2. A Calendar of all the Acts in the Clerk of the Parliament's Office, from the 12th of Henry VII, to the 32d of Charles II.

3. A Catalogue of the Cottonian Library, in two volumes folio.

VI. MISCELLANEA.

Under this comprehensive head in this Library are con tained:

1. a large and valuable set of Manuscripts intituled, "Proceedings in Parliament and Miscellanies."

Upon a view of these it appears that besides Parliamentary Affairs, they relate to a great variety of important subjects, the principal of which seem to be the following; viz. Ambassadors (Instructions to, &c.) Alienation Office, Cinque Ports, Coronations, Divorce, Fishings, Forests, Fortresses, Heraldry, Installations, Letters and other original Papers (some of which are valuable, with signs manual of Kings and Queens of England; they chiefly comprehend the reigns from Henry VIII to Elizabeth inclusive), Knights Templars, their privileges, &c. Monasteries, Navy, Nobility, Papal Bulls and Letters, Precedency, Sheriffs, Soldiers, Stannaries, Star Chamber, Court of Wards and Liveries, Cardinal Wolsey.

Some of these are only Treatises on the subjects to which they respectively relate; but even these in general appear to be so replete with erudition, and to contain so much useful matter, selected from original Records (some of great antiquity), that it would have been improper to have left them unnoticed. They are comprized in fifty volumes folio.

2. The same observations may be applied to another collection of Manuscripts, principally concerning the government of England; the Kings, their Oaths and Coronations; and the antiquity, power and privileges of Parlia ment, &c. contained in 26 volumes in folio.

3. There is also a 'third collection divided into volumes, bearing the following titles, viz. De Pardonationibus, one, volume; De Moneta, one volume; Cleri, Literæ Procura-, toriæ, &c. one volume; Theatrum Criminalium, 5 volumes, being Criminal Prosecutions, chiefly on state affairs; De Provisionibus Papalibus in Anglia, 2 volumes; De Creatione Nobilium in Parliamento et extra, 2 volumes: De Cartis concessis Civibus et Burgis, 2 volumes; making. altogether 14 volumes in folio, of copies and abstracts of records concerning those matters, from the Tower and other repositories.

In addition to the above, there are in this library, a few single articles deserving notice; viz.

A Collection of Treatises concerning Scotland, and its subordination to England, in one volume.

A volume respecting the Royal Household, made about

1622.

The Proceedings of the Coronation of King George the First.

Among the above manuscripts, there are very few which, strictly speaking, can be called originals; perhaps the original letters and papers, and the Registrum Chartarum Ecclesiæ Sarum, are those only which can properly be so denominated; but many of these copies, which appear to be correctly made, may in future, and perhaps even already, be entitled to that appellation, from the loss or obliteration of the records from whence they have been transcribed.

Having now finished my statement of those manuscripts in this repository, which, according to my ideas, come within the view of the Honourable Committee, 1 conceive it incumbent on me further to state such particulars respecting this library, its foundation and designation, as I have been able to collect; and this I the rather do, because the manuscripts in it are wholly unfettered

with any of those restrictions which accompanied the bequest of a similar collection to another honourable Society of the Law. (Lincoln's Inn.)

These manuscripts, with very few exceptions, seem to have been partly collected and partly composed by William Petyt, Esq. author of "The Ancient Rights of the Commons of England asserted," and other publications; which evidently prove him to havé possessed great learning and industry.

This gentleman, by his official situation, as Keeper of the Records in the Tower, was enabled to collect from thence, as he did also from various other repositories, that ample store of materials, founded upon the best authorities, which these manuscripts contain.

His great view in forming this body of information appears to have been, that such manuscripts as deserved it, might by publication be rendered of advantage to posterity.

Accordingly, by his last will, dated the 12th of July, 1705, he gave and devised, amongst other things, "his books of Law,* History, Antiquity, and Parliamentary Proceedings, which cost him many years pains and study, and stood him in much charge in collecting," to Joseph Offley, Esq. and others, and to his brother Silvester Petyt, his trustees, in trust and to the intent and purpose that they would use their utmost endeavours for preserving and keeping them safe and entire for public use, in such place or places as they, or the major part of them, or the survi vors or survivor of them, from time to time should appoint, and not suffer or permit them to be embezzled or sold; for which purpose he also gave 150l. to buy or build a

It is rather singular, that there is not in this library a single manuscript of Glanvill, Bracton, or any other of the ancient law writers.

place convenient for preserving and keeping them, to be settled on his trustees or the survivors of them, or the heirs of the survivors of them, in fee simple, in trust for the purposes aforesaid; and by his said will, he did earnestly desire his trustees that they would, in convenient time after his decease, in justice to truth and his memory, procure such of his manuscripts as they should think fit, to be printed, to remain for public use to posterity.

He gave also to the Honourable the Society of the Middle Temple, 50l. to be laid out by his executor, to buy books for augmenting their library; and to the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple 50l. to be laid out towards a library there to be erected.

Upon Mr. Petyt's decease, which happened not long afterwards, Silvester Petyt, Esq. his brother and executor, and the rest of the trustees proposed to the Society of the Inner Temple, of which society William Petyt, Esq. had been treasurer, that if they would provide a place for a library to deposit the collection in, and thereby preserve the same for public use, according to the true intent and meaning of the said will, that then the said trustees would consent that Mr. Petyt's books should be deposited in such place as the society would so assign as a library, and that Mr. Silvester Petyt should pay into the society the sum of 1501. contained in the said will.

All these conditions appear to have been agreed to upon the

part of the society, and a building was erected adjoining to the hall for the reception of Mr. Petyt's books, in the year 1707, in which they have ever since remained. I cannot conclude without observing, that as well from the inspection I have made into Mr. Petyt's manuscripts upon this, as upon former occasions, I am convinced they contain an abundant fund of information of the highest importance, evidently evincing the skill and judgment of

the collector, and which may be consulted with advantage by the lawyer, the historian, and the antiquary.

The building above alluded to, erected in 1707 by the society, for the reception of Mr. Petyt's books and manuscripts, is as secure and commodious as can be desired.

The manuscripts are in a very good state of preservation; they are carefully locked up in presses, and can be resorted to without any difficulty, being arranged numerically, according to the catalogue.

There is in the library a catalogue of the printed books and manuscripts, but that of the latter is neither so full nor so correct as might be wished. It is not known that any catalogue of these manuscripts exists elsewhere.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND LITERARY MISCELLANEA.

SKELTON, THE POET LAUREAT.

His poems, says Dr. Farmer, are printed, 1736, with the title of "Pithy, Pleausant, and Profitable Works of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate." But, says Mr. Cibber, after several other writers, "how, or by what interest he was made laureat, or whether it was a title he assumed to himself, cannot be determined." This is an error, pretty generally received, and it may be worth while to

remove it.

A facetious author says somewhere, That a poet laureat, in the modern idea, is a gentleman, who hath an annual stipend for reminding us of the new year, and the birthday but formerly a poet laureat was a real University Graduate.

"Skelton wore laurell wreath,

And past in Schools we know,"