As you were kind enough to accept the paper which I communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, on “the harmonies contrived by Nicholas Ferrar at Little Gidding,” and as you have honoured me by giving it a place in the Archaeologia, I venture to submit for your consideration a short account of another of these interesting works, which has been only recently brought to my notice.

The troubles in the Low Countries in the second half of the sixteenth century, occasioned by the progress of the reformation of religion, caused a large emigration to this country of Protestants, who settled, by special permission of the crown, in London, Norwich, and other places. Among these was a printer named Anthony de Solen, Solempne, de la Solemme or Solemne, who came to England in 1567 from Brabant, with his wife and two sons.

Even in the last three centuries so much that was of archaeological value among the ruins of Ancient Rome has been destroyed, that any record of the existing remains which dates back as far as the 16th century must be of interest to the modern student.

The great revival of classical architecture which took place in the sixteenth century induced all the chief architects of that time to study with special care even the smallest fragments of the former architectural glory of the ancient city. Among the many professional architects of that time who measured and copied both the general form and the details of the classical remains, none did so with greater zeal and more patient labour than Pirro Ligorio in the preparation of his copious work L'Antichità di Roma, which still exists as a MS. in thirty folio volumes among the royal archives at Turin.

Considering the almost countless portraits of Queen Elizabeth that are known to exist, it is remarkable how very few actual repetitions there are among them. With other portraits of distinguished and popular characters the case is quite different, as they may be classified into so many groups in each of which the pictures are exactly alike.

The portrait which I have the honour of describing this evening, by favour of the Duke of Buccleuch and Lord Walter Scott, has the peculiarity of not standing alone. It possesses a very interesting counterpart at Westminster, in the Dean's library, where it is inserted in a panel over the fireplace. Being a fixture, there is unfortunately no possibility of its being brought hither for examination. Before, however, entering into a comparison of the two pictures, it may be well to consider some of the characteristics of the portrait before us.

The volume from which the following lists of arms and armour are taken is a neatly written MS. of 469 folios, presented to the Society in 1775 by Grustavus Brander, Esq. F.S.A.

The volume is complete in itself, but is in fact the larger portion of an inventory of the property of Henry VIII. taken in the first year of Edward VI. 1547. The remainder of the inventory is in the Harleian collection of MSS., and is contained in MSS. 1419 A and B. Of these two latter parts A contains the guardrobes and household stuff in the Tower of London, and at Greenwich, Westminster, Hampton Court, Otelands, Nonsuch, Windsor, and other palaces and houses of the late king. Part B enumerates various deliveries of stuff to different persons during the first four years of Edward VI. and is consequently a partial repetition of part A.