C. No date. Prays him to continue his favour to Whitchurch, and to the son of Randal Hardinge.... would leave an old Avenarius dictionarie with divers things written in it and many loose papers.

4. London, this 27th August, 1633. Thomas Hill to Mr Abraham Whillock. introduces Professor Jacques Lescott and other friends from Paris.

b. a. Boxworth, Aug. 27, 1629. Gilb: Wigmore to Mr Whillocke.

Will use his influence with Dr Mansell. Mr Boise is fallen in love with Arabicke.

b. The same date. Jo: Boise to Mr Wheelock.

Excuses himself from being a suitor on M' Wheelock's behalf for the reversion of Mr Brookes' place. 'It is an odious thing to bury a man before he be dead.'

6. April 14, 1624. Jo: Foorthe to the same.

After compliments urges him to translate Maimone into Latine.

7. A 'testimony' of the University, signed by 'Jo: Gostlin Procan. and 13 others, addressed to the Mayor and Aldermen of Lynn, that Mr Wheelock is well qualified to be Master of the free School. [1622].

8. A complimentary letter in Latin, signed 'Tho: Rylæus,' to the same. 9. Hodnet, Aug. 2, 1630. Richard Sackey to the same.

Enquires how many had died of the sickness in the Colleges and the

Town.

10. Two letters signed Simonds D'Ewes to the same.

a. Bury, Aug. 26. 1639. About printing Bede...wants another Ælfric's grammar...wishes much to see him.

b. Stowh. May 18. 1640. Sends a proof of his proficiency in Saxon. 'Slack not your studies for evil times.'

11. Lin Regis, April 26. 1625. R. R. to the same.

'Mr Robinson Scholemasters of Kings Lin' is a note on the back. Asks how to read Arabic without vowells.

A small folio, on parchment, single columns, each containing about 36 (double) lines. The handwriting is inferior and not later than the close of the xivth century. Wants two leaves at the beginning, and is also imperfect at the end.

PIERS PLOWMAN'S VISION.

The first lines (starting from v. 267 of Wright's edition) are :
Hoc vt agas melius iustus et esto pius

Nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate

101

A passage then follows, which with sundry variations is trajected in Wright to v. 417 seqq.: though in this and other particulars, the present MS. accords almost literally with the text of Whitaker's edition. It breaks off at v. 14000 of Wright's version, presenting as before a great variety of readings:

Philosofres fursoken welpe. for pey wolde be nedy.
And wonede wel elingly. and wolde nat be riche

Dd. ш. 14.

A small folio, on paper, 56 leaves, written in a legible running hand, of the early part of the xvIIth century.

'A TRUE METHODE OF THE STUDIE AND PRACTICE OF THE COMMON LAWE OF ENGLAND, WRITTEN BY JUDGE DODDRIDGE.' Begins :

Aristotle in the first booke of his Topicks expressing the meanes wherebie, &c.

Ends:

resteth wholly upon industry and memory in publishinge and notinge that which he findeth all readye framed to his hand. Finis.

On the back of the last leaf somebody has written ‘yo 11 Jan. 1639.' This treatise corresponds with the work entitled 'The Lawyer's Light, or A due direction for the study of the Law,' written by the reverend and learned professor thereof J. D. Lond. Benjamin Fisher, 1629. pp. 119, small 4to.

The printed edition is considerably longer than our MS., the concluding words of which are found in p. 93.

A CATALOGUE OF COMMENTARIES (existing in some Library, with Class-marks) on books of Holy Scripture, viz. Pentateuch, Historical Books of Old Testament, Job, Psalms, Minor Prophets, Apocrypha, Pauline Epp., Catholic Epp., and Apocalypse.

A small folio on parchment, of 12 leaves, in double columns of 44 lines each.

1. ff. 1-7. MEDITATIONES BERNARDI.'

104

105

Begins:

Multi multa sciunt et semet ipsos nesciunt.

Corresponds as far as f. 7. a. col. 1, ('qui vivit et regnat per infinita sæcula. Amen,') with Ed. Ben. Paris, 1839, Vol. I. p. 661. After this follows the paragraph:

Tedet me vita mea, quia diligenter discussa......gloriaris per infinita sæcula. Amen. Explicit.

(Anselmi. Opp. p. 207. Paris, 1675).

2. About the middle of the second column of p. 7,

AN ALPHABETICAL TREATISE ON THE NAMES AND VIRTUES

OF STONES.

5 pages. (2 cols. of 43 lines in pag.)

Next follows a continuation of this treatise by the same hand. It is left incomplete, breaking off in the account of the 'Emerald.'

In a later hand is added the following stanza:

Smaragdus virens nimium

Dat lumen oleaginum

Est fides integerima

Ad omne bonum patula

Quæ nuncquam scit deficere
A pietatis opere.

Dd. ш. 17.

