Augustine Baker Manuscripts

AUGUSTINE BAKER MANUSCRIPTS

HAND-LIST OF BAKER MICROFILMS
DEPOSITED IN THE LIBRARY OF THE
PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF MEDIAEVAL STUDIES
TORONTO

List prepared by Dom Placid Spearritt, 1974
First published in the American Benedictine Review 25 (1974) 310-14

Further information about the treatises and the MSS is to be found in:

Peter Salvin and Serenus Cressy,: The Life of Father Augustine Baker, O.S.B., ed. J. McCann (London, 1933) pp. 160-201 (= SC)
J. McCann and H. Connolly, edd.,: Memorials of Father Augustine Baker and other documents relating to the English Benedictines, Catholic Record Society Publications 33 (1933) 274-293 (= CRS 33)
J. McCann 'Ten more Baker MSS',: Ampleforth Journal 63 (1958) 77-83
J. McCann 'About Two Manuscripts',: Ampleforth Journal 54 (1949) 103-106
H. W. Owen 'Another Augustine Baker Manuscript': in Dr. L. Reypens - Album, ed. A. Ampe, Studien en Tekstuitgaven vans Ons Geestelijk Erf 16 (1964) 269-280

This list follows the numbering and titles standardised by McCann in SC. It therefore includes some treatises that are no longer extant, and a few more that have not been included in the microfilm collection.

