Item 63 (Commonplace, Sententia), fol. 69r-v

Apothegms

1 He that knows not where to find the sea, let him take a river for his guide

...

and he that thinks he will not forgive him accuses him of falsehood, for he hath sworn by himself

[This is a list of 30 apothegms.]

Item 12 (Notes, Sententia, Display alphabet, Calligraphic writing), fols 12 rev.-20v rev.

Calligraphic exercises, including alphabets, proverbial sayings, epistolary salutations, and punctuation symbols.

[For this final section, the manuscript has been reversed so that the end of the volume forms a new beginning. I believe that the main hand is Hand A, but it is so much neater than the rest of Hand A's entries that it is open to debate. First appears a list of punctuation symbols (fol. 19v rev.), then on fol. 19r the alphabet has been written eight times and the name " Ann Bowyr" appears at the bottom of the page. On fol. 18v a proverbial saying about the evils of wine has been transcribed six times, and the name "Ann Bowyr" appears again at the bottom of the page. On fol. 18r the alphabet appears four times, and on fol. 17v the salutation of a letter, addressing a sister, has been written four times, in at least two different hands (Hand A and C). Hand C, making its only appearance here, may be a sibling, given the subject matter. Fol. 17r contains one copy of the alphabet, and fol. 16v a proverbial saying on never comitting your honour to fortune. That proverb is signed "Ann Bowyr". Fol. 16r contains the letters A through M followed by lower case m's, and fol. 15v a proverbial saying on the virtue of charitable deeds. Fol. 15r contains the rest of the alphabet begun on fol. 16r (N through Z), again followed by lower case m's, and fol. 14v contains an incomplete proverb on the folly of quarreling with a mighty man. On fol. 14r is one copy of the alphabet, and on fol. 13v a proverb on the just man fearing nothing. On fol. 13r we have one copy of the alphabet, and on fol. 12v simply two lower case a's, each followed by a colon. On fol. 12r is a final copy of the alphabet.]

[Fols 20r-v are blank.]

Item 7 (Sententia), fol.137r

Admiration may attend great qualities in the mind, but esteem can only follow good ones

Item 40 (Sententia), fol.145v

Nothing refines the reasoning faculty more than rising early, constant exercising of it, and keeping the mind calm from all kinds of passion

Item 3 (Verse, Drama, Commonplace, Extract, Sententia), fols 176v-194v

Verse extracts from a variety of sources

1696

[This section is prefaced by the following epigraph written by Katherine Butler on an otherwise blank page (fol. 176v): ""The reason why I wrote severall of these following Verses, was not that I thought them all good, but the subjects was - what, I had occasion to make vse of"". With one exception (the second item on fol. 177r, on grief) all of the passages in this section are in verse. See Context and purpose article for a general discussion of the contents of these pages.]

[End of poetry section. Manuscript is reversed and the final page is now a new first page.]

Item 8.5 (Prose, Sententia)

Si quis percurrere omnes scriptores

...

et faciendi libros plures non est finis

Item 9.5 (Prose, Sententia)

Cum omni solicitudine veritatis indaganda est causa

...

Iudices veritatem, et legum et iustitiae vestigia sequi debent

Item 10.5 (Prose, Sententia)

Mens avara semel vinculis cupidatatis astricta

...

Vende animam lucro.

Persius

Item 11.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Rasit Amon dimidiam partem barbae eorum

...

Itaque Virgo Viri

Ennius

Cicero

[In Officiis]

Item 12.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Inveterate dierum malorum

...

Stultitia est quae me non finit esse senem.

Item 13.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Qui parcit virgae odit filium suum

...

animum eius ab inferno liberabis

Item 14.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Vir insipiens fovit malum

...

et qui foveam fodit incidet in eam

Item 15.5 (Prose, Sententia)

Est via quae videtur homini iusta

...

Salus ubi multa consilia

Item 16.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Infantium insensatorum more viventes

...

Boni autem mores plusquam divitiae operantur.

Item 17.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Ne moliaris amico tuo malum

...

Potentes potenter tormenta patientur

Item 18.3 (Prose, Sententia)

Erit tempus cum sanam doctrinam non sustinebunt

...

habent Mosen et Prophetas audiant illos

Item 19.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Sapiens timet

...

Dum prospexero non confundar in aeternum

Item 20.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Ne intenderis fallaciae mulieris

...

Littore quot conchae, tot sunt in amore dolores

Item 21.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Non miseretur eorum qui assidue peccant

...

Vis ergo evadere quod incertum est, age penitentiam dum sanus es

Item 22.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Qui edificat domum suam

...

et cenaculum suum in iudicio

Item 23.3 (Prose, Sententia)

Cum ad aequales bibitur

...

Foecundi calices quem non fecere desertum

Item 24.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Noli anxius esse in divitiis iniustis

...

Dives et Pauper obviaverunt, utriusque operator est Dominus

Item 25.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Non potestis Deo servire et Mammoni.

...

Cor ingrediens duas vias, non habebit successus.

Item 26.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Omnis natura bestiarum

...

Qui inconsideratus est ad loquendum, sentiet mala.

Item 27.5 (Prose, Sententia)

Bene docendo, et male vivendo

...

Ad decernendum propria sensus habet

Item 28.3 (Prose, Sententia)

Si quid invenisti et non reddidisti

...

Unus quisque scire debet quod suum non est, ad alium pertinere

Item 29.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Usquequo parvuli diligitis infantiam

...

