Subjects include 'Reformatio languentis anime', 'Speculum Timoris', ' Scutum Fidei', 'Ecce Homo', ' Stella Maris', 'Ecclesia' and the like, in the style of the early block books: all with Latin poems descriptive of the drawings, and nearly all with Dutch poems in addition. The numerous Latin sentences in the drawings are in red, blue, or black.

The last drawing (fol. xxxii) is a glorification of Brussels, her religious houses and great men: the corresponding verses point out that seven is a dominant number there.

From three leaves of parchment prefixed, which bear a long Latin and a long Dutch poem, it is clear that the drawings are by Gielis van den Hecke (Aegidius Heckius), who died in August 1538, and were designed for the use of the Priory van Zeven Bronen (Seven Borren, Septem Fontium) at Brussels: his nephew Joos (Judocus) van den Hecke wrote these two poems, and presented the whole to that house. A cutting from an English bookseller's catalogue (no. 548) shows that the volume once had 51 engravings at the end.

'Reverendo Domino Joanni Antonio Steemans ad 7tem Fontes canonico regulari ... à Josepho 2do suppresso 13 Junii 1784.'.