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The Monkish Mysteries; Or, The Miraculous Escape: Containing The History And Villainies Of The Monk Bertrand, The Detection Of His Impious Frauds, And Subsequent Repentance And Retribution., Elizabeth Meeke

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Monkish Mysteries recounts the life of Edward Stanley, The son of a disgraced knight, who is taken in by Pascal and entangled in the hatred between Pascal and the son of a priest and his seduced parishioner, Bertrand, who assumes the name Mystere. One day, Pascal is taken away by four men on horseback under orders by Mystere. Edward pleads for Pascal’s release but to no avail and departs back to Switzerland, followed by Mystere. He returns to find Albina, his love, has left for Germany after being told of Edward’s death.

In the meantime Mystere ingratiates himself with the …

The Rival Knights; Or, The Fortunate Woodlander: A French Romance, Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Having won France peace, Pharamond returns home to his wife, Rosamond, and his oldest son, Clodio, lover of women, and his daughter, Felicia, server of the distressed. However, the cruel King Boort of Gandes did not want peace. He killed his daughter who had been seduced by Palamedes and gave birth to Bliomberis. King Boort wanted more power and urged his son Lionel to destroy the French, but Pharamond sent Clodio on his campaign and he could not defend France by himself and deserted his army. Lionel and Bliomberis claimed victory. The French returned; Pharamond quickly claimed victory, sent troops …

The Knight Of The Broom Flower; Or, The Horrors Of The Priory [Transcript], Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Henrique, a rich young French noble, overcomes the tragic death of his parents, proves his worth in battle, and is inducted into the order of the Knights of the Broom Flower, whose humility is only matched by their bravery. Henrique undertakes a journey to his uncle's estate, where he grew up, with his squire Lorenzo. They travel through the night; a storm arises, and they seek shelter in a nearby building. It proves difficult to gain admission; the “tall, robust” porter, Almagro, only lets them in when a female voice, roused by their knocks, allows it. They are well-treated and …

The Mystery Of The Black Convent. An Interesting Spanish Tale Of The Eleventh Century., Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

In the year 1140, St. Alme entered the monastery of the Carthusians in the Spanish city of Castile, known St. Lawrence or the Black Convent. After three of outstanding example in virtue and holiness, Fr. Fernando, the abbot, noticed a significant change in the behavior of St. Alme. Since, he could not extract satisfactory explanation from St. Alme himself concerning his gloomy disposition, Fernando employed Fr. Martinez to look into the matter.

After a few days of intense spying, Fr. Martinez discovered that St. Alme was, actually, a woman disguised as a monk. The next night, Martinez saw Alme the …

The Secret Tribunal Or, The Court Of Winceslaus A Mysterious Tale [Transcript], Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Set in Bavaria, The Secret Tribunal, follows the young maiden Mira, who is being raised by her two parents, Old Lindhom and Ms. Lindholm and is pursued by the young Lipstolf. Lipstolf, a member of the Court of Wenceslaus, is told to leave as he and Mira can never be together due to a family secret. He leaves and becomes a knight. Mira gains entry to the Court of Wenceslaus as an attendant to Wenceslaus’ wife Sophia. Mira ingratiates herself to Sophia, much to the chagrin of the Countess Ormsberg who wishes for her daughter to be a favorite …

Ethelred & Lidania; Or, The Sacrifice To Woden [Transcript], Sarah Scudgell Wilkinson

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

The story is set in the medieval period and begins with Sir Ethelred, a superstitious but tolerant pagan knight, caught in a storm at sea with his Christian tutor and friend, Aribert. He was returning from a visit to a Count’s daughter, who his wealthy but overbearing pagan father wanted him to marry. Desperate to survive the storm, he invokes the Saxon god Woden to save him, promising to sacrifice the first person to greet him at his home. The weather calms, and Ethelred returns home. Happy to have survived, he immediately greets his wife. He quickly remembers his vow …

Oakcliffe Hall Or The Fatal Effects Of Feudal Quarrels. A Tale Of The Fifteenth Century [Transcript], Sarah Scudgell Wilkinson

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Oakcliffe Hall is the home of the Lord and Lady Bellonmore and their children, Walter and Ellinor. The family is happy and generous to all until the Lord and Lady spend six weeks at court to present their son Walter, now twenty years old, and acknowledge the new queen. Upon returning home, they find that Ellinor has not fared well in their absence. Her caregivers, chaplain Lemuel Percy and governess Allicia are unable to explain the cause of her paleness and sadness, but report it began two weeks after her parents had left for court. Eventually, Lady Bellonmore notices that …

