Commonplace books. Three manuscript commonplace books, 17th century, all in dark brown ink in the same rounded and non-cursive roman-style hand, contemporary sheep or calf bindings, each with two engraved metal clasps and catches (item 3 with one clasp lacking), comprising: 1) 90 ff., 155 x 96 mm, contemporary manuscript date '5 July 90' at head of first page, including excerpts from sermons by 17th-century divines including 'Dr. [William] Cave's Sermon' (incipit 'Religion is an inward and vitall principle'), Dr. [Edward] Stillingfleet's Sermon (titled 'If the Righteous scarcely be saved'), [William] Sancroft's 'Lex ignea', notes on classical authors including Martial, Plato ('Passionate men like York-sheir-hounds are apt to over run ye scent. Plato sayes they are like men standing upon their heads, they see all things the wrong way'), Plutarch ('Plutarch is pleased with an oppertunity of praising vertue, Seneca glad of a pretence to reprehend vice'), Epicurus ('Epicurus recommends Temperance, if it were for nothing else but the very pleasure of it', under the heading 'Guide to Eternity. He that teaches, learns'), and notes on Christianity and the Bible, initial blank leaf near detached (with modern annotation' Seems to be a book of the ''Sayings '' and ''doings'' of Eminent People from Socrates to Sir E[dmund] T[urnor]'s time, 1690') 2) 99 ff. + blanks, 134 x 84 mm, containing Biblical extracts, binding rubbed, 3) 136 ff., containing transcriptions of the Psalms, manuscript note dated 6 December 1671 tipped to front pastedown (see note) The note bound in at the front of the third item reads: 'This book of Psalms ... apparently transcribed by Mr. Baxter for Sir Edm. Turnor', with the date 6 December 1671 recto. This is Sir Edmund Tunor (1619-1707) of Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire.