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the first page of which is a beautifully executed miniature of Henry VII.; a translation from the French of the Pilgrimage of the Soul 1413, on which there is the autograph of Henry VI.; and a curious work on heraldry of the fifteenth century.

Of Henry VIII.'s time there is a Treatise on General Councils, by Archbishop Cranmer. "The Oryginal Depositions subscribyd wth th'andys of such as here foloyth:" touching the Divorce of Anne of Cleves; copies of various Treaties, some of which are not in Rymer; documents relative to the expenses of the wars during that reign, &c. &c. Of Edward VI.'s there is a proclamation on his ascending the throne, which, if actually made public, is not noticed by historians; a copy of the Liturgy of St. James, apparently translated by Roger Ascham; the particulars of the expenses incurred during the wars in the preceding and this reign; treaties; historical documents, &c. Of the reign of Mary, the original Council Book, as published in Haynes's selection, is a most curious record; Lord Clinton's reasons for his being sent for by Philip II. to Brussels, &c. &c.

ELIZABETH'S REIGN.

Among the Theological and Ecclesiastical papers, there are some by the Jesuits Arrowsmith and Parsons; many relative to the Puritans, Recusants, Revenues of the Church, the question of the right of the Prince to seize Church Property, &c. &c. The historical portion contains memoranda in Lord Burleigh's hand, some of which are published in Murdin; the Norfolk Book of Entries, or copies of the Duke's Letters on the subject of Mary Queen of Scots' examination; opinions of Ministers on the proposed marriage of Elizabeth with the Duke of Alençon (Anjou); a copious official account of the Earl of Northumberland's conspiracies, the proceedings against him, his suicide in the Tower; numerous examinations of individuals respecting their knowledge of suspected persons, designs of foreign powers, &c. &c.; accounts and examinations touching the various conspiracies against the Queen, including Essex's; border matters; drafts of acts of Parliament, treaties, &c.; many curious papers relative to the internal government of Ireland, proceedings against rebels, their submissions, &c. Of Scottish affairs, there are many

[July,

regarding its internal state, and its relations with England; and others respecting the proceedings against Mary Queen of Scots. Several works on the subject of the succession to the crown, &c. &c.

The papers relative to Military and Naval affairs are both numerous and curious, exhibiting all varieties, from the expense of equipping a fleet or army, to the freight of provisions for their use. They also contain the expenses of erecting or repairing fortifications, &c. With these may likewise be mentioned a quantity of curious plans, maps, charts, &c. from Henry VIII. to this reign, and generally illustrating this branch.

Of the Public Revenue, its produce, the sources of it, means of collection, application, &c. there are also many illustrative papers; and connected with this head, others relative to the commercial affairs of these times.

Under the heads of Local and Individual matters, will be found many curious papers illustrating the branches of county history, transfer of lands, rentals, genealogy, &c. &c.; but, besides what are contained in them on the latter subject, there are a number of regular genealogies, separately described.

The head of Foreign Affairs exhibits negociations, intelligence from spies and open residents at foreign courts; what respects the various intentions against England, or what refers to passing domestic events.

Under the last head of this reign, Miscellanies, are many original works and papers. Among these we find 66 a Booke of the auncient orders of the Knights of the Garter," &c. "The Peregrination of one Anthony Jenkinson in the landes of Persia,' " &c. dedicated to the Queen; "Sir John Stanley's Travels in Spain and Portugal, 1592;" Particulars of the Presents sent by the Turkey Company to the Grand Seigneur in 1594 and 98, amounting to 11,0147. 18s. 4d.; “The unexpected accidentes of my casuall destinye discovered,” by John Daniel; this gives the author's account of his affair touching the Essex Papers, for which he was at this time suffering imprisonment; various unpublished poems of Ægidius Fletcher's; addresses of the Westminster and Eton scholars to her Majesty, in Greek and Latin, beautifully written and subscribed by their various au

1831.]

thors; a few papers relative to her Majesty's stud, whilst the Earl of Essex was Master of the Horse, &c.

JAMES'S REIGN.

The Catholics and Puritans again occupy their share of the ecclesiastical papers of this reign. The rentals of the Bishopric of St. Andrew's, the Abbey of Kelso, and the Bishopric of Glasgow, as resigned in 1605 by the Duke of Lennox, on having the Cobham and other lands in England given to him, may be cited for their curiosity.

The Historical portion opens with the actual draft of the proclamation declaring James King of England, in the hand of Sir R. Cecil, and bearing numerous marks of his careful composition; there is also a warrant addressed to the Lieutenant of the Tower, signed by the principal nobility, as well as the council, that his Majesty may be proclaimed by him within his precincts; this, it may be here stated, is signed by both Lord Cobham and Lord Grey, who are represented by Hume to have been tardy in their recognition of the title of the new Sovereign. The various transactions of the early part of this reign, including Raleigh's and the Powder Plot, are here more or less illustrated. There are also copies of papers sent to the second Earl of Salisbury, touching the proposed marriage of the Prince (Charles I.) with the Infanta of Spain, differing in some cases with the received history of that matter.

The Military and Naval matters in this reign of less interest, afford some papers; but the branch of the Revenue and Expenditure, as may be expected, is more voluminous. The local and individual history contains also many papers of interest and value.

The head of Foreign Affairs exhibits, as in the last reign, negotiations, advertisements, or the intelligence communicated of the state of foreign courts, by spies, residents, &c.

Among the Miscellaneous may be mentioned a paper, attributed to Lord Chancellor Ellesmere, on the King's prerogative; the Privileges of the Baronage of England, " wrote, as is supposed, by John Selden;" the original of the Compendium of the Records, by Arthur Agarde, as prepared by the author, and presented and dedicated to the first Earl of Salisbury; a regis

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ter of the Proclamations, printed in 1608, &c. &c.

Of CHARLES I.'s time, and later periods, there are also a number of historical and other papers, &c.

The Volume containing the Letters is by far the most interesting portion, both as respects the number and contents of these communications.

The first head, or Royal Letters, includes specimens of most of the reigning Princes of that period, and a quantity of James's letters to Elizabeth, and to the Earl of Salisbury after his accession. The second contains a number of letters from Queen Elizabeth to the Duke of Anjou. The third contains the Secret Correspondence of James with Sir R. Cecil during Elizabeth's life. This commences with James's communication opening the correspondence, which appears to have been brought about by Mar and Kinloss, James's ambassadors to Elizabeth on Essex's death. By it, it also appears that Essex had represented Cecil to James as favourable to the Spanish interest, and opposed to his. This Cecil disproves, but reserves himself entirely to the will of his present sovereign. Cecil's first letter is an open and honourable statement of the terms of this his countenance to James. There are also copies of letters sent to James by the Earl of Northumberland and forwarded by him to Cecil. The whole is perfectly unconnected with the volume published by Lord Hailes under this title, which, on examination, will be found to consist of Lord Henry Howard's ingratiating epistles to Mar and Kinloss; and certainly its contents warrant the conclusions of historians hitherto,had they only distinctly distinguished him to whom the honour of the production was due. The fourth contains the correspondence of Arabella Stuart, on her attempting to marry Mr. W. Seymour in 1602, of those connected with her, and those appointed by Elizabeth privately to examine into the matter, nothing of which is so early noticed by historians. The fifth contains a number of letters, partly in cypher, addressed to the Earl of Essex by the Duc de Bouillon, father of the famous Marshal Turenne from 1589 to 1599.

The sixth, or general division, extends from 1540 downwards, in one chronological series, and to the end of Elizabeth's reign; an abstract of each