Among these is catalogued a MS. volume marked by Mr. Black as B, which he describes as "an inconveniently thick book, consisting of a great number of transcripts, made in the time of Queen Elizabeth, chiefly by one hand, bound together in a coarse and insufficient wrapper of parchment. There are two series of numerations, first by pages, afterwards by folios; accordingly, the contents are referred to in Mr. Morrice's books [meaning Mr. Morrice's original writings, still in MS., founded in part upon his MSS. collection] as vols. i. and ii. of the MSS. It is a Collection of Ecclesiastical Documents relative to the state of Religion in England, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the proceedings of the Puritan Ministers, and the persecutions which they endured from the hierarchy, designed as a continuation or second part of the old printed book, entitled 'A Parte of a Register containing sundry memorable matters, written by divers godly and learned men in our time, etc.,' consisting altogether of 127 numbered articles."

Here, then, is the "original collection," of which the MS. collection used by Mr. Neal was a copy, as it bears to have been on its title, "A Copy of the Second Parte of a Register." The references at the end of all the Papers found in the "copy" correspond exactly with the papers and pagination of the older collection, which goes back to the days of Elizabeth.

Mr. Morrice himself left a description of this earlier collection, at page 126 of a MS. volume, described as "his largest parchmentcovered folio," as follows:

"These Papers treat of transactions in Queen Elizabeth's reign. They are very fair and free from any interlineations or alterations. They are in my possession. They contain the copies of divers Bills that were presented, debated or past in divers Parliaments, and of others drawn up to be printed; and of divers original letters; and of the proceedings against divers persons, written by them that were ear-witnesses thereof while they were fresh on memory, or taken out of the Registers of the said Courts; and of many other considerable matters not in print. They seem to be as worthy of credit as anything we have relating to that reign. I have, in many instances, compared them with the best and truest accounts we have of ecclesiastical matters in that Queen's time, and find them exactly agreeing with, and sometimes perfecting those."

In another place Mr. Morrice characterizes this Collection, as

having been brought together "by a most faithful, understanding, observing gentleman, who died about the end of Elizabeth's reign," but the name of the collector was not known to him, otherwise he would have given it.

Mr. Neal, then, was clearly mistaken in the statement which he twice over made, that "the originals," from which his "large Manuscript Collection of Papers" was copied, were in the University of Cambridge at the time he wrote. They may, indeed, have been there at the date when the " copy of the Second Parte of a Register" was made, but if so, they had subsequently come into the possession of Mr. Morrice, nobody can tell how; they were in his possession at the time he wrote the description of them just given, and it is remarkable that Mr. Morrice, who knew best where he obtained them, says nothing of their ever having been in Cambridge.

Mr. Neal appealed, in proof of the authority of his "large Manuscript Collection," to the use which Strype had made of several of the Papers contained in it, and the appeal was a very relevant one in support of that point. Strype was one of Mr. Morrice's correspondents, and refers to him in his edition of Stowe's" Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster," vol. II., p. 57, as “a very diligent collector of ecclesiastical MSS., relating to the later history of the English Church, whereof he left vast heaps behind him, and who favoured me with his correspondence." But it is curious that the manner in which Strype refers to the source from which he derived the papers which Neal refers to as having been used by Strype, goes far to discredit the statement of Neal that the "originals of the Morrice copies" had once been, or still were, in the University of Cambridge. When Strype refers, in his margin, to the MS. source from which he drew these papers, he describes it repeatedly as a private, not a public one. Strype was a Cambridge antiquary, and had the best opportunities of knowing the contents of the libraries and archives in that University. He had several indefatigable correspondents thereMr. Laughton, the University Librarian, Mr. Baker, of St. John's College, and Mr. Harrison, of Sidney-Sussex College-who did all they could to supply him with copies of letters and historical documents preserved in the University Collections. But he had evidently never heard of the "Second Parte of a Register" as existing there. He refers to it always as a manuscriptum priva

But

tum. It was in the hands of a private collector, meaning Mr. Morrice, his correspondent.

Not a few of the papers contained in the older collection, described by Mr. Morrice, are "originals" in the strictest sense; but the "Knox-Papers," now published for the first time, are not of the number. On being submitted to the judgment of the heads of the MSS. Department of the British Museum, they were pronounced to be not originals but contemporary transcripts. They go back, therefore, in date of transcription, to the reigns of Edward VI. and Elizabeth, and, so far as age goes, they lay claim to a historical validity and value scarcely inferior, for practical purposes, to that of originals.

As for the originals themselves, the author has, as yet, searched for them in vain. After several days' hunting in Cambridge, he found that Mr. Neal had certainly put him upon the wrong scent. The most learned librarians of the University had never seen or heard of them. The custodian of the Cecil Papers at Hatfield House, too, could only answer inquiries in the negative; and, though better success is not yet to be despaired of, we must stand prepared to find, in the end, that these writings of the Scottish Reformer have, like many of his other compositions, been saved from oblivion only by the zeal of early friends and admirers, who were more careful to preserve copies of them than he was himself.

