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The General Manuscript Collection is an artificial collection of correspondence, diaries, lecture notes, class work, essays, administrative documents, minutes, and other documents collected by the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Single items or very small collections are generally classified as part of the general manuscript collection rather than assigned an individual manuscript number. Additionally, small additions to existing RBML manuscript collections may be classified as part of the General Manuscript Collection.

A volume containing copies, probably in a secretary's hand, of 156 letters written by Milton when he was secretary to Oliver Cromwell. These are addressed to the various reigning monarchs of Europe, to Cardinal Mazarin, the Duke of Muscovy, Duke of Brandenburg, etc. The letters, with the exception of ten, are written in Latin. The first 20 pages of the manuscript contain a series of essays, some of which have been ascribed to Milton, others of which seem to be materials he used in his official duties.