Epitome of A Commentary on Antoninus, his Itinerary by William Burton

Manuscript copy of An Epitome of Mr. Burtons Commentary on the British part of Antoninus his Itinerary , 1666. The title-page is decorated with fleurs-de-lys in red, a lion rampant and various inscriptions. There are also alphabetical tables to the text, and folios 19-61 are numbered as 1-85.
Burton's Commentary was published in 1658, but this Epitome was never published.

William Burton (1609-1657) was a philologist and antiquary. He published A commentary on Antoninus, his itinerary or jounies of the Romane Empire, so far as it concerneth Britain: wherin the first foundation of our cities, lawes and government, according to the Roman policy, are clearly discovered (Thomas Roycroft, London, 1658). The Commentary emphasised the antiquities of Britain in an attempt to place the origins of British cultural institutions in the context of the Roman Empire.

Single item.

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The manuscript was part of the Bacon Society's Library, as No. 229.

Collection level description.

Folios 2-7, 9-12 and 62-68 are blank. Bound in calf with gold tooling. Illustrated.

Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Papers collected by William Burton relating to Roman Britain are held at the Huntington Library, California.

Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests.

The manuscript bears the inscription 'Ex Bibliotheca Battlesden' on folio 1. Below this is a lion rampant and underneath this 'Sir T[homas] P[hillipps] Middle Hill 3142'. The Battlesden Library was acquired by Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet (1792-1872), before 1830 from Sir Gregory Page Turner of Bedfordshire. On folio 68v are the initials 'T.F.F.' with the date 1891, suggesting that at this date the manuscript was in the possession of Thomas Fitzroy Phillipps Fenwick, the son of Sir Thomas Phillipps' third daughter. The volume also bears the book plate of M.F. Bayley, the Baconian, whose signature appears on folio IV.

A commentary on Antoninus, his itinerary or jounies of the Romane Empire, so far as it concerneth Britain: wherin the first foundation of our cities, lawes and government, according to the Roman policy, are clearly discovered (Thomas Roycroft, London, 1658).