I.

JOHNE KNOKKS to the Congregatioun of Bervik, grace be multiplied and peace from God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all yat unfeynedlie thristis the glorie of his name. Amen.

1.* I have thought it my dewitie (most dearlie beloved bretherin) not onlie to signifie unto you my present estait, bot also in the bowelles of Jesus Christ to require of you bold continuance in that treuthe which ones ye have professede. Ffor ignorant am I not what artes our adversarie the Devill most commonlie useth to draw back such as would go forwarde in the happy journey of life everlasting. Rychteouslie was he compared of Job to that great leviathan, and by the Apostle to a roring lione, for ast the one feareth no dart casten or shote by the strenthe of man, and the other hunteth most greedilie for his pray, so cannot our enemye be resisted (much less ordered) by man's pouer or possebilitie; whois vigilantie was such that in maligning against God he cannot wearye, for he is a spreit confirmed with malice against God, against his chosen Church and the verity thereof, in which (veritie, I meane) as that he stuide not, but falling from the samyn became a liear and father of lies, so lacked he nowder practess nor ingine, how that he may cause lies to appear treuth, and simple treuth to appear dampnable lies; and thus most he raige as he hathe done from the begynnyng unto such tyme as the nomber of Goddis elect be fullie compleitt, of whom the most part hes vincust the wicked world by grevous torments and panes, whill by Goddis permissioun they were troden under feit of that cruell enemye who never ceases to accuse Godd's elect.

2. Ffor as of God the Father it is given to the seade of the woman to breik downe the heide of that venemoss serpent, so is it permitted to the samyn serpent to sting and trouble the heill of that holie seade, not in such sort as the most part of men suppose, in tempting and pricking the flesh

* The paragraphs of this long letter have been numbered by the Editor to facilitate reference.

with such temptations as commonlie followeth man, but oftentymes so prevailing (after the judgment of creatures earthly) against the hoile [whole] man that the wicked appeares to have gotten victorie, and God's chosen may seme to be brought to extreme confusioun. As in Cayn and Abell, Esaw and Jacob, Joseph and Phutifer's [Potiphar's] wife, in Pharo and the Israelits, Daniell and Darius' Counsellars, the Princes of the Preestes and Jesus Christ, his Appostles and the Synagogue, and finallie in all martyrs and the malignant church, most manifestlie haith appeared. Ffor who could behold Abell lying under his brother Cayn crying for mercie, whare [where] he never offended, and yet obtenyng nothing but cruellie to be murthered, and shuld not say now haith iniquitie gotten the upper hand, the wicked prevailed, and the just lyeth undder fute. Who, considering simpell Jacob, not onlie fleeing from his father's house and cuntree, with his staff in his hand, for fear of stoutt Esaw, but also returnyng with great substance, sevine tymes to bow and mak homeges before the face of his brother, and his companye; who, I say, considering this, shuld not think Esaw is the lorde and hes gotten the dominione, but Jacob as a slave and remaineth in boundage. And thus may ye reson of the rest, whom ye shall finde so geven over for a tyme in the hands of the ungodlie, yat not onlie are they deprived of honor, libertie, fame and life, but also the best beloved sometymes appears left comfortless, as in Jesus Christ we lerne; who upon the Croce, after ignomynie and most cruell panes susteaned, lamentablie cryed to his heavenlie Father, My God, my God, why hest thou forsacken me? O dolorous voce of the Sone of God, spokin not in secreate place, but in the audience of his raiging and rejosing [rejoicing] enemies, to the establissing of all thair manifest iniquitie Mycht they not now tryumphe, seeing he had confessed the chief poynts of thair accusatioun, which wes that he had usurped to himselfe honor and authoritie that God had not granted to him, and that he had made himself God, being butt man; that by false doctrine he deceaved the pepill? Mycht they not now collect and gather of Christis words he is nother God nor yett Goddis chosen, for he compleynes that God has forsaiken him; but God cannot forsaik his elect, and much lesse himself, whairfor this Christ is nother God nor Goddis elect, but a dyssaver, a blasphemer and a false teacher, as evin we accused him.

3. Thus, deirlie beluived, appeared to prevaill those that in delicatie drinking wine, did oppin thair mouthes against the anoynted of God. Off these thinges put I you in remembrance, dearly beloved, for two causes principall-Ffirst, that by the sufferance of all Goddis elect, and by Christis passioun especiallie, ye shall learn how odious and detestable syn is in the sycht of our hevinlie Father, whose justice is so inviolable yat it most nedes require a satisfactioun of all fleshe whair offence is committed. And because that impossible it was to any sinfull fleshe at any tyme to fulfill the law (muche less to mak reconciliatioun betwene Godd's