Manuscript, on vellum, in a single hand, of the complete text of Love's translation of the Meditationes vitae Christi, a text often attributed to Pseudo-Bonaventure or Johannes de Caulibus. The manuscript also contains John Lydgate's Fifteen joys of Our Lady and the anonymous poems, The fifteen ooes of Christ and The charter of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Description:
In Middle English., Layout: single columns of 45 lines., Script: English bookhand., Decoration: illuminated initial and three-quarter border on first page of text; three other illuminated initials with gold., Verse ownership inscriptions of Erkynwald Gyttyns on three back flyleaves, accompanied by pen trials and sketches., Ownership inscription of Francis Layton on verso of third front flyleaf., and Binding: eighteenth-century half calf over marbled boards.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Love, Nicholas, active 1410. and Lydgate, John, 1370?-1451?
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), English literature, English poetry, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of The Mirrour of the Blessed Lyf of Jesu Crist, translated into English by Nicholas Love. With Memorandum stating that the original copy of the translation was given to Thomas Arundell, Abp. of Canterbury, for his approval, in 1410
Description:
In Middle English., Script: Written by one hand in bastard Anglicana., Initials at beginning of each day, 4-line, on ff. 22r, 34r, 53r, 106r, gold against pink and blue grounds, with white filigree, partial borders of acanthus leaves and daisy buds in purple, pink, orange and blue, black hair-spray with green leaves and gold dots. (Similar initials or more important decoration probably occurred on the folios missing at the beginning of Prohemium, Monday, Friday and Chapter 64.) 3- and 2-lines initials gold against pink and blue, with white filigree, short border of hair-spray with green leaves and gold dots. 1-line initials and paragraph marks gold with blue penwork or blue with red used in text and in running titles and notations in outer margin. Line-fillers in blue and gold; rubrics throughout., Outer margin of f. 37 cut off., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries. Olive green goatskin, blind-tooled, with gold-tooled label. Two clasp-and-catch fastenings. Bound by Zaehnsdorf (London, ca. 1842-1930). Original flyleaf (f. iv) is a bifolium, inserted sideways, from a manuscript written in England, 14th century, in Anglicana formata. On the recto and verso at top, portions of a prose text by Richard Rolle; on the recto and verso at bottom, Rolle's Commandment of Love.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Love, Nicholas, fl. 1410. and Rolle, Richard, of Hampole, 1290?-1349.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), English literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of 1) Thomas Hoccleve, Complaint. 2) Hoccleve, Dialogue with a Friend. 3) Hoccleve, Tale of Jereslaus' Wife. 4) Prose moralization of the text in art. 3, preceded by a prologue in verse. 5) Hoccleve, How to Learn to Die. 6) Hoccleve, The Joys of Heaven, in prose, preceded by a prologue, in verse. 7) Hoccleve, Tale of Jonathas, preceded by prologue. 8) Prose moralization of the tale in art. 7. 9) John Lydgate, Dance of Macabre. 10) Hoccleve, Regiment of Princes
Description:
In Middle English., Script: Written in a current mixed hand, Anglicana with Secretary forms, by a single scribe who wrote in a more cursive and compressed style of script for the prose sections of text., Blue initials, 6- to 2-line, for major text divisions, with several distinct styles of red flourishing. Headings and marginal notes in red; paragraph or stanza marks alternate red and blue. Written by a scribe who paid careful attention to the presentation of the text: stanzas are divided by red lines that extend width of written space; metrical arrangements are marked by brackets in red; notes are added, in red, in outer margins and preceded by blue paragraph marks that are often joined together to form a vertical wavy line. In addition, the scribe has also paid attention to minor ornamental features: decorative flourishes, mostly in red, have been added to many lower margins; ornamental ascenders in top line of text extend into upper margin and are often decorated with red., and Binding: Twentieth century. Tan pigskin, blind-tooled, with title, in gold, on spine: "Hoccleve/ Manuscript/ XV Cent." Edges spattered red.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Hoccleve, Thomas, 1370?-1450?
