St John's College O.65 (James 535)
Matthew Robinson, 'Strena Poetica'. Latin and English, 1646
Matthew Robinson, Fellow successively of Christ's College and St John's College, Cambridge (1628/9-94): 'Strena Poetica / Cantica Canticorum: Paraphrasis poetica in Salamonis epithalamium', a College New Year's gift to his tutor Zachary Cowdrey (1618/9-84), Fellow of St John's. On the custom of New Year's gifts see J. E. B. Mayor's edition of Robinson's life, taken from SJC, MS S.26: Matthew Robinson (Cambridge in the seventeenth century 2) (Cambridge, 1856), p. 22. The date 1646/7 appears in Robinson's hand on the title page. At the end, at p. 82, is 'Matthew Robinson's New Yeares Gift', perhaps in Cowdrey's hand.
120x90 mm. [xii]+86 pp. (author's pagination). Note in Thomas Baker's hand on verso of flyleaf, recording the date at which Robinson was admitted to his Fellowship (3 Apr. 1650), but this book did not come to the Library directly from Baker's collections. Signature G. Baker on title page. Also on title page the inscription in another hand: 'Mathei Robinson 2 pound 1 shillin (sic) and 3 p forsaid' (?) Bookplate (motto 'Sub Robore Virtus' circling lion, over Maltese Cross) tipped in at front. Cutting from a sale catalogue (nineteenth century?) pasted inside front cover. Slip bearing the number 2948 and the price 10s 6d enclosed in the vol. No record of accession. Perhaps from the estate of J. E. B. Mayor? Small College bookplate (twentieth century) inside back cover.
Autograph. Paper: ruled in red. Contemporary limp vellum binding, tooled in gold with an intricate design and the initials Z[achery] C[owdrey], front and rear.