Discite causas rerum, quid sumus, et unde

Item 30.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Successus humanae prosperitatis

...

tarditatem supplicii gravitate compensat

Item 31.3 (Prose, Sententia)

O curas hominum o quantum est

...

quae precepit tibi Deus illa cogita

Item 32.3 (Prose, Sententia)

Qui mutuum recipit

...

Omnia tempus habent, et suis spaciis transeunt

Item 33.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Orabat autem scelestus

...

Psallam spiritu, psallam et mente

Item 34.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Quantum plus laboraverit

...

duo monosyllaba versant est et non est

Item 35.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Nolite loqui iniquitatem adversus Deum Proverbs 9

Item 36.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Nec qui praeteriit iterum

...

Mors est ultimum terribilium

Item 37.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Ambitio causa Pluralitatis

...

Non habemus hic civitatem permanentem

Item 38.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Consuetudo est altera natura

...

ne differas de die in diem

Item 39.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Adde ceram cohibe

...

Custodes cauta est ab illis, incipit uxor

Item 40.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Ab Venus ad nutum trahis omnia

...

Corpora tu maculas, animas in tartara mergis

Item 41.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Perigrinatio non facit Medicum

...

et nulla ars dicitur loco

Item 42.4 (Prose, Sententia)

Debet homo lentum

...

vehemens equitatare iumentum

Item 127 (Sententia), fol. 63v [p. 126]

Pen and wash drawing, and miscellaneous Latin, English and French texts, on falling into vice when attenpting to avoid vice

J. Swete

[Numbered 120]

In vitium saepe ducit Culpae fuga. One extreme often begets another!

Item 128 (Sententia), fol. 64r [p. 127]

Pen and wash drawing, and miscellaneous French, English and Latin texts, on the powerlessness of Fortune

J. Swete

[Numbered 121]

La Fortune ne fait point le merite! Fortune cannot give desert!

Item 5 (Verse, Religious writing, Sententia), fols. 3r-75v

Quatrains du Sieur de Pybrac

Dieu tout premier, puis pere et mere honore

...

Voila les fruits de ma philosophie.

Finis.

[126 quatrains, numbered with Roman numerals, transcribed on rectos only. 1 or 2 quatrains on each page, headed by a decorated bird, flower or insect.]

Item 5 (Notes, Sententia, Sermon), pp. 170 rev.-104 rev.

Sermon notes, texts, and homilies in an earlier hand

[Rebecca Rees has discovered that this hand is that of Dorothy Browne, Elizabeth Lyttelton's mother (personal communication with this Perdita researcher; article forthcoming). Browne compiled her material before Lyttelton (for example, see p. 171, which shows Lyttelton continuing her transcription of the Ralegh letter, Item 4, working around Browne's entry).]

Item 6.9 (Verse, Couplet, Sententia), pp. 92 rev.-85 rev.

Eight pages of versified proverbs (many in couplet form) attributed to Sir Philip Woodhouse

[For other pieces attributed to Woodhouse see Items 2.23 and 2.28.]

Item 6.9.1 (Verse, Couplet, Sententia), pp. 92 rev.-92 rev.

Some Arabian proverbs

Too strict a silence often does bewray

...

is more an orphan, who wants philosophy

Item 6.9.2 (Verse, Couplet, Sententia), pp. 91 rev.-85 rev.

Italian and French proverbs rhythmized

They cannot dance amiss

...

who's grieved yet scorns to do indecently

[The attribution on p. 85 is ""by the ever Honourd Sr Phillip Woodhouse"". ]

Item 1.1 (Sententia, Front matter), fol. i r

A proverb

He who makes himself a sheep, becomes a prey to the wolf

[This is the whole text of the item.]

Item 11 (Religious writing, Sententia), pp. 41-46

[Sayings on faith, mercy, sin, grace, promises, the transitory nature of life, pride, lusts, righteousness, providence, obedience, and the sufficiency of Christ.]

Item 12.10 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 66

[Saying on good from evil.]

Item 12.12 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 68

[Three sayings.]

Item 12.15 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 73

[Saying on Cain's sin.]

Item 12.18 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 82

[Two sayings and the phrase "prase the Lord o my soule" .]

Item 12.22 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 89

[Saying on the flesh]

Item 18 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 101

So let me live that I may be fit to die

...

to think of old defilements with new delight

[Sayings on Christ's second coming, repentance and sin.]

Item 20 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 102

Generally we must desire God's mercies greedily

...

works as if it did not believe

[Sayings on prayer, Christ as fountain, faith.]

Item 27 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 107

it is a Less Evil to do sin & not love it

...

whose will is his deed accounts ours so

[Sayings on sin, conscience, and actions]

Item 28 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 108

[Sayings]

Item 30 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 109

[Sayings]

Item 32 (Religious writing, Sententia), pp. 110-112

...

he will never be removed, my Lord help me

[Sayings]

Item 36 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 122

God's Mercy is my only merit.

[This is the full text of the item.]

Item 39 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 123

Look we down with humility

...

with faith unto Christ's righteousness

Item 41 (Religious writing, Sententia), pp. 123-126

The affection of Love is natural

Item 43 (Religious writing, Sententia), pp. 127-128

[Sayings]

Item 45 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 129

[Saying]

Item 47 (Religious writing, Sententia), p. 130

the womb of all Holy duties is Grace

...

who does not hate all sin

Item 49 (Religious writing, Sententia), pp. 131-3

vast is the difference between the state of Adam

Item 54 (Religious writing, Sententia), pp. 135-6

Christ did not Satisfy upon Condition

...

to work these graces & qualifications in them in due time.

Finis.

[Saying on faith, repentance and grace.]