Harley MS 6848

Contents:

f. 1r: Two notes in English about ‘Instructions for Mr Thomas Bodley sent into the United Provinces in January 1594’; and ‘July 1595’.

ff. 2r-4v: An English religious treatise entitled ‘A Tretise conteyning motions touching Mercie and Unitie Sent by a few of those whoe are falslie and maliciouslie called Brownists ffor Cristes sake, ffor Queene Elizabeths, ffor Englandes sake, and for your owne sakes peruse it and neglect it not’.

f. 5r: A short note in English, beginning 'Alas (reverend ffathers) what is youth without governement ; and what governement can there be in those howses whose shop windowes are alwaies shut’.

ff. 6r-6v: A tract on the state of the Church following the Avignon Papacy and Western Schism according to Francesco Guicciardini (‘Uppon Guicciardynes Digression’).

ff. 7r-96r: A collection of petitions from, and examinations of English dissenters, including the Separatist Puritans Henry Barrowe, John Greenwood, and John Penry; and answers to articles written against English Dissenters, beginning ‘To the right honorable Syr Roe nowe Lord Major of London [William Rowe, Lord Mayor of London, 1592-1593] abundance of all blessinges be multiplied to Goddes glorie’; several writings are dated to 1588, 1589, 1592, and 1593; the collection also includes a note (f. 29r) about a work on licenses to preach by James Metford, rector of Basingham in Lincolnshire, printed in 1698; and a 16th-century list of ‘Preests sent into England’ (ff. 88r-88v).

ff. 97r-106r: Exemplar of English and Latin letters from the English College in Douai and priests of the English mission, including letters to George Blackwell, Roman Catholic Archpriest (1597-1608), all dated to 1601.

ff. 107r-114v: A Latin tract entitled ‘Puncta quae suggeruntur tanquam necessaria pro Brevi apostolica conficiendo ad seditionem Anglicanam tollendam’; followed by ‘Minuta’ by Pope Clement VIII to George Blackwell, dated 1601.

ff. 115r-122r: English letters concerning the Archpriest Controversy, dated to 1601-1602.

ff. 123r-132r: Latin letters concerning the Archpriest Controversy, featuring a tract against the Archpriest on ff. 126r-127r, dated to 1602.

ff. 133r-134v: A debate between Václav Budovec z Budova and Jesuits, entitled ‘Colloquium extremum’; purportedly in the hour of his execution at Prague in 1621.

ff. 135r-143v: Consultatio Pontificis de bello sacro.

ff. 144r-146v: Debates in Parliament concerning a confession of faith.

ff. 147r-148v: An answer of Queen Christina of Sweden (b. 1626, d. 1689) to ‘Chevalier de Terlou’s letter’ concerning the persecution of heresy in France, dated 1686.

ff. 149r-149v: Two lists of English books from English dissenters, entitled ‘bookes Intitelyd’ and ‘Names of bookes wrytten how far forthe eccleseastecall lyving may be distributed’.

ff. 150r-179v: Collections of petitions and excerpts from the works of English dissenters and controversialists; including Thomas Kyd’s Letter to Sir John Puckering (f. 154r); beginning ‘The humble, most earnest and lamentable Complaint and supplication of the persecuted and proscribed Church & servants of Christ falsely called Brownists: unto the high Court of Parlament’.

ff. 180r-182r: A petition of the booksellers to the Westminster Assembly of Divine, 3 January 1644, concerning the printing of the Greek Bible in the King’s Library and owned by Patrick Young [Junius] (b. 1584, d. 1652), librarian and scholar; followed by letters concerning Dame Mary Rogers.

ff. 183r-184r: The Act of Supremacy of 1534, beginning ‘Where as dyvers and many Trew and ffaithfull Subiectes to god and our sovereigne lord the Kyng before the acte made for ponyshement of heresy yn the cessyon of thys present parlyament holden uppon prerogacyon at westmynter the xl day of Januari yn the xxv yere of the reigne of our sovereigne lord the kyng’.

ff. 185v-186r: Richard Baines' accusations against Christopher Marlowe, entitled 'A Note Containing the Opinion of Christopher Marly Concerning his Damnable Judgement of Religion, and Scorn of God's Word'.

ff. 187r-189v: Thomas Kyd, fragments of an anonymous heretical disputation, beginning ‘for how may it be thought tru religion which uniteth in one subiect contraries as visiblitie & invisibilitie mortallitie & imortallitie &caetera’; dated 12 May 1593.

