Add MS 30359

Contents:

The Six Ages of the World, represented in a series of drawings of characters from history, mythology and the Bible, each with a number and identifying rubric. The series begins with Adam and Eve and ends with Pope Boniface VIII (b.c. 1230, d. 1303).

Labels and commentary added in a later hand, where the original script had faded from use. Parchment strips glued to the dorse to reinforce the joins have ruling in red and three have fragments of perhaps liturgical text in Latin, in a late Gothic script (between membranes, 6 -7, 8-9 and 9-10).

A title written in a later hand on an added vellum wrapper at the beginning of the roll: 'Cronica Figurata ab Adam primo parente, usq ad Bonifacium Papam viij. In qua delineate sunt imagines Pontificum et sacerdotum, Imperatorum Regum … Sancti … Prophete et Sibille … Artium … Medici, Historici … ominiumq scientiarium, et artes celebres, ac insignes viri qui floruerunt. Bella classes, eversiones, Incendia, Pestilentia, Tempstares, et cetera accidentia Omnia que per hec tempora contigerunt, Absoluta, et plena figurate description ac non sine maxima industria, et labore, context, et formata'.

The roll is designed to be read from left to right, top to bottom on the face.

The dorse is blank (dorse abbreviated as d); a paste-down on membrane 1d, states: 'National Exhibition of Works of Art, Leeds, 1868'..

Decoration:

Over 300 drawings of full-length figures with colour-wash arranged in three registers (on membranes 1 and 6 there are four – the roll is widened at the top to accommodate the fourth row). Numbering in red.

The subjects of the drawings are as follows (the membrane numbers are given in brackets):

PRIMA ETATIS: FIRST AGE

(Membrane 1)

1st row

A chameleon, element of the air; 1. Adam; 2. Eve; 3. Cain; 4. Abel; 5. Enoch; 6. Methuselah; 7,8. Jubal and Tubalcain.

SECUNDA ETATIS: SECOND AGE

2nd row

A salamander, element of fire; 1. The ark; 2. Noah; 3. Shem; 4. Cam; 5. Japheth; 6. Hebe (Eber), descendant of Noah; 7. Tower of Babel; 8. Nebroth (Nimrod), pointing to the tower; 9. Ninus.

TERTIA ETATIS: THIRD AGE

(Membranes 1 and 2)

3rd and 4th rows:

1. Abraham; 2. Isaac; 3. Hercules; 4. Europa and the bull; 5. Deucalion throwing stones that become children; 6. Josue (Joshua), Israelite leader; 7. Cadmus slaying a dragon; 8. Proserpina gathering flowers; 9. Midas with gold objects; 10. Jason holding the fleece; 11. Hector; 12. Achilles; 13. Patroclus; 14. Ulysses; 15. Classis graecorum (the Greek fleet); 16. Troylus; 17. Penthesileia, Queen of the Amazons; 18. Aeneas.

(Continues on Membrane 2)

1st row:

19. Zoroaster; 20. Semiramus, Queen of Babylon; 21. Jacob; 22. ?[C]ynarus; 23. Prometheus creating a man; 24. Joseph in a chariot with horses; 25. Cicros (?Cecrops), holding the city of Athens; 26. Moses; 27. Theseus; 28. Demofon (Demophon), son of Theseus and Antigone.

2nd row:

29. The city of Troy; 30. Gideon; 31. Orpheus with his lyre surrounded by birds and animals; 32. Hercules standing in flames; 33. Theseus holding a symbol of the labrynth; 34 Minos; 35 Jephtha murdering his daughter; 36 Agamemnon; 37 Menelaus; 38 Priam; 39 Helen; 40 Paris (figures 39 and 40 extend onto Membrane 3).

3rd row:

41. Antenor holding the city of Padua; 42. Samson crushing the Philestines; 43. Peleas, son of Achilles; 44. Ascanus, son of Aeneas; 45. Samuel; 46. Mnestheus, king of the Lacedaemonians; 47. Codrus is killed by an arrow; 48. Atlethes, King of Corinth, with trees and a shield with coat of arms.

