Christopher Smart

Born in April 17, 1722 / Died in May 20, 1771 / United Kingdom / English

Bibliography

Other info : Furtherreading

On the Eternity of the Supreme Being: A Poetical Essay (Cambridge: Printed by J. Bentham; sold by W. Thurlbourn in Cambridge; C. Bathurst, R. Dodsley, London; and J. Hildyard at York, 1750).
The Horatian Canons of Friendship: Being the Third Satire of the First Book of Horace Imitated, as Ebenezer Pentweazle (London: Printed for the author and sold by J. Newbery, 1750).
An Occasional Prologue and Epilogue to Othello, As it was acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, on Thursday the 7th of March 1751, by Persons of Distinction for their Diversion (London: Printed for the author and sold by Thomas Carnan, at Mr. Newbery's, 1751).
A Solemn Dirge, Sacred to the Memory of His Royal Highness Frederic Prince of Wales, As it was Sung by Mr. Lowe, Miss Burchell, and others, at Vaux-hall. Written by Mr. Smart. The Music compos'd by Mr. Worgan, M.B. (London: Printed for T. Carnan, at Mr. Newbery's, 1751).
On the Immensity of the Supreme Being: A Poetical Essay (Cambridge: Printed by J. Bentham; sold by W. Thurlbourn in Cambridge; C. Bathurst, J. Newbery, London; and J. Hildyard at York, 1751).
Poems on Several Occasions (London: Printed for the author by W. Strahan; and sold by J. Newbery, 1752).
On the Omniscience of the Supreme Being: A Poetical Essay (Cambridge: Printed by J. Bentham; sold by W. Thurlbourn in Cambridge; C. Bathurst, J. Newbery, R. Dodsley, London; and J. Hildyard at York, 1752).
The Hilliad: An Epic Poem (London: Sold by J. Newbery and M. Cooper, 1753).
On the Power of the Supreme Being: A Poetical Essay (Cambridge: Printed by J. Bentham; sold by W. Thurlbourn in Cambridge; C. Bathurst, J. Newbery, London; and J. Hildyard at York, 1754).
On the Goodness of the Supreme Being: A Poetical Essay (Cambridge: Printed by J. Bentham; sold by W. Thurlbourn and T. Merrill in Cambridge; J. Newbery and T. Gardner, London, 1756).
Hymn to the Supreme Being, on Recovery from a dangerous Fit of Illness (London: Printed for J. Newbery, 1756).
A Song to David (London: Printed for the author and sold by Mr. Fletcher, and by all the booksellers in town and country, 1763).
Poems by Mr. Smart, Viz. Reason and Imagination a Fable. Ode to Admiral Sir George Pocock. Ode to General Draper. An Epistle to John Sherratt, Esq. (London: Printed for the author and sold by Mr. Fletcher and Co.; and Mr. Laurence, 1763).
Poems On several Occasions. Viz. Munificence and Modesty. Female Dignity. To Lady Hussey Delaval. Verses from Catullus, after Dining with Mr. Murray. Epitaphs. On the Dutchess of Cleveland. On Henry Fielding, Esq. On the Rev. James Sheeles. Epitaph from Demosthenes (London: Printed for the author and sold by Mr. Fletcher and Co.; Mr. Davies; Mr. Flexney; Mr. Laurence; and Mr. Almon, 1763).
Proposals for Printing, by Subscription, a New Translation of the Psalms of David: To Which Will Be Added, a Set of Hymns (London, 1763).
Hannah. An Oratorio. Written by Mr. Smart. The Musick composed by Mr. Worgan. As Perform'd at the King's Theatre in the Hay-Market (London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson, 1764).
Ode to the Right Honourable the Earl of Northumberland, on his being appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Presented on the Birth-Day of Lord Warkworth. With some other Pieces (London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley and sold by J. Wilkie, 1764).
Abimelech, an Oratorio. As It Is Performed at the Theatre Royal in the Hay-Market (London: Sold at the Theatre only, 1768).
The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Done into Familiar Verse, with Occasional Applications, for the Use and Improvement of Younger Minds (London: Printed for W. Owen, 1768).
Hymns, for the Amusement of Children (London: Printed for T. Carnan, 1771).

