Egerton MS 3876

MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION OF POLITICAL TRACTS AND LETTERS, ETC.; circa 1567-1639, n.d., with additions circa 1683-1699. Copies. Partly Latin. The collection consists largely of political tracts from the reign of James I, with some verses. The final section (ff. 211-226v), which includes correspondence (ff. 211-213v) of Elizabeth I with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and (ff. 214-215v, 223-226) of James I with Sir Walter Ralegh, also incorporates letters, etc. (see esp. ff. 145-147, 219, 219v), relating to the Book of Common Prayer and resultant Scottish War of 1639-1640. Several of these items, common in manuscript compilations of the time (e.g. Add. 44848), were collected in Cabala, 3rd. edn., 1691. Added at a date long after the rest are letters (ff. 207-208 and 220v-221) of Archbishop Tillotson, 1683, and Bishop Sprat, 1688. Purchased at Messrs. Phillips, 20 March 1998, lot 467.

Paper: ff. iii + 227 (of which ff. 111-116 and 147v-162 are blank). Contemporary binding of smooth calf with gilt-tooled compartments and central ornament of five lozenges arranged lozenge-wise on the covers, with remains of two green silk ties. Spine of four plain bands, and headbands of twisted red and green cotton, extended to secure vellum slips added at either end. Texts mostly copied by a single scribe practising variable mixed secretary and italic hands, perhaps interchanging with a second scribe on ff. 5-18 passim, with another adding the letters on ff. 207-208, 220v-221 and the heading on f. 145. Jottings and pen-trials in mid-seventeenth century hands on verso of final leaf (f. 227v) include names of Anthony, Thomas and John Marshall, Jonas Ramsden and [?Jone] Jenkinson, and on vellum slip (f. iii) at end Thomas Maleverer and — Lawson. On verso of penultimate leaf (f. 226v) baptismal records of members of the Seyliard family of Delawarre, co. Kent, 1671-1699, two last entries being for daughters of Sir Thomas Seyliard (d. 1701), 3rd Bart. Vellum slip (f. ii) at front bearing note 'Bought this Manuscript at Montague's Book warehouse near Queen Street Lincoln's Inn Fields Tuesday Feb: 12th 1739 . . .'. Pasted inside front cover eighteenth- or nineteenth-century armorial bookplate (f. i) apparently of the family of Appleyard of cos. York or Norf., all beneath the shield having been trimmed away.

1. ff. 1-3v. 'Short Remembrances to Prince Henry': moral precepts composed for Henry Frederick (d. 1612), Prince of Wales, circa 1610-1612. The author was evidently Sir Charles Cornwallis, Treasurer to Henry's household, whose later 'Remembrances to prince Charles' (Add. 45143, ff. 4-9), circa 1614-1615, were by his own account there (ibid., f. 4) based on the present work.

2. ff. 4, 4v. Eleven quatrains in English prescribing the qualities necessary to a good ruler, headed 'Princeps in Normam Sti Augustini' and beg. 'Call not that prince blessed but fortunate'.

3. ff. 5-18. Sir Robert Cotton: 'A short vewe of the Reigne of K[ing] Hen[ry] the 3'; [1614]. The present copy incorporates numerous marginal and interlinear corrections, etc., probably drawn from collation with another source. The tract was first printed in 1627.

4. ff. 23-32. Sir Thomas Overbury, the elder: 'Obseruations upon the state of the 17 Prouinces, and of France, & first upon that of the provinces vnited, as they stood Ao. 1609 The Treatie of peace being then on foote', annotated 'By Sir Thomas Overbury in his Travailes' (i.e. Observations in his Travailes, 1626).

5. ff. 32-34. 'A Discourse of the Lawes of France'; n.d. Text begins 'Since all Justice is maynteyned only by the helpe of good lawes . . .'.

6. ff. 34v-37v. 'The Mapp, or politique suruey of a Kingdome'; n.d. The text begins 'The vnderstandinge Painter describinge a Battaile in the liuely coloures, letts not his hand fall so low . . .', the conclusion being in Latin.

7. ff. 38-45. John Keymer: Tract, commonly known as 'Keymer's Book of Observations', on the importance of encouraging manufactures and reducing customs in England, addressed to James I; circa 1617-1620. The heading in the present MS runs 'The Originall (where of this is a Copie) was first devised and written by Sr Walter Cope knight deceased [1614], late Master of the Wards'. For a discussion of authorship and date see the description of Add. 41614, ff. 220-229.

8. ff. 45v-110v (versos only). Sir Robert Naunton: 'Fragmenta Regalia'; n.d. Text first pr. in 1641 (of which see copy in Add. 46375, ff. 153-174).

9. ff. 46-99 (rectos only). 'The Kings Castle. presented to Queene Elizabeth': Tract recommending to the Queen the study of English history, incorporating notes on her predecessors from Edward I to Edward VI, and ending with a debate on the succession, in the form of question and answer; circa 1567. The date is supplied by the mention (f. 89) of Paul Wentworth's questioning the Queen's veto on discussion of the succession 'in the last Parliament' (1566).

10. ff. 117-139. Thomas Scott, B.D.: Vox Populi. This transcript of the edition of 1620 lacks the preface, subscribed with the name of the author, that was added in the edition of 1624.

11. ff. 163-190v. 'Certaine notes & observations vpon a most infamous & diffamatory Libell, written by a most notorious & knowne Traitor . . .', i.e. Richard Rowlands's, al. Verstegan's, A declaration of the true causes of the great troubles presupposed to bee intended against the realm of England, [?Cologne], 1592 (STC 10005), itself a response to the Queen's proclamation of 18 Oct. 1591 against Romish priests. This anonymous tract is disposed in eight chapters.

12. ff. 191-204v. 'Three letters concerninge Travaile & Travailors', viz: (1) 'Sr Philip Sidney to his Brother [Robert Sidney, later 1st Earl of Leicester]'; n.d., circa 1579-1583. ff. 191-193v. Pr. in Sidney's Works, ed. Albert Feuillerat, Cambridge, 1923, pp. 124-127. (2) 'Robart Earle of Essex to the late Earle of Rutland'; Greenwich, 4 Jan. '1594' [for 1596]; ff. 194-201. Pr. in W. B. Devereux, Lives and letters of the Devereux, Earls of Essex, 1853, vol. I, no. xciii. For other copies see the description of Add. 38137, f. 173; and (3) 'Sr Fulke Greville to his Cosen Grevill Varney residinge in France'; Hackney, 20 Nov. 1609. First. pr. in Greville's Certaine learned and elegant works, 1633. ff. 202-204v.

13. f. 227. Three complimentary Latin epigrams on James I, alluding to his reconstitution of the collegiate body of Ripon in 1604, and all followed by translations into English verse; circa 1604. In Durham Cathedral Library Hunter MS 125, p. 107, these verses are attributed to 'I. A.' [John Ash(e)more].