Mak. 31. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



237 



LONDON. SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1865. 



Hattg. 



PROCLAMATIONS. 



The value and importance of proclamations, as 

 historical documents, have been of late so much 

 more justly appreciated, and the attention they 

 have consequently received so much increased, 

 that I do not suppose any apology will be ne- 

 cessary to the readers of " N. & Q.," for the fol- 

 lowing somewhat lengthy note upon a most mar- 

 vellous combination of errors connected with this 

 subject in a paragraph in the Bibliotheca Gren- 

 villiana. I have been the more anxious to send 

 it, since I found that the paragraph would probably 

 have been quoted with all its errors, in the forth- 

 coming catalogue of the proclamations in the pos- 

 session of the Society of Antiquaries, which is now 

 being prepared by K. Lemon, Esq. 



The passage in question consists of some re- 

 marks on the collection of Elizabethan proclam- 

 ations in the Grenville Library {Bibl. Grenv., 

 part ii. p. 368.), and runs as follows : 



" This extraordinary collection of the proclamations of 

 Queen Elizabeth, from her accession in 1558 to her death 

 in 1603, was made by H. Dyson, who has also compiled 

 and printed a table of contents, and an index. There are 

 copies in the Bodleian and Queen's College libraries, 

 Oxford, both wanting the titles. The latter most valu- 

 able volume has several with Queen Elizabeth's signa- 

 ture, and several with Lord Burleigh's ; it is preceded by 

 some proclamations of Henry VIII., and concludes with 

 the only known one of Lady Jane Grey." 



The inaccuracies of this paragraph will perhaps 

 be most easily exhibited by a more particular de- 

 scription of the collections in question. These 

 are three in number : 1st, the Queen's copy of the 

 Elizabeth proclamations ; 2nd, the Bodleian copy ; 

 3rd, miscellaneous proclamations from the time of 

 King Henry VII. to the end of the reign of King 

 Charles I., in two volumes, also in the library of 

 Queen's College. 



I. The Queen's Copy. — This possesses the title- 

 page, table of contents, and index ; and the pro- 

 clamations agree exactly with the list given in the 

 Bibl. Grenv., and with Dyson's " Table of Con- 

 tents : " they amount in all to 290 (not over 300, 

 as the catalogue asserts). It also contains the 

 following prayers : 



1. " A Prayer of Thanksgiving, and for continuance of 

 good successe to Her Majesties forces. Lond., 1596." 



2. " A Prayer for the good successe of Her Majesties 

 forces in Ireland. Lond., 1599." 



None of the proclamations have either the Queen's 

 signature or that of Lord Burleigh, and none but 

 Elizabethan proclamations are contained in the 

 volume. 



II. The Bodleian Copy. — This is a very fine 

 copy, ruled throughout with red lines, and in ex- 

 cellent preservation. Unfortunately it wants the 



title-page. One of the proclamations (that of 

 Sept. 19, anno 2°.) has the signature "Eliza- 

 beth K." It also contains the following addi- 

 tional proclamations. 



1. "Anno 20. May 24. To adjourne part of Midsommer 

 Term." 



2. " Anno S". n. d. Eate of the coynes decried in Sep- 

 tember last 1560, set foorth for the ease of accompt, untill 

 the same may be brought to the Mint, and exchanged 

 for fine monies." 



3. " Anno 18". Sept. 28. The orders appointed for the 

 government and order of the exchange." 



4. " Anno 31°. July 22. That no one who has served 

 of late on the seas come within the verge of the court for 

 feare of bringing the plague." 



Also the following in MS. : 



1. "Anno 2o. Commanding all captaynes, soldiers and 

 others remayning in London, having charge, and re- 

 ceaving wages in the North parts towards Scotland, to 

 repaire presentlie to their severall charges." 



2. ? " Anno 8". Altering the value of certain gold and 

 silver coins, the day of March, 1562." 



3. ? " Anno 3». April 24. To our admirals, vice-ad- 

 mirals, captains of our forces, castells or ships, about a 

 complaint by the King of Portugal, of some of his subjects 

 having been illused on the sea." 



4. " Anno 12". Nov. 24. At the end of the proclam- 

 ation of this date is added ' The copie of the rebelles 

 petition.' " 



5. "Anno 21. A warrant for a proclamation for the 

 sowing of hempseede and flaxseede in the counties fol- 

 lowing." 



Besides these this copy contains " The armes of 

 Marie Queene Dolphines of ffrance," emblazoned, 

 which a MS. note tells us were " sent out of ffrance 

 in July 1559 ; " and the following very rare 

 portraits : 



\. Queen Elizabeth, three-quarters length; 

 very richly dressed, surrounded by clouds, with 

 a coronet of stars about her head, and the in- 

 scription : " Per tal variar son qui ^." Fr. De., 

 sculptor. This portrait is not mentioned in Brom- 

 ley, or Wornum's Walpole. 



2. Prince Henry, Lord Darnley, King of Scot- 

 land ; and the Princess Marie, Queene of Scotland. 

 R. Elstrak, sculptor. (Wornum's Walpole, p. 855.) 



3. Thomas, Lord Howard, Duke of ISTorfolk. 

 (7Z»i(/. p. 874.) 



4. A broadside, containing a small portrait of 

 Mary, Queen of Scots ; within an engraved border, 

 on which is inscribed : " Maria Dei gratia Scoto- 

 rum regina." Excusum Londini typis Joannis 

 Norton. 



5. Charles, Earle of Nottingham, &c. (Ibid. 

 p. 874.) 



6. Robert, Earle of Essex and Ewe. (Ibid. 

 p. 919.) 



HI. Miscellaneous Proclamations. — Of this, 

 perhaps the most valuable of the three, I must 

 content myself with a brief description, as I am 

 not sufficiently acquainted with the different auto- 

 graphs contained in it to give a detailed account 



