Physical Description:
152 leaves : paper ; 290 x 200 (185-197 x 130-146) mm Notes:
Ms. codex. Title from printed catalogue. Poems and prose by William
Lichfield, John Lydgate, Geoffrey Chaucer and others. Also includes
the Gospel of Nicodemus, excerpts from John Trevisa's translation
of Higden's Polychronicon and a medical recipe. Paper, at least 9
watermarks, ff. iv + 152; 1¹⁰(art. 1) 2¹²(-11, 12; art. 2)
3¹⁶ 4⁸(through f. 44) 5¹⁶ 6⁶(through f. 66) 7¹⁴(art.
11) 8¹⁶ 9¹⁸(-4 after f. 99; through f. 113) 10¹⁰ 11¹²
12¹²(-10 after f. 144 without loss of text) 13¹⁰(-5, 7, 8,
10). Catchwords in the center lower margins of ff. 36v, 96v, 123v.
28 or 32 lines of verse (4 stanzas), 32-35 lines of prose, frame
ruled in dry point. Written in England at the turn of the fifteenth
century in a large hybrida script; Latin passages in a more formal
script. The excised and the blank leaves dividing texts, and the
correspondence between quire structure and texts suggest that the
book may have been produced in as many as eight fascicles.
Watermarks and signatures may indicate a simpler 2- or 3-part
division. The scribe appears to have used Caxton editions as
sources for many of his texts. Plain 3- to 1-line red initials;
paragraph marks, deletions and underlining in red. Running
headlines in ink of the text across the opening. ff. 1-9v: [William
Lichfield] Here begynnyth the Compleynte betwene God and Man, O My
graciouse god prynce of pite/ Off whom all grace and goodnesse
begann ... And after this lyf bryng you and me/ In to euerlastynge
Ioy Amen. Explicit. ff. 11-20: [John Lydgate] How Merci & Pees
Ryghtwisnes & Trouthe disputyd for the Redempciun of Mankynde, Who
is bounde & feteryd in presonne/ Thynkyth longe aftyr delyueraunce
... She alle commyttyth vnto goddis wylle/ And as he ordeyneth redy
to fulfylle. ff. 21-43: Here begynneth the Stori of the blyssyd
Passion of Crist Ihesu And the grete soruis of his blissid modyr
Marie ... [ff. 43v-44v, blank; f. 45:] Than aftir that Jesus was
closyd in his Sepulcre ye shul here the stori of Joseph of
Aramathye and Nichodemus ... But þe Ioye of his blessyd
Resurrexiun passyd all þe Ioyes þat I hadde from þe tyme þat I
was born vnto þat tyme. ff. 47-54v: Now of the Resurrexion of
Crist Ihesu I purpos sumwhat to telle, The good man & þe noble
prynce þat pryuely was Cristis disciple for drede of þe wickyd
Iewis I shal telle yow of a lytyl boke þat he made of Cristis
passioun ... þat we may haue grace to haue stedfast feyth & beleve
in hym. Amen. ff. 54v-56: The begynnyge and endyng of Pilatys lyfe
that Iuged Crist Ihesus to dethe here folwyth ... & is desolate &
in wylde place and is yet herde there ful grysyly noyse of
speritys. ff. 56v-57: Here begynnyth the Genealogi and the lynage
of oure blissyd lady seynt Marie ... That yere bytwene the
Assencion þat is holy thursdaye & whitsondaye Mathias was chosen
and made Apostel instede of Iudas the traytoure. ff. 57-58: The
lyfe and byrthe of Iudas scaryot tha betrayed Crist Iesus, Off hem
it is wreton in a Stori though the Auctor therof be vnknowen ...
Iudas folowed Crist Iesus þat his trespas myght ben forgeuyn hym &
Iudas was Cristis disciple. ff. 58-59v: How the Apostelis made the
Crede in Ierusalem, the lyfe & martyrdom of them ... Lazarus þe
first bisshop of Cypris deyde in his secounde dethe & had xxiiii
yere betwene his two dethis. ff. 59v-61v: A declaracion of the
Epiphany and whan Crist began his fast & yede into wyldernes & whan
Iohan baptist was behedyd ... aloo I þat was callyd god now I am
ryghtfully boundyn with bondys of dethe & so he dyed. ff. 61v-64:
Here begynnyth the seege & destruxciun of Ierusalem & of the Iewis
aftyr the passion of Crist Iesus ... he þat wolle seke þe lyfe of
Seint Vrban þere he shal rede þe hole seege & how þe holy bloode
of haylis com into Englond. ff. 67-80v: Here begynnyth the
Pilgrymage and the wayes of Ierusalem, God þat made bothe heuen &
helle/ To the lorde I make my mone ... And there she kneled vppon a
stone/ And made Magnificat anone. [ff. 77v-79, 90 verses,
inserted:] Magnificat anima mea dominum, Miche laude & perce my
soule magnifieth ... Of alle his werkys to be souerayne. Amen.
