..Dryden's Fables published 1734

This is a fourth edition of Dryden's Fables by the poet, playwright, and the first Poet Laureate, John Dryden (1631-1700).

It is his translation from the Latin of works of Homer, Ovid's Metamorphosis, Boccaccio, and from the Middle English, several of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

It begins with a sixteen page dedication to his patron, The Duke of Ormond, a sadly necessary piece of sycophancy for the talented but impecunious writers of that era.

I'm reminded of Samuel Johnson's definition of a patron in his famous 1755 dictionary: " One who countenances, supports or protects. Commonly a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery"

The Duke of Ormond (1610-1688) perhaps doesn't quite deserve this insult. He was a colourful character, a Royalist who served Charles I during the English Civil War, and later Charles II after the restoration of the monarchy. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, as is John Dryden, the latter in Poets' Corner.

...Bampton Station Oxfordshire circa 1910

This hopeful looking group, with their baggage, are perhaps setting out on a works outing, though seem well wrapped against the weather.

Bampton station in Oxfordshire - not to be confused with the one in Devon - was part of the East Gloucestershire Railway, which opened in 1873, and the line ran as shown on the following map.

Courtesy: Afterbrunel - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37706360 


It was subsequently renamed Brize Norton and Bampton, and closed in 1962, though the line remained in part use until about 1970. Nothing now remains of the line or station, but some addtional information about its history and some interesting photographs can be found at:

http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/Bampton.htm