Editions and Collections

The Poems, of the Late Christopher Smart, M.A., Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Consisting of His Prize Poems, Odes, Sonnets, and Fables, Latin and English Translations; Together with Many Original Compositions, Not included in the Quarto Edition. To Which Is Prefixed, An Account of his Life and Writings, Never before published, 2 volumes (Reading: Printed and sold by Smart and Cowslade; and sold by F. Power and Co., London, 1791).
A Song to David with other Poems, edited by Edmund Blunden (London: Cobden-Sanderson, 1924).
Rejoice in the Lamb, edited by William Force Stead (London: Cape, 1939; New York: Holt, 1939); reedited from the original manuscript by W. H. Bond as Jubilate Agno (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1954; London: Hart-Davis, 1954).
The Collected Poems of Christopher Smart, 2 volumes, edited, with an introduction and critical comments, by Norman Callan (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1949).
Poems by Christopher Smart, edited, with an introduction and notes, by Robert Brittain (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950).
Christopher Smart: Selected Poems, edited by Marcus Walsh (Manchester, U.K.: Carcanet Press, 1979).
The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart, 5 volumes projected, 4 volumes to date, edited, with introductions and commentaries, by Walsh and Karina Williamson (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980-).

Other

Carmen Cl. Alexandri Pope in S. Caeciliam Latine redditum, translated by Smart (Cambridge: Printed for the author by J. Bentham, 1743); enlarged as Carmen Cl. Alexandri Pope in S. Caeciliam Latine redditum: Editio Altera. To Which Is Added Ode for Musick on Saint Cecilia's Day (Cambridge: Printed by J. Bentham and sold by R. Dodsley, London, 1746).
"To Miss A--n," in Lyra Britannica: Book I. Being a Collection of Songs, Duets, and Cantatas, on Various Subjects. Compos'd by Mr. Boyce (London: Printed for and sold by J. Walsh, 1747), pp. 18-21.
The Student; or, The Oxford and Cambridge Monthly Miscellany, edited by Smart and Bonnell Thornton, 1-2 (June 1750-July 1751).
The Midwife; or, The Old Woman's Magazine, edited by Smart as Mary Midnight, 1-3 (October 1750-June 1753); published in book form, 3 volumes (volume 1, London: Printed for Mary Midnight and sold by T. Carnan, 1751; volumes 2-3, London: Printed for Thomas Carnan, at J. Newbery's, 1751-1753).
An Index to Mankind; or, Maxims Selected from the Wits of All Nations, for the Benefit of the Present Age, and of Posterity; by Mrs. Mary Midnight, Author of The Midwife, or Old Woman's Magazine. Intermix'd with Some Curious Reflections by That Lady, and a Preface by Her Good Friend, the Late Mr. Pope, editorship attributed to Smart (London: Printed for T. Carnan, at Mr. Newbery's, 1751).
The Nut-cracker: Containing an Agreeable Variety of Well-Season'd Jests, Epigrams, Epitaphs, & c. Collected from the Most Sprightly Wits of the Present Age .... by Ferdinando Foot, Esq., 2 volumes, editorship attributed to Smart (London: Printed for J. Newbery, B. Collins in Salisbury; and sold by the booksellers in Great Britain and Ireland, 1751).
The Works of Horace, Translated Literally into English Prose; For the Use of those who are desirous of acquiring or recovering a competent Knowledge of the Latin Language, 2 volumes, translated by Smart (London: Printed for J. Newbery, 1756).
The Nonpareil; or, The Quintessence of Wit and Humour: Being a Choice Selection of Those Pieces That Were Most Admired in the Ever-to-Be Remember'd Midwife; or, Old Woman's Magazine.... To Which Is Added An Index to Mankind, editorship attributed to Smart as Mary Midnight (London: Printed for T. Carnan, 1757).
A Poetical Translation of the Fables of Phaedrus, with the Appendix of Gudius, And an accurate Edition of the Original on the opposite Page. To which is added, A Parsing Index for the Use of Learners, translated and edited by Smart (London: Printed for J. Dodsley and sold by J. Wilkie, and T. Merrill at Cambridge, 1765).
A Translation of the Psalms of David, Attempted in the Spirit of Christianity, and Adapted to the Divine Service, translated by Smart (London: Printed by Dryden Leach, for the author; and sold by C. Bathurst and W. Flexney, and T. Merril [sic] at Cambridge, 1765)--includes Smart's "Gloria Patri," "Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Fasts and Festivals of the Church of England," and "A Song to David,".
The Works of Horace, Translated into Verse: With a Prose Interpretation, for the Help of Students. And Occasional Notes, 4 volumes, translated and edited by Smart (London: Printed for W. Flexney, Mess. Johnson and Co., and T. Caslon, 1767); translation of odes republished as Christopher Smart's Verse Translation of Horace's Odes: Text and Introduction, edited by Arthur Sherbo (Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria, 1979).

Letters

The Annotated Letters of Christopher Smart, edited by Betty Rizzo and Robert Mahony (Carbondale & Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1991).

Pembroke College Library, Cambridge, has early manuscript copies of six of Christopher Smart's poems, one holograph, and other documents of biographical and bibliographical interest; the Houghton Library at Harvard University holds the manuscript of Jubilate Agno; the manuscript of "On Gratitude To the Memory of Mr. Seaton" is in the Berg Collection at the New York Public Library.