1. A.B.C.: A Spiritual Treatise divided into three parts and called A.B.C.; Downside MS. 1. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, about 1677.
2. ADMITTANCE: The Book of Admittance.; Ampleforth MS. 60. Scribe, D. Michael Gascoigne, about 1640.
3. ALL VIRTUES: A Discourse concerning All Virtues in General.; Downside MS. 23. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about l650.
4. ALPHABET: A Spiritual Alphabet for the rise of Beginners, with a Memorial for the Instructor.; Ampleforth MS. 113: scribe, a lay-sister of Cambrai, 165o; and Downside MS. 29: scribe unknown, before 1657.
5. ALVAREZ: The Relation of Fr. Balthazar Alvarez, sent to his General concerning his Prayer.; Lille MS. 20 H. 39. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
6. ANCHOR: The Anchor of the Spirit, consisting in certain verses that are here expounded. To this is adjoined the Remedy against Temptations, written in old English by S. Richard of Hampoll the Hermit and by me made more intelligible.; Ampleforth MS. 118. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, before 1684.
7. APOLOGY: The Apology of Fr Baker for all his works, wherein are certain points worthy of consideration by such private persons as would censure these his writings.; Ampleforth MS. 118. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, before 1684.
8. AUTOBIOGRAPHY: The Rhymes of the venerable Fr Augustine Baker concerning himself. The Treatise of the venerable Fr Augustine Baker concerning his own Life.; Not included among the microfilms. Text printed in CRS 33 (1933) 3-52.
9. BARBANSON: The Secret Paths of Divine Love [translated].; Colwich MS. 20. Scribe D. Barbara Constable, 1657.
10. BLOSIUS: Translations from the works of Louis de Blois, Abbot of Liessies in Hainault (1506-66).; Colwich MS. 36. Various scribes, 17th century.
11. BONILLA: A Short Treatise of the Quiet of the Soul [translated].; Colwich MS. 42. Scribe, a lay-sister of Cambrai, 1650.
12. CLOUD: The Cloud of Unknowing; The Epistle of Privy Counsel [commented]. Ampleforth MS. 42. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, 1677.
13. COLLECTIONS I: Collections out of divers authors. The first Part, wholly out of Harphius.; Colwich MS. 9. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
14. COLLECTIONS II: Collections out of divers authors. The second part, taken out of the book called 'Secrets Sentiers'.; Colwich MS. 9. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
15. COLLECTIONS III: Collections out of divers authors. The third part.; Colwich MS. 9. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
16. CONFESSION: A Spiritual Treatise entitled Confession.; Ampleforth MS. 143. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1645.
17. CONTEMPLATION D: Directions for Contemplation.; The first part, the book D. British Museum, MS. Add. 11510: scribe unknown, probably before 1634; and Downside MS. 2: scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1645.
18. CONTEMPLATION F: Directions for Contemplation. The second part, the book F.; Downside MS. 2. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1645.
19. CONTEMPLATION G: Directions for Contemplation. The third part, the book G.; Downside MS. 2. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1645.
20. CONTEMPLATION H: Directions for Contemplation. The fourth part, the book H. Downside MS. 2. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1645.
21. CONVERSIO MORUM: A Treatise de Conversione Morum.; Downside MS. 29. Scribe unknown, before 1657.
22. DEATH: The book Death.; Downside MS. 23, containing fragments from The book Death. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
23. DICTA: Dicta sive Sententiae sanctorum Patrum de praxi vitae perfectae.; Downside MS. 47. Scribe, D. Augustine Baker, before 1638.
23a. DISCOURSE: A Spirituall Discourse.; Rogers MS. 2. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1654. This is the MS listed as Belmont Abbey MS. 1 in CRS 33 (1933) 279. McCann in a later note about it concludes: 'I think it very unlikely that any other person than Fr. Baker himself was the author of this treatise.'
24. DISCRETION: A Treatise of the Discretion that is to be used and held in the exercises of a spiritual life.; Colwich MS. 5. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
25. DOUBTS: A Treatise of Doubts and Calls. In three parts.; Downside MS. 8. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, 1678.
26. E: The Book E.; Bibliothèque Mazarine MS. 1269. Scribe unknown, before 1634.
27. EMBLEMS: Spiritual Emblems, or Short Sayings with their Expositions.; Downside MS. 23. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
28. ENQUIRY: An Enquiry about the Author of the Treatises of the Abridgement and Ladder of Perfection.; Downside MS. 4. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, about 1i678.
29. EXAMPLES: Selected Examples out of Vitae and Collationes Patrum and other Authors.; Colwich MS. 11. Scribe, a lay-sister of Cambrai, 1653.
30. FALL: A Treatise of the Fall and Restitution of Man.; Chetham's Library MS. Mun. A. 2. 170: scribe, D. Leander Prichard, 1675; and Downside MS. 19: scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, 1678.
3I. FITCH: The Rule of Perfection, containing a brief and perspicuous abridgement of all the whole spiritual life reduced to this only point of the Will of God [translations].; Colwich MSS. 8, 22, containing fragments from Fitch. Various scribes, 17th century.
32. FIVE TREATISES: A Book consisting of Five Treatises. Downside MS. 7. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, about 1678.
33. FLAGELLUM: Flagellum Euchomachorum. Against the impugners, disprizers, or wilful neglectors of the exercise of mental prayer, or the due pursuit thereof.; Downside MS. 28. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, about 1678.
34. GASCOIGNE A: The Life and Death of Dame Margaret Gascoigne.; Downside MS. 42. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