Subject (Topic):
English literature, English poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper and parchment (trimmed) of 1) Grantz Geantz, a poem explaining the origin of the Giants that occupied England before the arrival of Brutus and the Trojans. 2) A Latin summary of art. 1. 3) Roman de Brut, a chronicle of England from Aeneas to King Edward II (1307-1327). 4) Sequence to the Roman de Brut, dealing with the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). 5) Unidentified poem in English on the countries and peoples of Asia, Africa and Europe. 6) Account of the relations between Church and State under popes Gregory VII (1073-1085) and Alexander III (1159-1181), and especially of the conflict between King Henry II of England (1154-1189) and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
Description:
In Anglo-Norman, English, and Latin., Script: Copied by two hands: Section I is in Gothica Cursiva Antiquior Libraria (Anglicana); Section II, including the explicit formula of art. 3 on f. 118v, is in Gothica Cursiva Libraria (Secretary)., The decoration of Section I consists of 2- or 3-line flourished initials, blue with red penwork. On ff. 1r and 5r (artt. 1 and 3) 5-line flourished initials in the same colours. In Section II art. 4 is decorated with 2-line flourished initials in the same colours but of a different style, with marginal extensions; at the beginning (f. 119r) a 3-line flourished initial in gold with purple penwork; in art. 4 also red headings and red or blue paragraph-marks. Artt. 4-5 are undecorated., and Binding: Twentieth century. Dark blue velvet by C. Lewis. On the spine the 19th-century brown leather title-label has been pasted with the gold-tooled inscription: "LES VEULZ CRONIKES D'ANGLETRE APPELLEZ LE BRUTE - PLUSEURS AUTRES NOUELLES CRONIKES - MS. IN MEMBRANIS". At the bottom of the spine small paper label with printed number 3338. Gilt edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Great Britain
Subject (Topic):
Anglo-Norman literature, Church history, English literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript, on parchment, in a single hand, of the complete text of Hilton's Scale of Perfection. Volume also contains the complete text of Hilton's brief tract, Of angels' song
Description:
In Middle English., Ownership inscription of John Price on recto of front flyleaf., Ownership inscription of Samuel Courthope Bosanquet on recto of second front flyleaf., Layout: single columns of approximately 30 lines., Script: English bookhand., Decoration: blue initials with red penwork., and Binding: contemporary white tawed leather over wooden boards; remains of hardware. Modern case.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Hilton, Walter, -1396.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), English literature, English prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Mysticism
Manuscript leaf, on parchment, containing portions of the life of Saint Mary of Egypt and the opening of the life of Saint Alphage
Description:
In Middle English., Leaf has been trimmed for use in a binding., Layout: single-column. Now 28 lines., Script: early Anglicana., and Decoration: rubricated.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
English literature, English poetry, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript, on parchment, in a single hand, containing the text of William of Nassington's poem. The Speculum vitae is followed by several other devotional texts in prose and verse, including Walter Hilton's prose commentary on Qui habitat and Bonum est; and poems on Purgatory, the evils of covetousness, a prayer to Jesus, and two dialogues, one between Christ and Man, and the second between Christ and a sinner
Description:
In Middle English, with rubrics in Latin., Ownership inscription for the Francisan convent at Lichfield?, dated 1486., Layout: double columns of 50-58 lines., Script: English bookhand., Decoration: initials in red and blue penwork., and Binding: original wooden boards, rebacked.
Subject (Geographic):
England., Connecticut, and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
William, of Nassington, -1354. and Franciscans
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), English literature, English poetry, English prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Purgatory
In English., Script: Articles 1 and 2 written by a single person in a careful secretary script; other items added by several contemporary and later hands., One loose leaf, presently tipped in between ff. 1 and 2, has pen and ink sketch of falconer, with bird and dog. Inscription above drawing: "Lorde let me not, in Vanitie/Delight more, then I should in thee.", and Binding: 16th-17th centuries. Limp vellum case with title lettered on spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
English literature, Falconry, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of George Waymouth (fl. 1587-1611), The jewell of artes, an unfinished technical handbook of navigation, inventions, fortifications, surveying, gunnery, etc., consisting of short textual parts and extremely numerous full-page technical drawings and diagrams of high quality
Description:
About the author, a somewhat mysterious navigator, scholar and engineer, see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, v. 51 (2004), pp. 777-778. He returned in 1602 from his unsuccesful expedition to discover the Northwest Passage, presented the King in 1604 with two versions of his treatise The Jewell of Artes and undertook in 1605 a new expedition to the American East coast, landing in Maine., In English., Script: Written by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Libraria (Secretary)., and Binding: Original armorial (rebacked). Brown calf over cardboard, both covers gold-tooled with a seme pattern of flowerets, corner pieces and a central piece with the arms of King James I. Spine with six raised bands and red title-label with inscription "JEWELL OF ARTES".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Waymouth, George.
Subject (Topic):
English literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Military art and science, and Navigation
Manuscript, on vellum, in a single hand, of the treatise on hunting by Edward Plantagenet, second Duke of York
Description:
In Middle English., Presentation inscription from John Shirley to Richard Halsham follows the text., Ownership inscription of Sir Gregory Page-Turner on f. 1., Layout: single columns of 34 lines., Script: English bookhand., Decoration: full illuminated border on f. 1, with small illuminated initials at chapter openings (six of these have been cut away)., and Binding: nineteenth-century full blind-tooled diced russia.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Edward, of Norwich, 1373?-1415.
Subject (Topic):
English literature, English prose literature, Hunting, and Manuscripts, Medieval