III. MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

I. 1. Statutes.

Under this division, there are various ancient manuscripts on vellum, some finely illuminated, containing copies of statutes from Magna Charta to the reign of Henry IV.

I. 2. Other Parliamentary Matters.

These consist of copies of 1. Pet.t.ons in Parliament in the reigns of Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and Henry IV.

2. Rolls of Parliament, in 18 volumes, including the several reigns from Edward I, to Edward IV.

S. Summons to Parliament in the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, and Edward IV.

II. 1. Ancient Writers on the Law.

Under this division the collection contains,

1. "Glanvill Tractatus de Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliæ tempore Regis Henrici Secundi compositus."

An ancient and fair manuscript, which did not form part of Lord Hale's legacy, but was lately presented to the society by Mr. Selwyn.

2. Bracton de Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliæ.

Of this work there are two manuscripts on vellum, both of great antiquity, and one of them differing materially from the printed editions of 1569 and 164, neither of which is considered as correctly published. Selden, in his "Titles of Honour," pointed out several errors in the first edition, which were however repeated in the other.

3. "Fleta, seu Commentarius Juris Anglicani."

A manuscript fairly written, but not ancient, and differing very little from the printed copies. There are many similar manuscripts extant.

4. "Horne's Mirror of Justices."

A fair manuscript on vellum, but not ancient.

II. 2. Copies and Abstracts of Records of various sorts.

These all consist of transcripts or abstracts from the records in the Tower of London, being copies of,

1. Close Rolls of King John, from the sixth year to the end of his reign; of the whole of Henry the Third's reign; of Edward I, from the 3d to the 13th year; of Edward II, from the 1st to the 20th year, and of the whole of Edward III.

2. Abstracts of the Close Rolls from the 13th Henry III, to 21 Richard II.

3. Patent Rolls, during the whole reign of Henry III. 4. Extracts from the Close and Patent Rolls of the above periods.

5. Hundred Rolls, viz. of Bampton and Poughley Hundreds, Com. Oxon. 7 Edward 1.

6. Welsh Rolls, from 6 to 10 Edward I,

7. Roman Rolls, from 1 to 25 Edward III.

8. Chartæ Antiquæ contained in two volumes, from A to Q. and from A A. to N N.

9. Exchequer Records, viz. proceedings called Communia, from 23 to 46 Edward III, and Memoranda Scaccarii, from 1 to 22 Edward III.

II. s. Itinera, Placita, et Assize: viz.

1. Itinera de Cornubia, 30 Edward I. Kancia, temp. Edw. I. and 6 Edw. II.

London, 14 Edw. II.

Bedford, 3 Edw. III, and 4 Edw. III.

Northampton, s Edw. III.

Derb. 4 Edw. III, and 8 Edw. III.

Nottingham, 3 Edw. III. 4 Edw. III, and 8 Edw. III. Foresta Lancastriæ, 8 Edw. III,

2. Placita, de Banco Regis, Communi Banco, &c. in

3. Assizæ, during the reign of Edward III, from his 20th to 45th year, and Henry IV, in his 8th year.

These transcripts are for the most part fairly written, and in hands coeval with the dates to which they respectively refer.

II. 4. Repertories of, and References to, Records in Public Offices.

1. A Table to the Rolls in the Tower (the same which was printed by Powell, Lond. 4to. 1631) and a Repertory of Escheats, Inquisitions, &c. for the Counties of Gloucester and Leicester, also in the Tower.

2. A Repertory of Commissions in the Exchequer, from Richard III, to 3 Car. I.

3. An Index to the Placita de Quo Warranto and Rageman in the Chapter Houses.

II. 5. Reports of Judicial Proceedings; viz.

1. Year Books, sometimes called Relationes, Annales, Narrationes, Anni, and Tempora. Of these there are many volumes, a few of them being duplicates. They also are for the most part fairly written, and in the hands of the respective periods to which they relate, and which periods are,

2. Reports, not official, in the reigns of Elizabeth, James i, and Charles I.

III. Under the Head of Miscellaneous Articles may be noticed the following, as the most considerable.

1. Pipe Rolls, temp. Edw. IV.

2. An ancient Manuscript on vellum, of "Lindewode's Provincial Constitutions." It does not seem to differ much from the printed editions.

3. Liber Niger Admiralitatis.-Not ancient.

4. A Book of Inquisitions taken at Lynn before the Lord High Admiral.-temp. Henry VIII.

5. Curia Militaris, being a collection of Cases of Duel, which seem to come down only to the reign of Henry VI, and to be chiefly taken from the Records in the Tower. 6. Extracts from Records concerning the Mint.

7. Claims at the Coronation of Richard II.

8. Two ancient Register Books or Chartularies, viz. of Battle and Bath.-These are perhaps to be considered as originals.

9. The Book commonly called Lord HALE'S Common Place Book, and thus described by him in his Schedule, "The Black Book of the New Law collected by me and digested into Alphabetical Titles, written with my own hand, and which is the original copy."

The Manuscripts were removed in 1787, together with the Books then belonging to the Society, from the old Library to the present, which is a handsome, spacious, and commodious apartment, being made out of three sets of chambers in the Stone Building. The Manuscripts are in close presses at one of the ends of the Library, where 'here is a fire place, and fires daily kept, except in sum

mer. There is no appearance of damp in this or any other part of the Library, nor in the presses. The Building is very substantial, with stone stair cases, and solid party walls, so that there is not any reasonable ground to apprehend any danger from fire, except in so far as there are apartments both above and under, in which fires are used, and from which the Library is only separated by good floors and ceilings. The keys of the presses are kept by the Master of the Library, who is chosen annually by the Benchers, from their own body.

They are in general in good preservation, though a few appear to have suffered considerably from damp in the former repositories in which they had been kept, probably before they came into the possession of the Society; for it appears, by the entries in our books, that it has been customary to appoint a Library Committee from time to time for the purpose of attending to the proper custody and safety of the Books and Manuscripts. The Manuscripts are not at present arranged in any systematic method or order, but they are numbered on the back, according to corresponding numbers in the Catalogue kept in the Library.

There are at present only the two Catalogues of these Manuscripts already mentioned, viz. that in the Schedule to Sir Matthew Hale's Will, and another kept in the Library, which has been printed in "Catalogus Manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ."-Oxon. 1697; and which corresponds in general, but not accurately, with the numbers pasted on the back of each volume. The insufficiency of these catalogues has lately induced the Society to make an order" That the Master of the Library, should, with the assistance of Mr. Caley, or such other person as he should think fit, prepare one, or more, full correct, and methodical catalogue, adding thereto such observations as may seem to him any way material." The Manuscripts in the custody of this Society being