Described Hardwick & Luard: ii.538.

[1]

f. 5

Ghostly friend in god as touching thine inward occupation as me thinketh the disposed i speak at this time in speciall to thy selfe and not to all men that this writeing shall heare in generall for then if i should write to all in generall then must i write things that were to all in generall …

f. 28

… to the which i beseech jesu to bring all those which hee hath bought with his precious bloud amen.

‘An epistle of priuate counsell’ (f. 5). Þe Book of Priue Counseling, seventeenth-century copy. IPMEP 251; Wells Rev. 9:3429 [26]. Ed. (not from this MS) by Hodgson, Cloud pp. 135–72; Hodgson, Related pp. 75–99.

Other texts: Wells Rev. lists 15 MSS. See Ii.6.31 [1] and Kk.6.26 [8]. For a MS already indexed see IMEP 4 indexing BodL Douce 262 [3].

[2]

f. 33

Ghostly friend in god i pray the and beseech the that thou wilt haue a busy beholding to the course and manner of thy calling and thanke god heartelie for that thou may through help of his grace stand stifly against all the assailinges of thy bodily and spirituall enymies …

f. 94

… counsell and spirituall comfort in god with abundance of grace euermore be with thee and all gods louers in earth amen.

‘Here begineth the prologue of this booke which is called the divine cloude of unknowing’ (f. 29). The Cloud of Unknowing, seventeenth-century copy. Preceded by prologue (ff. 29–29v) and table of contents (ff. 30–33). IPMEP 320; Wells Rev. 9:3426–8 [21]. Ed. (not from this MS) by Hodgson, Related pp. 1–74.

Other texts: Wells Rev. lists 17 MSS (some of which contain only extracts), and additionally notes 2 Latin translations each extant in one MS, 5 MSS of the later recension known as the Baker version, and 2 MSS of Baker's commentary. See Ii.6.39 [2] and Kk.6.26 [7]. For MSS already indexed see IMEP 4 indexing BodL Douce 262 [1]; IMEP 8 indexing Oxf. Univ Col 14 [1].

Inscriptions: ‘Will Parishes booke 1647’ (f. 28), and there are other inscriptions with his name on f. 94v. William Parish may also have been the scribe of the whole MS.