Egerton MS 2710

THEOLOGICAL pieces in verse and prose, in French, viz.

1. Paraphrase of Bible-History, in verse. f. 2. Begins: "Al rei de glorie, deu omnipotent, Qui meint sanz fin e sanz comencement." Ends, in 4 (2) Kings, ch. xvi., ten lines from the top of f. 111 b, col. 2, and to all appearance imperfectly: "Entre ces choses rasen reis de Syr E fasceas reis de israel a tyr Stir le rei achaz vont e sur iuda." Two copies in the Bibl. Nationale at Paris are continued to the reign of Ezechias, 4 Kings, ch. xviii. (Cat,. des MSS. Français, vol. i., 1868, nos. 898, 902; see also P. Paris, Les MSS. François de la Bibl. du Roi, vol. vii., 1848, pp. 183, 199).

2. The Passion of Our Lord, in verse. f. 112. Begins: " Mult par fu grant icele electiun." Ends: "E cil dev nus aie e aiut Qui fist herbe tere e fruit, amen." Explicit . passio . Domini." Another copy is in Harl. MS. 2253, f. 23, headed "la passioun nostre Seignour," but it does not contain the last 138 lines, and the text otherwise varies.

3. The apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. f. 126. Begins: " Ico auint el quinzime an que tiberie cesar aueit este empereur de rume . . . . . Nichodemus escrit cest estoire," etc. With colophon : -" Ici finist: la passiun nostre seignour Jesu crist." See, as above, Harl. MS. 2253, f. 33 b.

4. " De Adam nostre premer pere "; and of Christ, the new Adam. f. 134. Begins: " Grant mal fist adam qui par le satan tel conseil crut," etc. Ends with 36 lines of verse, which begin, " En lun ad bealte delitable, este ki sanz fin i dure." 5. " Cume nostre dame seinte marie transi ": the Assumption of the Virgin, in verse. f. 136. Begins: "Seignours, ore escvtez que dev vus beneie Par sa mort preciose qui nus dona la uie." 6. " De sein Johan lapostle dirrum." f. 139. Begins: "Le secund trauail as crestiens aproef nerun lemperevr fist domicien lemperevr," etc. See, as above, Harl. 2253, f. 41 b.

7. Passion of St. Peter. f. 142 b. Headed "Seignours freres, od bone chere, Dirrai la passiun sein pere." Begins: "Al tens neriro [sic] cesar esteient a rume dolls feeilz maistre as crestiens, sein pere et sein pol," etc. See, as above, Harl. 2253, f. 47 b.

8. Passion of St. Bartholomew. f. 143 b. Headed: "Oez la vie sein berthelmev, Qui mult esteit ami dev." Begins " Ceo cuntent eels qui seuent deviser les treis parties del mund que treis indes sunt," etc. See, as above, Harl. 2253, f. 45 b.

9. " Sermun del secle ": a metrical discourse on the evil of the times. f. 145. Begins : " Entendez vers mei li petiz et li granz, Vn deduit vus dirrai beals et auenanz." 10. Passion of St. Lawrence; in verse, but written as prose. f. 148 b. Headed: "Co est la uie sein lorenz, Ki pur dev suffri turmenz." Begins: "Maistre a cest bosuing vus dressez, E mei cum a deciple aidez." 11. The Lord's Prayer in French; with an exposition beg. "Entre totes les paroles qui furent vnques establies ne dites en tere," etc. Imperfect. f. 151 b. Vellum; If. 151. xiiith cent. In double columns. Initials in red and blue, and occasionally in gold. On f. 1 b is a full-page 14^th cent. drawing in ink of Our Lord, seated on an altar supported by two angels, with two other angels incensing above. The same band has inserted a drawing

of King Saul on the margin of f. 35 b. Belonged at the end of the 15th cent. to the nuns of Derby Priory (see f. 83 b). Quarto.