Physical Description:
ff. 1-62v, bound; 170 x 255 mm. Notes:
Ms. codex of religious prose and verse by Richard Maidstone, John
Lydgate and others. Title from printed catalogue. Parchment, ff. ii
(modern paper) + 62 (61, a flyleaf; 62, tipped-in strip of paper) +
loose parchment strip (art. 25) + iii (modern paper); 255 × 170
(170 × 100) mm. 18(-7, before f. 7) 28(-4, before f. 11) 38(-1, 6,
before ff. 15 and 19) 4-88. Written in England in the middle of the
fifteenth century, in textura quadrata scripts by 2 main scribes:
i, ff. 1-49; ii, ff. 49v-59v and 60 line 20-60v, apparently by T.
Werken, whose name, decorated with knot-like and flower flourishes,
and the date 1467 are on f. 60v. 1. ff. 1-6v: [Lydgate, Calendar in
verse]. 2. ff. 7-10v: [Arma Christi]. 3. ff. 11-14: [15 O’s]. 4.
f. 14r-v: Pater noster, Ave Maria and Credo. 5. ff. 15-16: [Litany
in verse]. 6. f. 16r-v: [Prayer to Christ]. 7. ff. 16v-17v:
[Richard de Caistre]. 8. ff. 17v-18v: Oracio. 9. ff. 18v-19:
[Prayer to the Virgin from the Speculum Christiani]. 10. f. 19r-v:
Septem gaudia beate marie. 11. ff. 19v-20: [Five Joys of the
Virgin]. 12. ff. 20v-21: [Lydgate, verse paraphrase of the Pater
Noster]. 13. ff. 21-22v: [Lydgate, Prayer to the Virgin]. 14. ff.
22v-41v: [Richard Maidstone, verse paraphrase of the penitential
psalms]. 15. ff. 41v-44v: [Litany in verse]. 16. ff. 45-47v:
[Meditation on the Passion]. 17. ff. 48-49v: [Meditation on the
Passion]. 18. ff. 49v-54v: Beatus Ieronimus vero hoc modo composuit
psalterium sicut angelus domini docuit eum per spiritum sanctum et
propter hoc abbreviatum est… 19. ff. 54v-58: [Psalms of the
Passion, 21-30 v. 6]. 20. ff. 58-59v: Incipit letania de beata
virgine maria a beato bernardo edita quicumque eam cotidie devote
cantaverit ipsa in die obitus sui ei apparebit. 21. ff. 59v-60v:
[Suffrage of Erasmus]. 22. ff. 59v-60: [Suffrage of Gabriel]. 23.
f. 61r-v: Lists of the 7 capital sins, the 5 senses, the 7 works of
mercy, the 10 Commandments ... 24. f. 62: 4 appellations each for
God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin. 25.
[Prayer or charm for protection for the household; previously loose
in volume, now in custody of Curator]. Eighteen colored or
grisaille illustrations to the Arma Christi (art. 2), ca. 25 × 30
mm. placed at the left of the text, within the bounding line. One
surviving 6-line initial, f. 22, in particolored blue and pink on a
gold ground, infilled with a richly shaded flower, with a full bar
and foliage border; similar initials and borders may have begun
arts. 2, 3, 5, 9 (leaves now missing). 3- and 2-line gold initials
on white-patterned blue/pink grounds, with floral sprays ending in
green and gold leaves; these initials without sprays in the Arma
Christi. 1-line initials alternating gold with blue flourishing or
blue with red. On f. 14r-v (art. 4) and ff. 49-60 (second scribe),
spaces reserved for initials; blank spaces of 18 lines on f. 50, 16
on f. 54v, 12 on f. 58v, 15 on f. 60 (filled by subsequent text,
art. 22), presumably reserved for miniatures. Rubrics in red; major
feasts in the calendar (art. 1) in blue; no rubrics on ff. 49-60.
Binding: Bound in 19th century in half blue straight grain morocco
over pasteboards, gold tooled. Subjects:
Catholic Church -- Prayers and devotions. ; Didactic literature,
English (Middle) ; Didactic poetry, English (Middle) ; Litanies --
Catholic Church -- Texts. ; Manuscripts, Medieval -- California --
San Marino. Form/Genre:
Manuscripts England 15th century. (aat) Provenance:
Belonged to Clarence S. Bement of Philadelphia; not identified in
his sales (28 February, 29 March 1923); apparently acquired by
Henry E. Huntington before 1916.
Rights
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