The descriptions regiments and policies as well general, as particularly of Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England and Scotland, etc. by the several particularities whereof the perfect estate of each one of them may generally be discovered [manuscript], ca. 1597-ca. 1601.

Topographical descriptions, regiments, and policies

1 v. : col. maps, coats of arms, portraits ; 41 x 26 cm

Order of precedence at Elizabeth's going to St. Paul's (Poole), 1588 (leaf 252); particulars of the ships in the Royal Navy, of different kinds of ordnance and of the public charges of the crown temp. Edward VI (leaf 333). A description of Turkey starts on the last leaf.

Contains particulars of geography, government, trade and history of the major western European countries, with lists of rulers and nobility, their coats of arms in color, 54 engraved portraits (pasted in), 9 full sized printed color maps (tipped in) of Europe, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland as well as 52 printed thumbnail maps (pasted in) of the shires of England and Wales.

[5], 2, [1], 4-74, 76, 78-79, 38-42, [1], 43-78, 80-85, 90-127, 130-134, 134-143, [1], 144-167, [1], 168-202, [1], 203-257, 259-277, 279-297, 299, [1], 300-304, 307-308, 310-322, 324-328, 330-331, 333-334, 337-348, [1], 349 leaves.
Incomplete, parts of the text are missing and other parts are made up of notes and documents used as the basis for the revisions of a final copy. In four scribal hands, with corrections in hand of author. There are also 572 additions to the English coats of arms which record creations of peers and their deaths between 1776 and 1782, made by Thomas Willement, ca. 1825.
Ninety-eight leaves have printed rules for emblazoning coats of arms; many left blank.
Thumbnail maps cut from a pack of geographical playing cards.
This work was probably intended as a kind of diplomatic encyclopedia for Queen Elizabeth. There is a fair copy of this manuscript, dedicated to King James I, ca. 1603, at the Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, "The topographical descriptions regiments and policies of Italy, France, Germany, England, Spain, Scotland and Ireland whereby in some sort the particular estates of everyone of those countries my be discovered" (Pre-1650 MS 0109).
For a full description and comparison of the Folger copy and the copy at the University of Illinois see W.R. Streitberger's 1986 work.

Streitberger, W. R. Edmond Tyllney: Master of the Revels and Censor of Plays: A Descriptive Index to His Diplomatic Manual on Europe. AMS Studies in the Renaissance, 15. New York: AMS Press, 1986.
Streitberger, W. R. "Edmond Tyllney's 'Topographical descriptions, regiments, and policies' of England and Wales: A critical edition." Ph. D. diss. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1973.
See also The papers of the bibliographical society of America, 69, no. 4 (1975), p. 449; The Library, XXVIII, nos. 2 & 4, (June and December 1973); Imago mundi, 27 (1975).

Bound in late 18th or early 19th century brown calf (repaired by Folger staff), stamped with a fusil at center, the points of which terminate in fleur-de-lis; two double border rules form squares in each corner within which are coats of arms (a saltire).

T. Willement MS.

Acquired from Maggs Brothers, September 1924.

Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Library, 2006-2007. Technologies of Writing in the Age of Print.

Ricci, S. de. Census of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada, 1300.1

Folgerpedia article about Folger Shakespeare Library V.b.182 (with partial transcription)
Digital image(s) of Folger Shakespeare Library V.b.182

V.b.182

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