About this Edition of Thoughts in Prison (C. Dilly), 1789 Third Edition, duodecimo, from the Harvard Houghton Library Collection.

This edition of Thoughts in Prison is based on a copy of the third edition of 1789 in the collection of the Houghton Library at Harvard University. Since all editions of Dodd's poem were published posthumously, the question of authorial corrections to proofs or revisions of print iterations is moot. This edition retains all of the typographical details of the 1789 edition, including the original capitalization, spelling, and punctuation, with the exception of italics. Brackets indicate alterations by the Romantic Circles editor for the purposes of correcting grammatical errors or to clarify the meaning of a word where archaic orthography may make that meaning obscure.

In addition to the text of Dodd's poem and the editor's introductory essay explaining the poem's context, an appendix is provided showing all additions, deletions, and emendations to the two manuscript versions of "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison" that Coleridge sent to Robert Southey and Charles Lloyd, Jr., within days of its composition.

This edition was encoded in TEI P5 at Romantic Circles and transformed by XSLT stylesheets that were created by Laura Mandell. The stylesheets are available for download by right-clicking (control-clicking, if on a Mac) here. The appendix has been encoded in TEI P5 making use of parallel segmentation. It is presented in the Versioning Machine, created by Susan Schriebman.

The pagination of the 1789 edition is as follows:

• Pp. iii-iv: “Advertisement”
• Pp. v-xxvi: “An Account of the Author” (Biography, ending with a “Paper” signed by Dodd, “intended to have been read [. . .] at the place of execution,” but omitted due to the “great number of persons as were then assembled.”)
• Pp. xxix-xxxiv: “A List of the Writings of Dr. Dodd”
• Pp. xxxv-xxxvi: “Advertisement originally prefixed to the Prison Thoughts” (Dodd’s “Note” prefixed to the MS)
• Pp. 1-141: “Thoughts in Prison. Commenced Sunday Evening, Eight O’Clock. February 23, 1777.” [Written in five “weeks”]:
  • pp. 1-18: “Week the First. /The Imprisonment.” Ending-date (p. 18): “Sunday, March 2, 1777.”
  • pp. 19-39: “Week the Second./The retrospect.” Ending-date (p. 39): “March 15, 1777.”
  • pp. 40-67: “Week the Third./Public Punishment.” Ending-date (p. 67): “March 30, 1777.”
  • pp. 68-98: “Week the Fourth,/The Trial.” Ending-date (p. 98): “April 14, 1777.”
  • pp. 99-141: “Week the Fifth./Futurity.” No ending-date.
• P. 142: "In a Postscript to a Friend, . . ." [Urging a friend to tell Mr. Hanway to pursue his "Improvement with Zeal" regarding prison reform.]
• Pp. 143-155: “Pieces, Found amongst the Author’s Papers in Prison. With His Last Prayer”
  • p. 145: “I. The Admonition”
  • pp. 146-152: “II. The Scripture Penitents”
  • p. 153-155: “III. Reflections”
• Pp. 157-179: “The Convict’s Address to his Unhappy Brethren: Delivered in the Chapel of Newgate, on Friday, June 6, 1777, by William Dodd, LL.D.” Epigraph, p. 157, “I acknowledge my Faults: and my Sin is ever before me./Psalm li.3.”
  • p. 159: “To the Reverend Mr. Villette, Ordinary of Newgate.”
  • pp. 161-179: “An Address, &c.”
• Pp. 181-186: “Dr. Dodd’s last Prayer. Written June 27. In the Night Previous to his Suffering.”
• Pp. 187-194: “A Letter to the Reverend Dr. Dodd. Sent to him during his Confinement in Newgate.” Signed, Mary Bosanquet. February 1777.
• Pp. 194-195: Dodd’s last letter to Mary Bosanquet, June 25, 1777, followed by a letter from “a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, who constantly attended” Dodd, sent to Bosanquet “soon after the Doctor’s death.”
• Pp. 196-199: “Dr. Dodd’s Account of Himself.” (with help from Dr. Johnson)
• Pp. 199-200: “Declaration [. . .] to a Friend.” Written by Dodd.
• Pp. 200-203: “Letters to Two Noble Lords of His Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council,” by William Dodd
  • pp. 200-202: “Letter I” to Lord North, June 11, 1777.
  • pp. 202-203: “Letter II” to Earl of Mansfield, June 11, 1777
• Pp. 203-204: “Dr. Dodd’s Petition Presented by His Brother to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty,” June 11, 1777.
• Pp. 205-206: “Mrs. Dodd’s Petition Presented by Herself to the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty.” [no date]
• Pp. 206-207: Editor’s reflections: “Such were the last thoughts of a man [. . .]”
• Pp. 207-208: “Observations on the Propriety of Pardoning” Dr. Dodd, by Dr. Johnson.