Harley MS 813

Volume of tracts in different hands bound together.

Contents:

ff. 1-3r: ‘An Answer unto the Quaeres propounded by certain Ministers concerning the Oath’. Folios 1-13 are in the same hand.

f. 3v: English translation of part of a letter from Father Paul Sarpi to the Abbot of St Medard in France; dated Venice, 22 July 1608, written in the same hand as ff. 1-3r. Giving him directions in his intended reading of schoolmen and historians, with some reflections on the Jesuits. Printed in The Letters of the Renowned Father Paul, Counsellor of State to the Most Serene Republick of Venice, ed. Thomas Brown, letter 122.

ff. 4-6: On holding Parliament. First section headed: ‘De gradibus parliamenti qui sunt 6 in numero’. Modus tenendi Parliamentum.

ff. 7-8r: Copy of letter from Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, to Roger Mannors, Earl of Rutland, on how to behave on his travels. Dated 4 January 1596.

ff. 8r-12v: Parliamentary speeches 9 November 1640- 15 January 1640/1. As follows:

• ff. 8r-8v: Sir John Culpeppers speech in Parliament, 9 November 1640.
• ff. 8v-9r: Sir Edward Deerings speech.
• ff. 9r-9v: Sir Benjamin Rudyerd’s speech, 1640.
• ff. 9v-10v: Lord Falkand’s speech.
• ff. 11r-11v: Lord Keeper Sir John Finch’s speech in the House of Commons, 21 December 1640.
• f. 11v: Mr Rigby’s speech after the Lord Keeper was gone out, 21 December 1640.
• ff. 11v-12v: Lord Falkland’s speech, at the delivery of the articles against John Lord Finch, 15 January 1640.

ff. 12v-13: ‘Moral essays’. On the following topics:

• On whether a statesman should do much business
• ‘Of Speech’
• ‘Of Bounty’.

ff. 14v-19: Papers relating to the case of Eusebius Pagett, Minister of Kirkhampton in the Diocese of Exeter, who was called before the High Commission around 1584 for omitting to read parts of the Common-Prayer. In a different hand from the preceding tract. Some folios damaged, with text loss.

ff. 20-56: ‘The Foxe-Trappe: In a Discourse dedicated to the Kinge and Parliament; contayninge a proper and perfect discoverie of the severall natures of false confederacies, and of fraudulent awards; for the proper remedies, and condigne punishements of bothe by common lawe’. By John Cusack. Draft, with corrections, and incomplete. Another copy in Harley MS 1038.

f. 57: ‘The Exceptions of Elizabeth Philpin Wydowe [etc.] Legatees of the last will and testament of Dyer Symcocks deceased; taken against the Accompt & Certificate made by the Commissioners Sr. Edward Rodney Knight, Paul Godwin doctor of Divinity, & Thomas Brooke, Gent.’ 14 January, 1640. Folded.

ff. 58-61: ‘That mutual knowledge & rejoyceinge with one another, may consist with our Blessednes in Heaven’.

ff. 62-77: ‘The Kinges Booke, of all the Lordes, Knightes, Esquiers and Gentlemen of this Realme of Englande’. With values of some of their yearly revenues, and a certificate of those that shall be made Knight of the Bath, from the year 17. Henry VII (1501/2). 17th century copy, with only the following 17 counties: Cornwall, Devon, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Southampton, Berkshire, Surrey, Norfolk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby.

ff. 78-98: ‘Britanno Belgicus: Proving A necessitie of Consolidating the English with the United States of the Low-Countries indissolveably ... A Dialogue, between an Englishman bred at Doway, and a Dutchman brought upp in London’.

ff. 99-110: Translations of Saxon writs and a charter, as follows:

• f. 100: Three writs translated from Saxon into English, 1587: writ of King Edward the Confessor declaring the freedom of the Church of Winchester; writ of Edward the Confessor on the immunities and privileges of the Cathedral Church of Winchester; writ of King William the Conqueror, on the liberties and franchises of the Church of Winchester.
• f. 101: Glossary of old Saxon words occurring in Grants made by the Crown.
• ff. 102-110: Translation of the Charter of King Henry VIII, wherein, by Inspeximus he recites the former Grants of Liberties and Privileges made by his Predecessors to the Cathedral Church of Winchester (including repetition of the three Saxon writs on f. 100) and then ratifies and confirms the same. It bears Teste, the 30th January, anno secundo [i.e. 1510/1].

ff. 111-118: ‘Mr Guynne’s Preface to his Reading’. Concerning in several places the subjection of church and clergy to the law of the land.

ff. 119-126. ‘Inquisitio post mortem Tho: Com[itis] South[ampton]’. Inquisition post mortem on Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, 12 September 4.Edward VI [i.e., 1550]. Latin, will in English.

ff. 127-131: Inquisition post mortem on Thomas Andrew Esquire, 27 May 1594.

ff. 132-137: Views on the nullity of the marriage of the Earl of Essex, as follows:

• f. 132: Opinion of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, touching the Nullitie of the marriage of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex; given to the King 25 July 1613.
• ff. 133-135: The King’s answer on the matter.
• f. 136: The Articles in Libel laid down by the Lady Frances Howard, against her husband the Earl of Essex.
• f. 137: The Answer of Robert, Earl of Essex, to the Articles of the Libel of the Lady Frances Howard, his wife.

ff. 138-143: Two short fragments of an unidentified historical treatise (wherein the author gives a bad character of Cardinal Wolsey).

ff. 144-167: Part of a book on the subject of prohibitions.

f. 168r-168v: Writ of Henry V to the Eschaetor in Yorkshire about the warranty made by Edmund son of Eleanor, late Countess of March, first daughter of the late Thomas de Holand Earl of Kent, and Alice his late wife [etc.]; by Thomas, Duke of Clarence, who married Margaret the second of the daughters and heirs of the late Earl and his wife Alice, and by Thomas Earl of Salisbury who married Eleanor the third daughter; and on behalf of the fourth daughter Joan, Duchess of York, wife of Henry Brownfleet, and the fifth daughter Elizabeth, wife of Sir John Neville; about lands etc. to be restored to them. 6 July 1416.

f. 168v: Similar writs directed to the Eschaetors in other counties.

ff. 169v-171r: Inquisition post mortem on Elizabeth, wife of Sir John Neville, on the Saturday after the feast of St Barnabas the Apostle, 1 Henry VI [i.e. 1423].

ff. 171v-172r: Inquisition post mortem on Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland, 1450.

ff. 172v-173r: Inquisition post mortem on Ralph Neville, Count of Westmorland, 1500.

ff. 174-199: Catalogue of the books late in the library of Sir Edward Bysshe.

f. 200: Valuation of the books in the library of the late Sir Edward Bysshe by George Wells and Samuel Carr. Dated 14 May 1680.