Add MS 28162

The Somme le Roi, a moral compendium compiled in 1279 by the Dominican Friar Laurent for King Philip III of France (r. 1270-1285); incipit: 'Le premier commandement'; preceded by a rubric: 'Cest le premier commandement qui dex commanda'; explicit (including the wrong date of the compilation): 'Cest livre compila et parfist uns freres de lordre des preescheors a la requeste dou Roi de France Phelippe en lan de lincarnacion Ihesu Crist Mil deus cenz et soissante et nuef'. The text is composed of five treatises: 'Les 10 commandements', 'Les 12 articles de la foi', 'Traite des vices', 'Eloge de la vertu', 'Traite des vertus'.

For an edition of the text, see Brayer and Leurquin-Labie, La Somme le Roy (2008).

The present manuscript was originally bound together with Yates Thompson MS 11, which consists of four moral treatises attributed to Pierre de Blois, Traité de la sainte abbaye; Traité de l'amour de Dieu; Trois états de l'âme chrétienne; and Livre des tribulation. (the shelfmark of Yates Thompson 11 was formerly Add MS 39843).

Decoration:

10 full-page miniatures in colours and gold inserted at the beginning of the volume (ff. 2r-10v). The miniatures are painted on singletons of thicker parchment, mounted on guards and probably originally preceded the relevant sections of the text (see Add MS 54180). One miniature was removed from the Somme le Roi cycle and inserted in Yates Thompson MS 11, f. 52v, which was originally part of the same volume. The iconography of the miniatures is similar to those in Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 938.

Large initials in gold and colours with foliate decoration and partial bar-borders or marginal extensions, at the beginning of each treatise or important chapter division (ff. 11r, 16r, 42r, 56r, 66r, 68r, 69r, 73r, 80r, 83r, 89r, 100r, 115r, 137r). Smaller initials in gold and colours, some with human heads, animals, birds, or hybrids.

The subjects of the miniatures are:

f. 2v: Miniature in two compartments; the upper compartment: Moses receiving and breaking the tablets of the Law; the lower compartment: the Jews worshipping the golden calf.

f. 2*v: Miniature in two compartments; the upper compartment: the twelve Apostles (composing the Credo?) and Christ; the lower compartment: Pentecost, the twelve Apostles receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

f. 3v: The beast of the Apocalypse trampling a saint and adored by a kneeling man.

f. 4v: Miniature in four compartments depicting the Four Cardinal Virtues; the top left compartment: Prudence, a crowned female figure seated at a lectern and teaching a group of students, with an inscription above 'Prudence'; the top right compartment: Temperance, a crowned female figure standing behind a table and exhorting a maiden to decline a golden cup offered by a kneeling young man, with an inscription above 'atrampance'; the bottom left compartment: Fortitude, a crowned female figure holding a red medallion carrying a lion passant, and a man cutting down a tree, with an inscription 'forsse'; the bottom right compartment: Justice, a crowned female figure crowning a man operating scales, with an inscription below 'Justice'.

The following miniatures depict in four compartments the Gifts of the Holy Spirit associated with the Theological or Cardinal Virtue and the opposing vice:

f. 5v: The top left compartment: Humility as a crowned female figure standing on a deer, holding a palm and a mirror, with an inscription above 'humilite'; the top right compartment: Pride typified by Ahaziah falling from a tower, with an inscription above 'orgueil'; the bottom left compartment: the sinner kneeling before a furnished altar, with an inscription below 'le pecheeur'; the bottom right compartment: the hypocrite kneeling before a bare altar and pointing at the sinner, with an inscription below 'lippocrite'.

f. 6v: The top left compartment: Friendship as a crowned female figure standing on a dragon, holding a red medallion with a dove, with an inscription above 'Ammitie'; the top right compartment: A man refusing a bird of prey offered to him by a hooded man, with an inscription 'haine'; the bottom left compartment: friendship typified by David and Jonathan embracing with an inscription below 'David et Jonatas'; the bottom right compartment: hatred typified by Saul threatening David with an arrow, with an inscription below 'Saul et David'.

f. 7v: The top left compartment: Equity as a female figure standing on a fox with a rooster in its mouth, holding a medallion carrying a lion and a triangle, with an inscription: 'Equite'; the top right compartment: Felony typified by a man killing another man with a spade, with an inscription above 'Felonie'; the bottom left compartment: Noah's Ark, with an inscription below: 'Larche Noel'; the bottom right compartment: Moses having his arms lifted up, with an inscription below 'Qui senefie pes'.

f. 8v: The top left compartment: Prowess as a crowned female figure standing on a lion, piercing its head with a sword and holding a medallion of a lion , with an inscription above 'proesse'; the top right compartment: Idleness as a ploughman sleeping beside his neglected plough, with an inscription above 'peresce'; the bottom left compartment: Prowess typified by David and Goliath, with an inscription below 'David et Golias'; the bottom right compartment: Work as a sower, with an inscription below 'labor'.

f. 9v: The top left compartment: Mercy as a crowned female figure standing on a wolf devouring a lamb, holding a medallion of a hen and chicks and throwing her garment over a poor man, with an inscription above 'misericorde'; the top right compartment: Avarice as a man transferring his gold coins from a coffer to a money bag, assisted by three devils, inscribed above 'Avarice'; the bottom left compartment: Abraham receiving three angels dressed as pilgrims, with an inscription below 'Abraam q[u]i recoit les angres'; the bottom right compartment: the widow pouring oil (miraculously multiplied by Elisha) into a vessel, with an inscription 'la bonne dame qui depart son huille'.

f. 10v: The top left compartment: Sobriety as a crowned female figure standing on a bear holding a medallion of a green parrot, with an inscription above 'soubrietez'; the top right compartment: Gluttony as a young man seated at a full table and vomiting, with an inscription above 'gloutonnie'; the bottom compartment divided in three sections: 1. A seated man cutting a loaf with his dog waiting in front of the table; 2. Dives dining at table; 3. Dives's servant chasing away Lazarus.