[Stations of Jerusalem, cont.:] And whan Elizabeth with here eyn
graye/ had sayne þe wysdom of maye ...That we in heuyn may haue a
place/ Amen for charite I pray Crist Ihesu haue mercy on me. ff.
81-99: [Geoffrey Chaucer, Tale of Melibeus] A young man callyd
Melibeus myghty & ryche bigat vpon his wyf þat callyd was Prudens
a doughter whiche þat callyd was Sophie ... They that this present
& forseyde tale haue or shal Reede Remembyr the noble prouerbis
that rebukyth Couetise and Vengeaunse takyng in truste of Fortune
whiche hathe causyd many a noble Prince to falle as we may rede of
them here folluyng. ff. 100-111v: [Geoffrey Chaucer, The Monks
Tale] I wil biwaile in maner of tregede/ The harme of hem þat stod
in heigh degre ... For when men trustith her than wyl she fayle/
And couer her bright face with a cloude f. 114r-v: Hic Incipit
Parvus Catho. Cum animadverterem quam plurimos homines graviter
errare, Whan I aduerte to my remembraunce/ And see how fele folks
erren greuously ... Hic Finis Parvi Cathonis. ff. 114v-135v: Hic
Incipit magnus Catho. Si deus est animus nobis ut carmina dicunt
... Here haue I fonde that shal you guyde & lede/ Streight to goode
fame & leue you in her house. Explicit Catho. ff. 135v-141: [John
Lydgate] Here begynnyth the Tale of the Chorle and the Byrde,
Problemys of olde likenesses and figures ... All thyng is sayde
vnder correccioun/ With supportacion of your benynghnyte. Lenvoy
Explicit Lydgate. ff. 141v-145: [John Lydgate] Off this notable
ryalle hye scripture/ The blessid doctour Augustyn as I rede ...
Thus endeth the Hors the Goos & þe Sheep. f. 145r-v: Hit is ful
harde to knowe ony estate/ Double visage loketh oute of euery hood
... Hurte not thy self lest thou sore rewe/ For thyn owne ese keepe
thy tonge in mewe. f. 145v: The worlde so wyde the ayre so
remeuable/ The sely man so lytel of stature ... Maye endure stable
and perseuere in abydyng. f. 145v: The further I goo the more
behynde/ The more behynde the ner my weyes ende ... Is hit fortune
or Infortune thus I fyne. Explicit. f. 145v: [added by a different
hand] Wo worthe debate þat neuer may haue pease ... Wo worthe þat
right may no fauor haue. [f. 147, as if an explicit:] prayour &
good lyuynge may withdrawe alle bad predestinacion & bothe Man and
Woman may stonde in the state of grace. Amen. ff. 147v-148v: Marche
The Sonne arisith iii quartirs of an houre before vii & goth to
rest iii quartirs of an houre aftyr v the iiiithe day of Marche
vppon E ... The Sonne arisith half an houre bifore vii and goith to
rest half an oure aftyr v þe xxiiii day of Februare vppon F f.
149: Beda libro primo Seith þat this ylond lyeth vnder þe northe
hede of þe worlde ... & þerfor is callyd anoþer worlde because
it is oute of þe cyrquyte of þe erthe. f. 151v: [added in a 16th
c. secretary script] Thys ys þe medysyn þat þe kynges grace
vsythe every day for the raynyng seknys ... By þe grase of god
ther schall be no perell of no dethe. Subjects:
Didactic poetry, English (Middle) ; English literature--Middle
English, 1100-1500. ; English poetry--Middle English,
1100-1500. Form/Genre:
Manuscripts--England--15th century. (aat) ; Manuscript waste
(Binding). (rbbin) Provenance:
An early possibly the first owner (the copyist himself?) had access
to a manuscript which had belonged to the Augustinian monastery in
Bisham Montague, Berkshire, and which was used for reinforcement in
the binding. Other 16th century owners wrote their names in the
book: f. ii, among many pentrials, "John thyll [second word
erased]. John tylly owth for ii bowsylles of wy[cropped] the pres
xxiiii d."; "Iste confessor domyni. Iste lyber pertenethe nicolaus
serll"; on the inside of the front and back covers, "John Skynner"
and "John Skynner of farnham." Manly and Rickert suggest that the
note on f. 81 may be in the hand of William Thynne. The notes on
ff. 1 and 9v appear to be written by John Stow who brought out a
revised version of Thynne's edition of Chaucer in 1561. Belonged to
a member of the Savile family. Sold by Ellis in that year to Henry
Huth; sale of Alfred H. Huth to Quaritch. Acquired by Henry E.
Huntington before 1925.
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