ff. 190r-191r: A collection of ‘Remembraunces of wordes and matter againste Richard Cholmeley’ [Sir Richard Cholmley (b. 1516, d. 1583)].

ff. 192r-192v: Notes concerning marriage with and without consent of parents; love; and causes to dissolve marriage.

ff. 194r-195r: Protest in the Lower House of Convocation against innovations, dated 15 December 1705.

ff. 196r-197r: A form of retraction made by Francis Atterbury at Bishopsthorpe, required by the Bishop of Carlisle before promoting him to the Deanery of Carlisle Cathedral (1704).

ff. 198r-204v: Letters from the Lower House of Convocation to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

f. 206r: A list of persons made bishops.

ff. 207v-209v: A letter concerning ecclesiastical grievances.

f. 210r: A list of the ‘Names of suche Sectaries, as upon their Conformity the Commissioners have bayled’.

ff. 212r-213r: Instructions from a Father to direct his Son in a course of Life, beginning ‘Sonne Robert the Vertuous inclynations of thy matchles Mother by whose tender and Godly care thy Infancy was governed’.

ff. 214v-215r: A decree of the ecclesiastical Court of Canterbury against Richard Fawcet, Nicholas Morton, John Knight, and Thomas Willoughby for misbehaviour, dated 1560.

ff. 216r-216v: A letter concerning the decree against Thomas Willoughby, Prebendary of Canterbury, signed by Willoughby himself on 23 June 1564: ‘Bey me Thomam Wylloughbey’.

ff. 218r-219r: A Latin document from Hailes Abbey concerning participation of prayers from the monastery for Charles Somerset (d. 1524), 1st Earl of Worcester, and Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert; dated 12 November 1509.

f. 220r: Notes concerning the admission of aliens to benefices (‘Aliens not to beneficed in England without the kinges expresse License’).

ff. 222r-227r: Mr Oley's Letters to Mr Stephen Richardson at Worcester, concerning the Queen's Rents, and Thornton Rectory, 1662; with red wax seals on f. 222v and f. 226r.

f. 228r: Notes concerning the institution and translation of some bishops in the interval from 1554, to 1675.

f. 229r: A list of the ‘summe of all the Inhabitants of the Diocese [of Ely]’ (30917); including numbers ‘of all the papists’ (14) and ‘dissenters’ (1416); followed by numbers for separate towns and villages.

ff. 230r-230v: A Latin document entitled ‘De Ordinantibus Episcoporum in Anglia’; featuring the dates 1555 and 1558.

ff. 231r-232r: An tract on the ‘five Articles in Controversy in Germany’ between the Remonstrants and Anti-Remonstrants.

ff. 233r-233v: Humphrey Ely (d. 1606)’s treatise concerning the Archpriest Controversy, here entitled ‘Answer to the Apology of the Priests united to the Archpriest: printed by Peter Silvestre’.

ff. 235r-236r: An English tract entitled ‘Mr John Hampden's Remonstrance against the Errors of Father Simon’.

f. 238r: A Creed used by the Roman Catholic Church, beginning ‘in the most holy Sacrament the Bread is converted into the Body of Christ’.

ff. 239v-240r: The Short Charter of Christ, entitled ‘Magna Charta de Libertatibus Mundi’; beginning ‘Noverint universi presentes et futuri - Weetis all that be heer or that shal beleife and deere That I Jesus of Nazaret hfor Mankind have suffred Death upon the Cross with Woundis five, Whilst I was Man upon Earth alive’.

ff. 241r-242r: Observations on the works of the French priest Richard Simon (b. 1638, d. 1712), beginning ‘It is so rare to meet with Rouen Catholicks who have a competent knowledge of Hebrew Tonge and a great many wonder how it came to pass and Father Simon made choice of this study so little countenanced by his Church’.

ff. 243r-243v: An act against swearing and cursing, beginning ‘Whereas a good Pass hath beene made in the 21 yeare of our late soveraigne Lord king James against prophane sweareing & cursing’.

ff. 245r-251v: Observations concerning the peace of the Church, Schism and the Decrees of God, beginning ‘All the decrees of God are eternall’.

ff. 252r-254r: John Hough (b. 1651, d. 1743), college head and Bishop of Worcester, Series Decretorum Dei, causarumque et mediorum salutis (A diagram of Arminian and Calvinistic doctrines).

ff. 255r-258r: Letters in French from the Queen of France to the Assembly at Saumur, dated 30 July 1611.

ff. 259r-267v: Other letters in French to the same purpose.