Father Ab--y's Will" are missing, and pages 13-15 are no longer attached to the item.

Title supplied by cataloger The cover of the pamphlet has the handwritten date "Aug. 27 1808." Donated by the grandson of the copyist, Justin Diman Green (Harvard AB 1879) in April 1879.

The item was originally cataloged with copies of "Father Abbey's Will" with the call number HUG 1103.5 PF.

Additional manuscript and printed versions of "Father Abbey's Will" are available in the Father Abbey's Will collection in the Harvard University Archives (HUG 1103.5).

James Diman (1707-1768), a minister in Salem, Mass., was born in East Hampton, Long Island, on November 29, 1707. He received an AB from Harvard in 1730 and an AM in 1733, and he served as College Librarian from 1735 to 1737. Diman was ordained on May 11, 1737 as the minister of the Second Church of Salem and served until his death on October 8, 1788. His son, James Diman, graduated from Harvard in 1768.