Horatio And Camilla; Or, The Nuns Of St. Mary. A Tale Of The Fourteenth Century [Transcript], Sarah Scudgell Wilkinson

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Horatio, a young nobleman, is engaged to Lavinia, a young noblewoman. For the three years before the marriage, Lavinia lives in the convent of St. Mary; Horatio falls in love with Camilla, one of Lavinia's companions. Soon afterwards Camilla disappears, apparently having run away with a nun from the convent. Camilla is recaptured, and it is said that she dies; Lavinia eventually leaves the convent and marries Camilla's brother Henry. Shortly after the marriage Lavinia is called to the convent of St. Bennet, where she is reunited with Camilla, who had eloped with a disguised Horatio, been recaptured and ill-treated …

The Ruins Of The Abbey Of Fitz-Martin [Transcript], Thomas Isaac Horsley Curties

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

A corrupt Baron exploits the monks of St. Catherine's monastery by publicizing the acts of one Sr. St. Anna, a nun from the monastery that broke her vow of chastity. Under pressure from the scandal, the monks hand over the monastery to the Baron, who converts it into a secular property that swiftly falls into ruins. Many years later, Thomas Fitz-Martin and his daughter Rosaline, the last descendants of this Baron, move into these ruins and discover that the Baron himself seduced Sr. St. Anna under the name of Vortimer, leading her to her ruin and eventual death. The ghost …

The True And Affecting History Of Henrietta De Bellgrave; A Woman Born Only For Calamities. Being An Unhappy Daughter, Wretched Wife, And Unfortunate Mother; Containing A Series Of The Most Uncommon Adventures That Ever Befel One Person By Sea And Land, Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

This narrative is comprised of a letter from Henrietta de Bellgrave to her daughter, Zoa. As Henrietta relates, she was born in France to the daughter of a Baron and the son of a Count. The two married in secret because Henrietta’s mother was bound for a convent, which angered the Baron, who made their early marriage so uncomfortable that Henrietta’s father was compelled to accept a position as the governor of Iranadad, a colony in the East Indies. On the voyage there, their boat is attacked by pirates, only nearly saved by an English ship bound for Bombay. After …

Father Innocent, Abbot Of The Capuchins; Or, The Crimes Of Cloisters, Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

Father Innocent draws large crowds to his sermons due to his famous purity. Among them are Drusilla and her fifteen-year-old niece Ambrosia and two cavaliers, Olmas and Antonio. The four meet in the congregation and form friendships as Antonio seeks to woo Ambrosia. Among Innocent’s followers inside the monastery is his favorite novice, Philario, who turns out to be a woman named Sabrina in disguise; she is a seductress in league with Lucifer, and has come to bring about Innocent’s downfall. She successfully seduces Innocent and traps him with the need for secrecy. Meanwhile, Antonio’s sister, Bertha, is a nun …

Minutes Taken At The Annual Conferences, 1805, Methodist Episcopal Church.

South Carolina Conference 1785 Journal

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine And Application Of Fluxions: Containing (Besides What Is Common On The Subject) A Number Of New Improvements In The Theory, And The Solutions Of A Variety Of New And Very Interesting Problems In Different Branches Of The Mathematics., Thomas Simpson, London, Printed For H.D. Symonds

Before the Textbook

An updated volume on fluxions which follows the author's 1937 piece A Treatise on Fluxions.

"I Only Look'd For Pain And Grief", William Wordsworth, Richard Matlak

Texts relating to the Earl of Abergavenny (ship)

Poem written by William Wordsworth as a private lament on the death of his brother, left unpublished in manuscript. Captain John Wordsworth died when his ship, the Earl of Abergavenny, sank off the coast of England during a storm in February, 1805.

Annotated by Richard Matlak.

The History Of The Asylum For The Deaf And Dumb : To Which Is Added A Sermon, Robert Hawker

Deaf Rare Books

No abstract provided.

Susan Niemcewicz To Mr. English, December 14, 1804, Susan U. Niemcewicz

Liberty Hall Collection 1800s

The following document is a note from Susan Niemcewicz acknowledging that twenty-four dollars was to be remitted to Mr. English of Basking Ridge, New Jersey for Peter Kean’s education at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University).

Minutes Taken At The Annual Conferences, 1804, Methodist Episcopal Church.

South Carolina Conference 1785 Journal

No abstract provided.

Banastre Tarleton Writes To An English Army Quartermaster To Inform Him Of A Supply Shortage. England, 1803., Banastre Tarleton

Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection

Tarleton was an English Army Officer and at the time of this letter he was Commander-in-Chief of the Severn District, a military district organized in anticipation of an invasion from France. In this letter he writes to the Quartermaster to inform him of a unit's shortage of blankets and entrenching tools.

