The volume is written in two parts, beginning at each end. One part consists of prose anecdotes, mainly biographical, gathered from many sources (not usually stated). The other part consists of poetry, mainly of a light nature, including many epigrams and epitaphs, chiefly of the eighteenth century, but with a considerable number of extracts from Shakespeare. There is no clue to the name of the compiler. Some entries are dated, the earliest found being 1799, the latest 1803.
