1682 Title-page of "Female Poems"

The butterfly-swords fleuron does not appear on the title-page of the second edition of Ephelia's book for the simple reason that the "Butterfly" (Lady Mary) had "dropped" (i.e. died) by this time. The manual cancel on the title-page of the Huntington Library's copy of the second edition provides a large clue. The cancel, executed in a crude, inelegant hand (possibly that of a contemporary bookseller), changes the printed publication date from 1682 to 1684. In keeping with the facts of the present case, this correction to the date suggests that the title-page (or all) of the second edition was printed two years too soon. According to contemporary reports, Lady Mary died after a lengthy illness in 1685 (1684, old style). The old-style death date corresponds to the correction in the Huntington copy. The title-page (and perhaps the rest of the book) was printed in 1682, but not authorized for release until the author's death in 1684.