Add MS 62450

WORKS BY OR ATTRIBUTED TO ST GREGORY, ETC.: mostly copied by the monk John Awne, probably at Mount Grace Priory, co. York.; mid 15th cent. Latin. Formerly belonged to Mount Grace Priory (f. vi). Armorial bookplate of Lord Herries of Terraglis, late 19th cent.(?) (f. ii). Owned by H. L. Bradfer-Lawrence, F.S.A. (d. 1965), and afterwards on deposit at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, as BL. MS. 5. Purchased through Quaritch, March 1982.

Paper and vellum (ff. v-viii, ix-xii); ff. xiii+173. 265 x 190 (text, 195 x 130)mm. Gatherings of 8 (except i6, xvii8, 7 cancelled), alphabetically signed on the first four leaves of each gathering, with many signatures cropped; vellum flyleaves in gatherings of 4. Catchwords at the end of each gathering. Ruling in ink and pricking for margins only. The unusual pattern of pricking is similar to that of Add. 61823 (Book of Margery Kemp), also associated with Mount Grace Priory. Single columns of between 36 and 42 lines each. Mostly written in a secretary book hand of the mid 15th cent, with the scribe 'Johannes Awne' identified on f. 1v (see N. Ker, Medieval Libraries of Great Britain, 2nd ed., p. 283, for Awne's death in 1472 or 1473); ff. 172-173v are in a fere-textura hand of the late 15th cent. Blue 2-line initials for incipit, epilogue and explicit of the Homiliae (ff. 2, 132). At the beginning of each homily, initials in blue with red flourishing or gold with brown flourishing, varying between 3 and 6 lines. Red 1-3 line initials elsewhere (ff. 1v, 163, 170, 172v), with extensive rubrication of capitals, corrections, marginal annotations, etc. Marginal annotations in ink and plummet, with passages of text frequently marked by lines, flourishes, fleurons, etc., in plummet. Watermark a pair of scissors; cf. Briquet, nos. 3694-3702. Binding of wooden boards covered with green velvet, with leather title panel on the spine, 19th cent.(?).

The contents include:

1. ff. 2-132. St Gregory, Homiliae in Hiezechihelem Prophetam. See Corpus Christianorum, CXLII (1971), and Migne, PL, 77, cols. 785-1072.

2. ff. 134-162v. Robert of Tumbalena, Abbot of St Vigor, Commentaria in Cantica Canticorum, here wrongly attributed to St Gregory. See D. Capelle, 'Les Homélies de Saint Grégoire sur le Cantique', Revue Bénédictine, XLI (1929), pp. 204-217, and Migne, PL, 150, cols. 1362-1370, and 79, cols. 492-548.

3. ff. 163-169v. Ambrosius Autpertus, De Conflictu Viciorum et Virtutum. Wrongly attributed by Awne to St Gregory; his attribution is altered in a contemporary hand to St Augustine. For the correct attribution, see D. Morin, 'Le Conflictus d'Ambroise Autpert ...', Revue Bénédictine, XXVI (1910), pp. 204-212, and M. Bloomfield et al., Incipits of Latin Works on the Virtues and Vices (1979), No. 0455. Printed in Corpus Christianorum (Continuatio Mediaevalis), XXVII (1979), pp. 909-931, and Migne, PL, 40, cols. 1091-1105.

4. f. 169v. Extract from sermon no. 20 ('In Litania Majore') of Peter Comestor's Sermons. See Migne, PL, 198, col. 1776.

5. ff. 170-171. Letter from Theobald of Étampes to Robert [Bloet?], Bishop of Lincoln. This text differs from that in Migne, PL, 163, cols. 759-763.

6. f. 171. Notes on penitence, forgiveness, etc.

7. ff. 172-173v. Extracts from a work described as Liber Angelorum concerning dialogues between St Daniel, Abbot, and an angel.