Small enough to conceal, a dangerous text from Elizabethan England in manuscript, 1583. Recusant manuscript prayerbook.

FLINTON, George. A Manual of Prayers newly gathered out of many and divers famous authors, as well ancient, as of the time present. Reduced into thirteen chapters, very commodious and profitable for a devout Christian
[Rouen, 1583]
[with] Certain differences between love towards God & love towards creatures
[with] A Short Dialogue of S. Catharine of Syenna touching perfection
[with] The Words of Brother Ricerius of Marchia, a companion to the blessed Father…
[with] [WHITFORD, Richard]. Certain Devout and Godly Petitions…
[Antwerp, 1575] In English, ink on paper, after 1583

Dimensions
93 x 75 mm

Description
150pp. In a neat and compact 17th century hand, text within ruled frame, frontispieces drawn in ink, with several tables and diagrams within the text, capitals larger. All executed in the same hand in brown ink, ‘Iesu’ in lighter ink. Inscription of ‘M William Stephens’ to frontispiece verso and free endpaper.

Binding
Later black morocco binding covers with ornamental floral roll gilt tooling and dentelle frame; spine with raised bands, five compartments with delicate gilt pointillé and arabesques; board edges and edges gilt,
marbled endpapers.

Condition
In very good condition, with only light browning and slight wear on page edges. Margins trimmed closely.

The main work copied in this manuscript was originally printed by Parsons’ press in Rouen. This is an abridged copy, from a book which probably lacked pages 33-40, as these pages have been left blank with the cutoffs at the end and beginning of the original pages.

Comparable Manuscripts
While a comparable miniature manuscript prayer book exists in the Huntington Library (Shrewsbury Manuscript), that example is incomplete (approx. 26 pages) and differs in character. Later printed editions of Flinton’s Manual of Prayers, including the 1671 Antwerp edition, are themselves of notable rarity and appear only sporadically on the market.

Provenance
1. William Stephens, early inscription title page verso and free endpaper

References
I: ESTC S105168; USTC 141986; V: ESTC S107390; USTC406263; Pollard 14563.3

Institutional Printed Copies
The first work, by George Flinton, is only recorded in the Bodleian and Houghton Libraries. The last work, attributed to Richard Whitford, has 3 recorded copies in the UK (BL,Corpus Christi, Bodleian) and 1 in France (Versailles).