A folio, on paper, bound in the same volume with the preceding, of about 300 leaves, 39 lines in a page, in a very unfinished state. Only the second Vol. appears, with the following title:

"Tome the Seconde, of SCHOOLLE EXERCISES, or, The Divine Humanie Mathematicall Woorke of Master John Stay, philo musus, And student, In the universe, 1634. In which is contained στεριομετρια: and the arte of Mucike as well of the whole worlde as of the humaine voyce, and instrumentall also the arte of Grammer all in 500 leaves or 10 Quires.' There are similar titles of a 3rd, a 4th, and a 5th Booke, the last said to be the quinta essence of the other four.

Traces of the first book exist in the form of an 'Index.'

Dd. ш. 18.

A long quarto, on paper, and in a good state of preservation: date about 1600. It consists of 66 numbered leaves, most of which contain on each page seven staves of MUSIC.

106

The notation and the character of the music in this volume is the same as in MS. 43. The music is generally harmonized, in which case the staves contain six lines; when only the melody is given, the staves contain five lines only. On leaf 64 there is a melody written in a later hand and in the more modern notation of breves, minims, &c. On leaf 66 there is an index headed 'Lessons in this Book.' The Airs or Melodies are termed 'Trebles.'

Dd. m. 19.

A folio, on paper, and in good preservation. In the latter half many leaves have been injured by damp but not so as to destroy the legibility of the pages. The whole MS. consists of 69 pages, each on the average containing 29 lines: handwriting of the same character throughout, and assignable to the middle of the xvith century. Imperfect at the beginning.

107

A COLLECTION OF PLEADINGS, temp. Hen. VI. in the usual Law-Latin.

Commences abruptly :-
:-

Walterus tenuerit de ipso Ricardo manerium predictum cum pertinentiis per homagium et fidelitatem.

Then comes the record of a 'Placitum detentionis syngraphi obligatorii.'
The last folio but one is headed 'xxIxth. H VIth'

The whole work is apparently a transcript from the Rotuli Placitorum, preserved among the Records; most of which have been published by the Commission of 1800.

Dd. ш. 20.

A paper-book in folio bound up with 106.

The contents to the end of § 4 are written in a legible and clear hand, the remainder by the same person though generally in a small running hand of the xviith century.

1.

• Placita Concilii in Farnamensi castello, 17 Augusti A.D. 1569. præsentibus Duce Norfolchiæ, Comite Bedfordiæ, Comite Lecestriæ, Regii Cubiculi Præfecto, Domino Secretario.' Begins (f. 1):

Conventum est vt de reliquo omnibus mercatoribus Angliæ et Galliæ libera commercii ratio sit negotiandi.

2.

'Responsio magno aceruo Articulorum quos Burgosius quidam Hispani Oratoris familiaris eius Legati nomine, secretioris consillis Dominis obtulit. 1569.'

Begins (f. 2. b):

Vera quidem omnia illa quos missimus legato retulerunt.

3. (a) Articuli a D. Francisco Geraldi equite secritoris Consilii Dominis Regis Lusitani nomini propositi Anno Dni 1571. Mensis Januarij.'

Begins (f. 5):

Ut liberum utrinque commertium aperiatur...

(b) Responsio quorundam dominorum privati consilii articulo a D. Francisco Geraldi regis Lusitani nomine proposito 1571 mensis Januarij.'

Begins (f. 6):

Nunquam volens Ser Regina ansam ullum præbuit eius commercii interrumpendi....

Ends (f. 7) :

Ultimo Articulo Ser Princeps reciproce assentitur.

4. Letters of Queen Elizabeth (1568—1585).

These letters are only copies of Epistles addressed to various sovereigns by Queen Elizabeth: there are 306 letters on 264 leaves according to the numbers in the margin: ff. 194, 195 a, are blank, apparently for the insertion of Epistles 235 and 236: they are preceded by an Index on 4 leaves.

li

d

They have been copied by Baker (xxxii. 19—128) under the title 'Copies of Letters, taken from a large volume of Letters, &c. in the late Bp of Ely's Library, endorsed 10:00:00: which probably was the price of the book, and yet only copies.' This endorsement has disappeared, probably in the process of binding.

5. The following SPEECHES OF LORD KEEPER BACON may also be found in the Collection, in MS. No. 1828, § 4.

a. The effecte of the speeche used by the Lord Keeper unto the Queen's Majestie at such tyme as her highness called him first to serve.

It begins (f. 1):

I wish for suerties sake (seeinge it hath pleased your Mati® to call me to serve) that those parts which your highnes by reporte...

It ends (f. 1):

...so for dewties sake I shall with good intentacons enter into such calling as your Matie shall command me.

b. A Speeche used by the Lord Keeper unto the Lords assembled in the parliament.

This (on ff. 1—5) differs somewhat from No. 1828, 4. k.