Collections by bp. John Bale (d. 1563) relating to the Carmelite order, see nos. MS. Bodl. 73, no. 27636 (which is now lost), MS. Selden Supra 72:

Fol. 18. 'Oracio fratris Martini persone Ytali Carmelite in laudem sue religionis habita apud Agrigentum in Cecilia in capitulo prouinciali'.

Fols. 23, 39. Speeches, verses, letters, etc., of Baptista Mantuanus (d. 1516), with (fols. 59, 63) epitaphs and verses on him, all in Latin. At fols. 36v, 38, 38v are short poems of Fortunatus, Sedulius, and Aldhelm; fols. 59v-62, 65 contain short poems by Jodocus Badius Ascensius (cf. fol. 222v) and others, chiefly epitaphs.

Fol. 75. 'Johannis Paleonydori Bactaui (sic) Carmelitani Manuale de inicio titulo et confirmacione ordinis Carmelitici', with prefaces and index of saints.

Fol. 86v. 'Tractatulus fratris Iohannis Currificis conuentus Spirensis ... de quibusdam sanctis viris et feminis ordinis Carmelitarum', composed about A.D. 1510.

Fol. 92. 'Dyalogus inter Directorem et Detractorem de ordine Carmelitarum fratris Iohannis de Hildeshem . ..': followed at fol. 105v by verses of the same 'contra Detractorem ...'.

Fol. 107. 'Cronica seu Fasciculus temporum ordinis Carmelitarum ex variis ... [auctoribus] collectus' per Johannem Baleum, signed at end' Johannes Baleus': pref. beg. 'Sacra religio fratrum', text beg. 'Helias Thesbites vatum sui temporis prepositus': the latest date mentioned is 1539. Bale's autobiography, with a list of his works, is at fol. 195.

Fol. 197. 'Legende quedam abbreviate sanctorum patrum ordinis Deifere Virginis Marie de Monte Carmeli': beg. 'Andreas Corsinus ex priore'.

Fol. 221. 'Liber de patronatu beate ... Virginis Marie de Monte Carmelo ... fratris Arnoldi Bostii... conuentus Gandensis', with preface, verses, list of chapters, and (fol. 11) index.

Fol. 316. Short treatises:

Fol. 386. 'Cathalogus priorum generalium ordinis Carmelitarum collectus per Iohannem Baleum Sudouolgum': beg. 'Bertoldus Lemouicarum Aquitanie': ends with Johannes Balistarius: see MS. Selden Supra 72, item 2.

On fols. 17, 315v are light reversed impressions of prints from woodengravings of Albertus, patriarch of Jerusalem (d. 1214), and Baptista Mantuanus. Fols. 2, 400 are fly-leaves from a 13th cent. Latin medical treatise.

This volume was probably written in 1540. The date 1539 occurs on fol. 194v, where dr. John Byrd's election in that year to the bishopric of Bangor is mentioned, but not his promotion to Chester in 1541. And Bale left England in 1540, and no binding of Spierinck's is known later than c. 1540, while there is no sign that Bale wrote in a volume ready bound.