Beinecke MS 621
England, s. XVI2-XVIIin
English miscellany on travels, foreign countries, Catholicism and politics

I. 
1. ff. 1r-13v	A compendyous and briefe declaration of the peregrynation and journeye of me, 
Anthonye Jenkynson, frome the righte famouse citie of London into the lande of Persie, passinge 
in this same journeye throughe Russia, Moscovia and Mare Caspium alias Hircanum, thereunto 
commytted by the righte wurshipfull and righte notable socyetie of the Merchant Adventurers of 
Englande, for discoverie of lands, islands etc., beinge enterprised the XIV daie of Maie 1561 and 
in the thirde yeare of the raigne of our moste gratious soveraigne, ladye Elizabethe, by the grace 
of God Quene of Englande, France and Irelande, defendour of the fayth, etc., as herafter 
followythe. Furste, by the suffrance and grace of the onelye, almyghtie and mercifull our Lorde 
and God, the daye and yeares aforesaid embarquynge myselfe in a good shippe of your 
wurshippes, named the Swallowe, att Gravesende ... to the illustratinge of her moste excellente 
Majeste, the honour and comodytie of this her highnes' realm, the ample benyfitt and 
haboundante enrychinge, bothe of your righte wurshippes and also of your succession and 
posterytie forever.		

Anthony Jenkinson (1529-1610/11), Relation of a travel to Russia and Persia; E.D. Morgan, C.H. 
Coote, edd., Early  Voyages and Travels to Russia and Persia by Anthony Jenkinson and other 
Englishmen. Hakluyt Society, 72-73 (London, 1886), v. 2, pp. 121-156 (in a somewhat different 
version). See about the author, a famous traveller, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, v. 29 
(2004), pp. 971-973. Between ff. 1 and 2 almost an entire leaf has been torn out. The editors' 
statement that they have collated the text with the Helmingham (now Beinecke) manuscript is 
apparently not correct. 

II.
2. f. 14v	Sonnet. To the Queen. The love wherwith your vertues chayne my spright / Envys 
the hate I beat unto your fo ... So powerfull then your sacred vertus be, / which vice itself a vertu 
makes in me.

Anonymous sonnet in praise of Queen Elizabeth I. Probably an autograph.

3. ff. 15r-43r	A commentarie or explication of a letter written by cardinall Allen in defence of 
Sir Williaam Stanley's act of betrayinge of Deventer. It is one of Mr. Allen's owne notes, that 
oure gospell is a proceedinge gospell, blameing therwith all the new opinions which he chargeth 
us from day to day to invent ... therfore lesse acquainted with the miserys of wars, find them 
more grievous then other nations do, not because they be greater, but because they happen 
seldommer.		

Anonymous treatise in four parts attacking the apology which Cardinal William Allen (1532-
1594) published in 1587 for Sir William Stanley's action in the Netherlands in the preceding year. 
This soldier in English service (1548-1630) invaded the city of Deventer and became its 
governor, but in Jan. 1587 handed the town and most of its garrison to Tassis, the Spanish 
governor of Zutphen. Sympathizing with Catholicism and offering his services to Spain, Stanley 
remained in Flanders for almost the rest of his life. See about him Oxford Dictionary of National 
Biography, v. 52 (2004), pp. 246-248; about Allen, op. cit., v. 1 (2004), pp. 824-831. His apology 
of William Stanley was edited by T. Heywood, Cardinal Allen's defence of Sir William Stanley's 
surrender of Deventer. Chetham Society, v. 25 (............., 1851).
Our manuscript seems to be unpublished and is probably an autograph, given the many and 
extensive corrections in its text. 

4. ff. 49v-50r	Accounts regarding tenements; one is headed "Lambeth".

5. ff...........	Relation of Sir Anthonie Standen [title on two separate leaves]. Memories of a 
Turkishe voiage, collected in Constantinople in the yere of our Lord God 1578. Seying that by 
the permission of almightie God the Ottomans' empier hath bin enlarged whith a course of 
perpetuall victories and therby that house hath subdued so many provinces and put in subjection 
so many kingdomes ... In the first [poynt] I will declare the greatnes of state and countries the 
Great Turke doth possesse and his forces apperteyinge to the wares. In the second I will shewe 
by whome and in what manner that empier is governed, also the nature and condition of them 
that rule. In the thirde I will set downe in what esteme and consideration the Turkes doe holde 
all other potentates about them that are not theire subjectes. ... and to allure and to drawe with 
pleasant morsells the people to the liking of his marchandize, he slakned the reines of the bridell 
to all kindes?? of carnall concupiscence and fleshely appitites, throughe which kinde of licen** 
life he chefelie wrought his purposes upon infynit numberes of men, who, naturall* enclyned to 
evill, embraced his horrible secte , that hath so stranglie poysoned the most parte of the worlde.

Account of a journey through the Middle East, made in 1578 and attributed by another hand to 
an unrecorded Sir Anthony Standen.

6. f....	Alcoran: the booke of the Turkes' religion or lawe. Moufeti: the chefe hed of the Turkishe 
religion. Mosquee: a temple or churche ... Aga: theie that in theire youth have all the prevy p. cut 
of, which most of them doe come to be of the greate Turke's chamber and are gardes or kepers of 
his concubins; these are most famylier and favored aboute his parson.

Definition of terms related to the Turkish empire encountered in art. 5.

