Harley MS 38

This manuscript mostly contains 17th-century English letters and transcripts of 16th-century documents. It also features an original licence on parchment to travel outside of England for three years granted to a ‘Francis Davison’ and ‘Edward Smith’, signed by Queen Elizabeth I and with her wax seal appended to it.

Davison was a friend of the renowned English poet John Donne (b. 1572, d. 1631) and a collector of his poetry, and may have passed on his poems to 'Smith'. The latter may be the namesake owner of an early 17th-century verse miscellany containing 35 of Donne's poems that is known as the ‘Edward Smyth Manuscript’, now Cambridge, University Library, Additional MS 29 (see Crowley, Manuscript Matters (2018), pp. 134-36).

The manuscript once also featured seven prints, formerly ff. 1-5, and ff. ‘189’ and ‘190’ in the old foliation (which have been skipped in the new foliation). These were transferred to the British Museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings in 1850.

Contents:

ff. 6r-7v: ‘Creatio Henrici Fitz-Roy in Statum Ducis Richmond & Somersett’ [17 H. VIII].

ff. 8r-155r: ‘A Treatis Concerning a generall Discription of the Nobiliti according to the Laues of England’.

ff. 156r-156v: ‘Kinge James his Writte, to the Sheriffs of London: Warninge all Persons of 40 li. Lande to comme to Receive their Kinghthode Before his Coronacion Anno 1 Jacobi’.

f. 157r: ‘The protection made by Robart Earle of Salesbury unto one of his Servants which stoode in daunger of Arestinge in the time of the Parleament Anno 1614’.

f. 157v: ‘A Letter sent by the Earle of Salesbury to the Sheriffes of London in the behalfe of his Servant who was arrested on Execution in the time of the Parleament notwithstanding his Protection 1614’.

ff. 158r-166v: ‘The Ceremony, State, and Election, with the Creacion of Seriantes at Lawe, according to the auncient forme used’.

ff. 167r-184v: A collection of original letters, including German letters addressed to Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, written by Louis I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, dated 1642 (ff. 167r-168v); Louis Philip, Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern, dated 1643 (ff. 169r-170v); Frederick V, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, dated 1642 (ff. 171r-172v); Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg, dated 1644 (ff. 173r-174v); and Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, dated 1645 (ff. 177r-178v). Also features letters addressed to Sir Simonds D'Ewes, including French letters by Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, dated 1644 (ff. 175r-176v) and 1646 [Brussels] (ff. 179r-180v); and Latin letters by (?) Louis of Egmont, 8th Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere and Steenhuyze, dated 1648 (ff. 181r-182v) and 1647 (f. 183r-184v).

f. 185r: An English licence to travel outside the realm for Francis Davison and Edward Smith, granted by Queen Elizabeth I and featuring her seal, dated 1595.

ff. 188r-211v: ‘A Booke containing Certaine Tables for the refereshing of memorye as well serviceable to Commixion as also for Reduction of any grosse Masse into fine beginninge at the Pound waight of one halfe farthinge waight fine and soe upwardes to twelve ounce fine, with other Tables therunto annexed for the reductinge of Bullion of Gold & Silver beinge fule fine, into severalle Standardes’.

ff. 212r-215r: ‘Sertaine oppinions to Prevent the transportation of goulde and sylver out of the Realmes; writen in anno 1608’.

ff. 216r-236v: A collection of transcripts of short tracts on coinage, beginning: ‘A Prolamation for the newe Coines of Goulde & Silvere Datede the 24th Daye of January anno 1548’; among these are ‘Sir Robart Cottons Speeche to his majestie on Sonday the .3. of September at the Councell table about the altercacion of the moneys. 1626’ (ff. 228r-229r); and ‘Sir Robart Cottons Speeche to his majesties Councell at whithall touching the abating of the Goulde and Silver proiected by the officers of the Mint, wherby is proved, it to be agains the Honour, Profitt & Justice of the State in Anno 1626' (ff. 232r-235r).

ff. 237r-283v: A work on coinage attributed to Thomas Aunsham, merchant deputy to comptroller (fl. c. 1509-c. 1520), beginning: ‘In this present volume is Declarede many proper and notable Instructions very nessesary and Convenient to be hade of all Estates and specially to those which wilbe a master or wardene or any other minester with in the Kinge Mintes and begeneth with the Diversite of the pound Troy & the pounds Toweres and sofourthe – written by Thomas Aunsham practiconer in mint Affaires in Anno 22 H. 7’.

The manuscript contains a few later additions:

f. [vii]recto: A note by Sir Frederic Madden (b. 1801, d. 1873), Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, stating that five prints, consisting of the first five folios in the old foliation, were taken out and transferred to the British Museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings on 26 July 1850. These prints are listed in D’Ewes catalogues as A.791 [v]-[ix] (Watson, The Library of Sir Simonds D'Ewes (1966), p. 192, where they are described as prints of the mausoleum of King James I [undated], the House of Commons [1625], effigies of King James I [1624], King Charles I sitting in the House of Peers [1625], and the Houses of Convocation Sitting [1623].

f. [185b]recto: A note by Sir Frederic Madden (b. 1801, d. 1873), Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, stating that two prints, consisting of folios 189 and 190 in the old foliation (but skipped in the new foliation), were taken out and transferred to the British Museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings on 26 July 1850. The prints are listed in D’Ewes catalogues as A.791 [x]-[xi] (Watson, The Library of Sir Simonds D'Ewes (1966), pp. 192-93, where they are described as a printed list of colonels [1640] and an engraving of Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham [undated].

f. 186r: A 19th-century transcript to substitute a printed leaf that was transferred to the Department of Prints and Drawings (described above), entitled: 'A List of the Colonels as also of the severall Counties out of which the y the are to raise their Men; as also the Names of Ships, Captaines, and Lieutenantsthat are now set forth under the Command of the Right Honourable Algernoun Percy Earle of Northumberland etcaetera General and Admiral of His Majesties Armie and Fleete for his Expedition, 1640'.