Henry Gahn To Susan Niemcewicz, December 13, 1803, Henry Gahn

Liberty Hall Collection 1800s

Henry Gahn wrote from New York, New York to Susan Niemcewicz in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Assumed Susan received letters from their “absent friend,” Julian Niemcewicz. Gahn received a letter from Julian from the Springs of Barfeld in Hungary and complained he heard no news from Susan since the 1^st of January and that the English had blown up the Elbe. Julian did not know which way to take to return to America until he received an answer from Paris. Gahn was convinced Julian would not return until the following Spring. Hoped that Mrs. Ricketts received the cards and a …

James Barry To Senor Don Joseph De Jaudenes, 1803 September 8

The Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton Family Papers

No abstract provided.

An Act To Rectify A Mistake In An Act Made In The Present Session Of Parliament...

British Parliamentary Acts

No abstract provided.

Susan Niemcewicz To Julian Niemcewicz, June 1, 1803, Susan U. Niemcewicz

Liberty Hall Collection 1800s

Susan Niemcewicz wrote to Julian Niemcewicz, unaddressed. Susan was in a state of despair over not receiving a line from her husband, Julian since October. Her spirits significantly lifted, however, upon receiving two of his letters. Julian’s gift of describing his surroundings so vividly allowed Susan to picture everything he experienced in great detail with her imagination. Susan shared news on their mutual friends including Belle and Polly Ramsay’s upcoming nuptials. Susan was gifted a number of valuable items including a Justicia plant and a Hydrangea Hortensias. Hoped Julian made time to meet with Mr. Otto and Mr. and Mrs. …

An Act For Enlarging The Period For The Payment Of Part Of Certain Sums Of Money Advanced By Way Of Loan To Several Persons Connected With And Trading To The Islands Of Grenada And Saint Vincent.

British Parliamentary Acts

No abstract provided.

Julian Niemcewicz To Susan U. Niemcewicz, April 2, 1803, Julian U. Niemcewicz

Liberty Hall Collection 1800s

Julian Niemcewicz wrote from Warsaw, Poland to Susan Niemcewicz, unaddressed. After being deprived of his wife’s letters for three months, he had the pleasure of receiving five of them. Happy to hear Susan, Peter, and their mutual friends and acquaintances were all well. Questioned Susan’s patience with Betty. Claimed that her entire year of work was not sufficient to repay Susan for the trouble and vexation she caused and wished Susan would part with her. Thanked Peter Kean for convincing Susan to not sell Philip and begged her not to part with him. Glad that Susan purchased timber for an …

Elizabeth Ann Seton To Rev. John Cheverus, 1803 March 1

The Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton Family Papers

No abstract provided.

Letter From John Sibley To Samuel Sibley, February 28, 1803, John Sibley

John Sibley Papers

Transcript of Letter from John Sibley to son, Samuel Sibley, February 28, 1803. John Sibley describes Louisiana; Native American in the area; general gossip.

Eliza, Or The Unhappy Nun: Exemplifying The Unlimited Tyranny Exercised By The Abbots And Abbesses Over The Ill-Fated Victims Of Their Malice In The Gloomy Recesses Of A Convent. Including The Adventures Of Clementina, Or The Constant Lovers, A True And Affecting Tale., Unknown

Gothic Archive Chapbooks

The tale of Eliza is framed by an unnamed narrator, a British man who traveled France during the French Revolution. A convent, said to be run by a strict abbess stood on a hill near the village, and he heard rumors that an Englishwoman had been kept there. As the narrator prepared to return to England, insurgents came to the village, burning the convent brutalizing the nuns, and murdering the abbess. Though the narrator is sympathetic to King Louis XVI and the French aristocrats whose homes were looted, he believes that the cruel abbess deserved her fate. While exploring the …

Minutes Taken At The Annual Conferences, 1803, Methodist Episcopal Church.

South Carolina Conference 1785 Journal

No abstract provided.

County Tax Notice, 1803, Unknown

Charles R. Roberts and Walter E. Boyer Collections

This Philadelphia county tax notice, written to Frederick Shingle in 1803, assesses the amount of estate and personal taxes owed. It also notes the date of appeal at the Courthouse.

This notice was found in an account ledger attributed to Friederich Schenckel (d.1810).

In Tränen Geh Ich Nun Allein / I Walk Alone With Tearful Eyes, Sophie Mereau

Poetry

Translated in 2025