The Booke of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England (London: Robert Barker, 1615)

A.2.3

“There was nothing left for me to do but pray for his soul

A gift twice over: from King James I to William Paddy and from Paddy to St John’s College

The English Short-Title Catalogue, which aims to record every surviving copy of the letter press produced in Great Britain up to 1800, does not list this particular print of The Book of Common Prayer. This alone does not make it a unique survivor, but it is an indication that it may be a rare imprint. Its true value, however, lies in the royal binding and the manuscript additions at the back of the volume.

The book was bequeathed to St John’s by its alumnus William Paddy, the personal physician of James I of England (1566-1625) since the year of his ascent to the English throne in 1603. Paddy must have received it either as a gift before or a bequest after the king’s death. James I’s coat of arms is displayed at the centre of the lavishly decorated front and back covers. The shield’s diagonally opposed quarters present the three lions of England and the fleur-de-lys of France. The harp represents Ireland, and the lion framed by floral symbols represents Scotland. The motto of the Order of the Garter (Honi soit qui mal y pense ‘Shame on him who thinks evil of it’) is flanked by the lion of England and the unicorn of Scotland. The royal motto Dieu et mon droit ‘God and my right’ is visible in the compartment.

William Paddy was present at the king’s deathbed. The prayers said during the final hours are listed on the book’s end-flyleaves together with Paddy’s autograph note about the king’s death, which begins as follows: ‘Being sent for to Theobalds [Hertfortshire] but two days before the death of my sovereign Lord and master King James: I held it my Christian duty to prepare him, telling him that there was nothing left for me to do (in the afternoon before his death the next day at noon) but to pray for his soul’.

Further Resources
Partial digitization available at Digital Bodleian
Blog post available at St John’s College Library’s website