35. GASCOIGNE B: Certain Devotions of Dame Margaret Gascoigne, late religious of the English Benedictine Convent of Virgins at Cambray [edited].; Colwich MS. 18. Scribe, probably D. Bridget More, about 1650.
36. HARPHIUS: Theologia Mystica [translations].; Lille MS. 20 H. 23, a fragment of Harphius. Scribe unknown, before 1634.
37. HILTON: The Scale of Perfection. Letter to a Devout Man [edited]. Downside MSS 17, 18. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1644-45.
38. HISTORY: Transcripts of monastic records. Not included among the microfilms.
39. IDIOTS DEVOTION A: The Idiots Devotion or the Desires of Love. Divided into sixteen parts or books, every part consisting of several exercises and every exercise of several points or matters.; Downside MS. 36. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1649.
40. IDIOTS DEVOTION B: Directions to shew how to make use of the exercises called Idiots Devotion or the Desires of Love.; Stonyhurst MS. A. vii, 16: scribe, D. Leander Prichard, 1638; and Gillow Library Baker MS. 1 (29A): scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1653.
41.: The book K.; The treatise is not extant under this title, but it may be identical with that listed above as no. 23a, Discourse.
42. LAWS: Notes on the laws of England. Three volumes.; These volumes are not known to be extant.
43. LETTERS: Three letters.; Not included among the microfilms.
44. LIBRARY: Concerning the Library of this House.; Colwich MS. 9, containing a fragment of Library. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
45. LOVE OF ENEMIES: A Discourse concerning the Love of our Enemies.; Downside MS. 23. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
46. MIRROR: The Mirror of Patience and Resignation.; Downside MS. 23. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
47. MISSION A: A Treatise of the English Mission.; Part I, Downside MS. 27; Part II, Ampleforth MS. 119. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1644-45.
48. MISSION B: An Introduction or Preparative to a Treatise of the English Mission.; Downside MS. 26. Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1650.
49. MORE A: The Life and Death of Dame Gertrude More, a religious virgin of the English cloister of Benedictine nuns in the city of Cambray.; Stanbrook MS. 5 and Ampleforth MS. 125. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
50. MORE B: Confessiones Amantis.; Bodleian MS. Rawl. C. 581. Scribe unknown, about 1640. v51. ORDER; The Order of Teaching, or a Brief Calendar for the help of the memory of a spiritual instructor, expressing the points whereon he is more at large to proceed in discourse and practice with his disciple.; Gillow Library Baker MS. 1 (29A): scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1653; and Colwich MS. 9: scribe unknown, 17th century.
52. PROTESTATIONS: Our Belief and Practice in the matter of Divine Call. Our Belief concerning Spirituality and Religiosity.; Colwich MS. 4. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
53. REFECTION: A Treatise of Refection.; Not extant.
54. REMAINS: The Remains of other works, collected and put together by the author himself.; Downside MS. 22. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, about 1678.
55. REMEDIES.: Not extant.
56. RHYMES: Rhythmi Spirituales sive Canticorum Liber.; Ampleforth MS. 149. Scribe unknown, about 1640.
57. RICERIUS: The Words of Brother Ricerius of Marchia, shewing by what means a man may by God's grace very soon attain to the knowledge of truth and perfection [translated].; Not included among the microfilms.
58. ROLLE: A Treatise of St Richard of Hampole, being a sovereign sentence or remedy to comfort a person that is in temptation [edited].; Colwich MS. 18: scribe, probably D. Bridget More, about 165o; and Ampleforth MS. 118: scribe, D. Barbara Constable, before 1684.
59. RULE: An Exposition of the Rule of our most holy Father St Benedict.; Downside MS. 16. Scribe, D. Dunstan Hutchinson, before 1730.
60. SECRETUM: Secretum sive Mysticum, containing an exposition of the book called The Cloud.; Ampleforth MSS. 43, 44. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, 1678.
61 SICKNESS: A Treatise shewing one how he is to behave himself in the time of Sickness or corporal Infirmity, and how to prepare himself for Death.; Downside MS. 23. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
62. STAY: A Secure Stay in all Temptations.; Downside MS. 15. Scribe, D. Wilfrid Reeve, 1679.
63. SUMMARY: A Summary of Perfection.; Gillow Library Baker MS. 1 (29A). Scribe, D. Barbara Constable, 1653.
64. TAULER: The Sermons, etc., of John Tauler, O.P. [translated].; Part II, Ampleforth MS. 50: scribe unknown, 17th century. Part IV, Colwich MS. 13: scribe, probably D. Bridget More, before 1634. Part V, Colwich MS. 14: scribe, a lay-sister of Cambrai, 1644. Various sermons, Stanbrook MS. 23: scribe unknown, about 1650. Institutions, Colwich MS. 15: scribe, a lay-sister of Cambrai, 1643.
65. THOMAS A KEMPIS: Translations.; Lille MS. 20 H. 39, containing a fragment of five sermons. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
66. VINDICATION: Two Statements in defence of his teaching and practice, addressed to the President of the Congregation.; Bodleian MS. Rawl. C. 460. Scribe, D. Leander Prichard, about 1650.
67. VOX CLAMANTIS: Vox Clamantis in Deserto Animae.; Colwich MS. 4. Scribe unknown, 17th century.
68. X.Y.Z.: Various small pieces.; Ampleforth MS. 60. Scribe, D. Michael Gascoigne, about 1640.
69. (BATT): A Spirituall Looking-glass, written by the devout Abbot Blosius of the Order of St Benet. Transcribed by me according to the translation thereof made into English by the Rd. fa: fa: A. Batte, monke of the saide Order.; Ampleforth MS. 86. Scribe, D. Augustine Baker, 1632. This, though not a Baker treatise, is included in the microfilm collection, since it is written in his hand.