Religious meditations

including a treatise entitled "Poyntes taken out of the habitte" on the symbolism of the nun's habit, papal decrees such as "Indulgences granted by... Pope Gregory the 15th" at the beatification of Ignatius and other saints in 1622, spiritual meditations (e.g. "Remedyes against the disquiet & anxiety which exteriour imployments cause in a soule affected to recollection & prayer") and advice on the following of monastic rules, carefully written in a single attractive italic hand with clubbed descenders, ruled in pencil, c.250 pages, 8vo (160 x 110mm.), probably mid-seventeenth century, contemporary vellum boards with yapp edges and ties

Sir Thomas Phillipps, acquired in Brussels (see Catalogus Librorum Manuscriptorum, 1837, see Phillipps Studies, vol. III, p.155), book stamp (Phillipps MS 4019); William O'Brien, bequest booklabel dated 1899

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

THE PERSONAL SPIRITUAL MISCELLANY OF A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY NUN. The treatise on the habit that opens this miscellany makes it clear that the compiler was female, and several other of the texts in the volume also use the feminine pronoun. The final tract, "How we are to practis our holy rule according to perfection", includes several specific references to St Augustine as the founder of the order. Given that this manuscript was acquired by Thomas Phillipps in Brussels, it probably originated in the Low Countries, where Augustinian communities included the English Augustinian Convent in Bruges.