7. ff. ............ A relation of the matteres of the citie of Florence and the state of Toscane, to 
which don Francisco de Medices commandeth as the thirde Greate Duke therof, 1585. The 
countrie of Toscane, sometimes a kingdome, doth conteyne in lenghe two hundred myles and in 
bredeth a hundred and twentie or theraboutes ... Having touched all these princes and 
commonwelthes that doe confyne with the Great Duke, I have made noe mention either of the 
marques of Massa Malesp?? or else of the counte Santafiore, both which doe likewise joyne upon 
his state??, the one upon the confyne of Genova and the other upon that of Rome, because  ?? 
are princes and lords absolute of smale state, litle revnewe and lesse power.

Description of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany under Francesco Maria de' Medici (1541-1587).

8. ff.......... 	A relation made in the Catholicke Kinge's counsaile of estate by the Duke of Alva 
the 25 of May 1579, conteyninge the way and meane His Majestie is to use for the brinnig to his 
obedience of the realme of Portugal being forced to come to warre for the same. Sacred Majestie, 
this matter being of so greate importance, it is necessarie above all other thinges to recommende 
the same to God almightie and touching that may be expected at my handes in discharge of my 
dewtie towardes Your Majestie ... to be presumed that Your Majestie's enemyes and emulators 
will let slipe?? noe occasion to procure the disturbance and diversion of these Your Majestie's 
forces and desseinges.

Ferdinand Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva (1508-1582), Proposal addressed to King Philip II 
of Spain regarding the conquest of Portugal, made 25 May 1579, in English translation

9. f........... A discription of the most removed and solitarie hermitage of Camaldoli in the Great 
Duke of Toscane's territorie. In the yere of our Lord God 1012 was begon the order of the 
hermits of Camaldoli throughe one Romoaldo of the citie of Ravenna, whoe lived almoste a 
hundred yeres ... and at this convent are courteouslie receaved and lodged free cost all such 
personages and pilgrimes for three daies as go to visit that place.

Description of the Benedictine convent of Camaldoli near Arezzo.

10. f. .........	A discription of the isle of Britane called Ingland and Scotlande. The isle of 
Britane doth conteyne within it the kingdomes of England and Scotlande and is almost 
trianglare. The first corner or promontorie which ?? Kent called the Downes loketh towardes the 
Easte ... those isles which the Ancients did call Hebrides, the chefest of which?? is the isle of 
Man. More approching to the North are the isles of Orkeney abondant of fishe and coneyes.

Short description of England and Scotland.

11. f. ....... Accounts signed William Garnett; the last one is dated from the 33d year of Queen 
Elizabeth =  1591/1592. The upper outer corner of the page is missing, with loss of text.

II.
12. ff.........	The state of a secretarie's place and the perill, written by the Earle of Salsburie. 
The Earle's of Salsbury's project against the Jesuits schole hostages and league with Spaine 
delivered in a speech to Queen Elizabeth.
A letter of Queen Anne Bulleigns to King Henry 8 found among Cromwel's papers.
A letter written by secretarie Walsingham to Monsieur Cretoy principall secretary to the King of 
France in defence of the Queen's Majestie and her proceedings in causes ecclesiasticall against 
the Catholiques.
[Anonymous address to Parliament, beginning:]  Mr. Speaker, although the constant wisdome of 
this House of Commons did well and worthily apeare in censuring that ill advised member ...
Apart from the famous letter of Anne Boleyn protesting her imprisonment (1536) and the final 
text,  which was written after the death of Queen Elizabeth (1603), these documents are


related to Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary (c. 1532-1590). See about him Oxford 
Dictionary of National Biography, v. 57 (2004), pp. 131-150.

III.
13. ff. ... Wood sales appoynted to be made anno XXVIII Elizabeth regine.
A brief reporte as well of the composition and agrement made with John Weston's widow as also 
what profight dothe and shall therby growe untoYour Lordship.

Estate accounts partly dating from 1586/1587 and addressed to unknown person.


Paper, ff. ...,  330 x 225 mm. Many blank pages. The modern foliation is incomplete. Art. 3 has a 
proper pagination. 

I. s. XVI2
All sections are written in long lines. Art. 1 has a page per page ruling in lead, the lines  widely 
spaced (c. 20-22 lines on a page). Art. 3 is ruled for 32-33 lines. Artt. 5-10 have frame-ruling in 
lead.
Artt. 1, 3 and the group 5-10 are each written by a different scribe, all writing Gothica Cursiva 
Libraria (Secretary). The quotations and headings in art. 3 are in Humanistica Cursiva. Art. 2 is 
also written in Humanistica Cursiva. Art. 4 is in Gothica Cursiva Currens (Secretary).

II. s. XVIIin
There is no ruling. Written by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Currens (Secretary), some quotations 
and headings in Humanistica Cursiva.

III. s.XVIex
Written by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Formata (Secretary).

Binding s. XVII??: brown?? sheepskin over pasteboard, rebacked. On the spine the gold-tooled 
titles (s. XIX-XX) "JENKINSON RELATION 1561" and "STATE PAPERS?? MS.".

Tollemache Collection, Helmingham Hall. There is a label on the turn-in of the front cover with 
the shelf-mark "L.J.III" (over a deleted different shelfmark). Helmingham Hall sale, Sotheby's, 6 
July 1961, lot 23?? Purchased from Laurence Witten on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund, 1980. 

Albert Derolez