ter-fate of the larger books was, that they were burned;
some small ones, we are distinctly told, were saved from this fate, but
seem to have been disregarded, and all trace of them lost. The Abbe
Waters--a collateral descendant of Lucy Waters, the Duke of Monmouth's
mother--was the person with whom George IV. negotiated for the Stuart
papers, and from whom the volumes which have since appeared as Clark's
_Life of James the Second_ were obtained; and it is from the Abbe Waters
we have the account of the destruction of King James's autograph papers.
Dr. Anster showed, written on the inner cover of this volume, the words,
"Baron Watiers" or "Watrers."

As to the identity of the book, Dr. Anster quoted several passages from
contemporary authors to test their account of the contents of the
"album" with those of the book he was describing. In the _Harleian
Miscellany_, vol. vi. p.323., it is stated in Sir John Reresby's
memoirs, that "out of his [Monmouth's] pocket were taken books, in his
own handwriting, containing charms or spells to open the doors of a
prison, to obviate the danger of being wounded in battle, together with
songs and prayers." Barillon describes the book in what is nearly a
translation of this--"Il y avoit des secrets de magie et d'enchantment,
avec des chansons des recettes pour des maladies et des prieres." Again,
in a note by Lord Dartmouth to the modern editions of _Burnet's Own
Times_, we have the following statement:--

"My uncle Colonel William Legge, who went in the coach with him
[Monmouth] to London as a guard, with orders to stab him if there
were any disorders on the road, showed me several charms that were
tied about him when he was taken, and his table-book, which was
full of astrological figures that nobody could understand; but he
told my uncle that they had been given to him some years before in
Scotland, and he now found they were but foolish conceits."

The actual contents of the manuscript volume show a great resemblance to
these descriptions. The most curious passages which it contains are the
duke's memorandums of his journey on two visits to the Prince of Orange,
in the year previous to his last rash adventure. His movements up to the
14th of March, 1684-85, are given. The entries do not seem to be of much
moment; but they may accidentally confirm or disprove some disputed
points of history. There is an entry without a date, describing the
stages