St John's College O.56 (James 402)

Robert Masters, Miscellaneous papers. English, later eighteenth century

Robert Masters, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (1713-98): miscellaneous papers, including comments upon a damning review in the Gentleman's Magazine (vol. 54, pp. 194-7) of his Life of Mr Thomas Baker (1784), and on biographies of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester (at fo. 5: 'Mr Lewis who published the Lives of Dr Wickliffe and Bishop Peacock, drew up that of Bp Fisher as a sequel to them [other works], which he left in MS and it came into the hands of the late Sir Peter Tompson, who purposed giving it to Queens' College in Cambridge'). The vol. also includes critical remarks on Richard Gough's Anecdotes of British Topography (1768/1780), copies of letters from Baker to Strype, 1714-17, notes on Foxe's Actes and Monuments and on John Knox's writings, notes on Bibles and other early printed books.

Manuscript extra information

210x170 mm, 48 fos. Formerly Phillipps MS 25366. Cuttings from booksellers' catalogues inside front and back covers, the latter for lot 866 in the Sotheby's Phillipps sale of June 1896. The MS was presented to the College by Robert Forsyth Scott, then Fellow and later Master of St John's, in 1900 (donation plate inside front cover). Former classmark a20.429 inside front cover.

Autograph throughout. Several corrections. Paper. Marbled paper on boards, leather spine, the text block completely detached, and perhaps not present in original form.