Manuscripts.
Found in 2109 Collections and/or Records:
Copy, 18th century, of ‘Staggering State of the Scots Statesmen’, from 1550 to 1650, by Sir John Scot of Scotstarvet, written circa 1665.
Copy, 18th century, of ‘The Life and Death of ... James Renwick’ by Alexander Shields, Minister of St. Andrews, written in the late 17th century.
The manuscript version corresponds more or less with the first printed version but excludes the `Epistle to the Reader` at the beginning and Renwick`s ‘Admission of Elders’ and several of his letters which are added at the end. The present manuscript breaks off abruptly near the end of the text and is left incomplete. There is no title page.
Copy, 18th century, of the Standing Orders of the House of Lords, 1763, and before.
The manuscript contains numbers 1-127 of the Orders. The latest Orders are dated 1763.
Copy, 18th century, written on paper watermarked 1742 or 1749, of an extract from `An Abridgment of the Scotishe historie`, written by John Maxwell, 4th Lord Herries of Terregles and dated 1656.
Copy, 19th century, of a comedy in verse, ‘The Pedlers Prophecie’, which was published anonymously in 1595 (printed by Thomas Creede, London), but has been attributed to Robert Wilson the actor and playwright.
Wilson was also the author of ‘The Coblers Prophesie’ which appeared in 1594.
Copy, 1685, of a calendar and `Stutt útskýring calendari`.
Copy, 1812, of "Tales of the Peries the History of Azar Shah from the Persie", from a manuscript in the possession of John Leyden.
With correspondence, 20th century, concerning John Leyden and to the Leyden papers now in the National Library of Scotland.
Copy, 1820, of verse, `Prophecies by Sundrie authors some wherof knowen and ther names affixed, others not knowen, but many of them old and currant thro the isle of Great Brittane. Collected and faithfully written by John Gordon of Gillichoudie, 1711`. In several cases the original dates of the Prophecies are given, and range from 1399 to 1688.
There are two copies, in different hands, of a prophecy by Mr Bickerhead, a priest, dated 1679, folios 3 and 8.
The first Prophecy is ascribed to two authors, Sir James Galloway and John Napier of Merchiston, the mathematician. None of the poems appear to have been published.
Copy, after 1690, of `Collections of the most remarkable accounts that relate to the families of Scotland drawn from ther own charters and other authentick writts ... with ane account of ther armes’.
Copy, apparently the licence copy, of the play 'The fair Quaker' by Edward Thompson.
The volume is made up of pages from a copy of the 1769 edition of ‘The Fair Quaker of Deal, or, the Humours of the Navy’ by Charles Shadwell (originally published in 1710), bearing numerous small textual alterations and deletions, and leaves containing a great deal of new or completely revised material, written in a formal contemporary hand.
Copy by Matthew Craufurd, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Edinburgh, of ‘History of the University of Edinburgh from 1580 to 1646’ by Thomas Craufurd.
A colophon dated 20 January 1725, states that Matthew Craufurd made this copy from the original, which then belonged to Laurence Dundas, Professor of Humanity.
The text is preceded by brief notes on purchases by and gifts to the University, 1582-1642.
Copy by Sir James Balfour of Denmilne of the log-book of Captain John Anderson for 1640 to 1643.
Copy by Sir James Balfour of the diary of Robert Birrell, burgess of Edinburgh.
Apart from a few entries at the beginning, recording major events since 1370, it covers the period between 1566 and 1603, breaking off in July of that year. All the entries concern public events.
Copy, dated 1800, of ‘The Historie and Life of King James the Sext’, attributed to John Colville.
An inscription by Malcolm Laing appears on folio 181, dated 15 July, 1800.
Copy, dated June 16 1727 (page 178), of the autobiography of William Veitch, minister of Dumfries, which was written (in the third person) apparently in 1714 (page 171).
The text ends at page 171: the following pages contain passages intended for previous insertion.
Copy, early 18th century, of `A Discourse concerning the three Unions betwixt Scotland and England’, an apparently unpublished work, written circa 1670.
The affairs which are discussed include James VI’s succession to the English throne, the proposals for a more entire union of Scotland and England made early in James`s reign and the proposals for a legislative union made in 1669-1670 by Charles II.
Copy, eighteenth century, of ‘Arcanum hermeticae philosophiae opus’.
‘Arcanum hermeticae philosophiae opus in quo occulta Naturae et Artis circa Lapidis philosophorum materiam et operandi modum canonicé et ordinatè fiunt manifesta. muarto editio emendata et aucta 1647’.
Copy, eighteenth century, of 'The secret commonwealth' by Robert Kirk.
This copy of ‘The secret Commonwealth’ was at one time part of a larger volume (as was shown by remains of the binding).
Copy, in a 17th-century hand, of several prose tracts of the poet William Drummond of Hawthornden, written at the time of the Civil War.
Copy in a contemporary hand, apparently that of one of his secretaries, of `A Discourse, conteyninge A perfect Accompt given to the moste vertuous and excellent Princesse Marie Queene of Scotts and her Nobility, by John Leslie B. of Rosse, Ambassador for her highnes toward the Queene of England Of his whole charge and proceedings duringe the time of his Ambassadge from his entres in England in September 1568 to the xvj[??] day of March 1571’.
Copy, in an early 18th-century hand, of `The secret and true history of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation to the Restauration (sic; in fact, to the year 1678) by Mr [James] Kirkton. Anno 1690` (folio 1).
Copy in an unidentified formal hand, apparently datable to the 2nd quarter of the 18th century, of `The Pourtrait of True Loyalty Exposed in the Family of Gordon without interruption to this present year 1691 With A Relation of the Siege of the Castle of Edinburghe in the year 1689’ [apparently corrected from 1699].
Copy in an unidentified hand of ‘Memorial offered to the Honourable Commissioners of Excise concerning the Mensuration of Tuns or Backs that have some irregularity in the Figure and Situation of the Bottom ... To which is added a Method of correcting the common Tables, and some new Theorems` by Colin Maclaurin.
There is a pen drawing of a ship on folio vi. This is a work of applied mathematics written in order to enable customs officers to gauge the contents of molasses barrels used in the port of Glasgow.