QUARTA ETATIS: FOURTH AGE

(This series extends across membranes 3-4)

1st row:

membrane 3: 1. David with a harp; 2. Death of Absalom; 3. Suicide of Dido; 4. Carthage; 5-6. Solomon holding the Temple; 7. Queen Sabba (Sheba); 8-9. Capys holding the city of Capua; 10. Josaphat (Jehoshaphat), King of Judah;

membrane 4: 11. Helias (Elijah) in a fiery chariot; 12. Zaccharias; 13. Heliseus (Elisha); 14. Lycurgus.

2nd row:

membrane 3: 15. King Azarius; 16. Sardanapalus dreaming; 17. Amos; 18. Ozee (Hosea); 19. Johel (Joel); 20. Abdias (Obadiah); 21. Jonas in the mouth of the whale; 22. Romulus and Rhemus and the city of Rome;

membrane 4: 23. The Eritrean Sibyl; 24. Numa Pompilius, King of Rome; 25. Ysayas (Isaiah); 26. The Erofilan Sibyl; 27. Jeremiah; 28. King Midas with donkey ears; 29. ?Gales physicus (Galen) with a phial and book.

3rd row:

membrane 3: 30. Tarquinus; 31. Milo of Croton with a bull on his shoulders; 32. Nebuchadnezzar holding a gold statue; 33. Ezechiel; 34. Daniel; The seven sages of Greece: 35. Thales of Miletus; 36. Solon of Athens; 37. Pittacus of Mytilene; 38. Chilon of Sparta; 39. Cleobulus of Lindos; 40. Periander of Corinth; 41. Bias of Priene. 42. King Cyrus;

membrane 4: 43. Esdras, the priest; 44. Suicide of Lucretia; 45. Tarquin; 46. ?Brutus; 47. Peisistratos, tyrant of Athens.

QUINTA ETATIS: FIFTH AGE

(This series extends across membranes 4-7)

1st row:

membrane 4: 1. City of Babylon; 2. Cambyses, King of Persia; 3. Judith holding the head of Holofernes; 4. Esdras, the prophet; 5. King Darius;

membrane 5: 6. The prophet, Ageus (?Haggai); 7. Baruch, Hebrew scribe; 8. Democritus, Greek philosopher; 9. Eracritus, philosopher of Ephesus; 10. Anaxagoras, Greek philosopher; 11. Aeschylus, with an eagle dropping a tortoise on his head; 12. Leonidas of Sparta; 13. Xerxes, King of Persia; 14. Themistocles, Athenian statesman; 15. Euripides attacked by dogs; 16. Pindarus;

membrane 6: 17. Artaxerses, son of Xerxes; 18. Gorgias, Sicilian philosopher; 19. Socrates; 20. Plato; 21. Empedocles, Sicilian philosopher; 22. Zeno, Greek philosopher; 23. Ceberes (Cebes), philosopher of Thebes.(added row at the top of membrane 6): Elementa aqua; 24. Hippocrates; 25. Thucydides; 26. King Ahasuerus of Persia; 27. Queen Hester; 28. Euclid of Megara, Greek philosopher; 29. Diogenes; 30. Dionisius; 31. Archita (Archytas); series continues below right in row 1): 32. Brenus, chief of the Gallic tribe, the Senones; 33. Fabius, Roman consul; 34. Aristotle; 35. Demosthenes;

membrane 7: 36. King Philip of Macedonia; 37. Alexander the Great; 38. Apuleius; 39. Critobulus medicus (?Crito, philosopher).

2nd row:

membrane 4: 40. Xenocrates, Greek philosopher; 41. ?Manlius, Roman consul; 42. Darius, King of Persia; 43. Epicurius; 44. Onias, Jewish high priest; 45. Porus, King of India;

membrane 5: 46. Queen Candace; 47. Theocritus, Greek poet; 48. Callius architectus, (?Callicrates); 49. Theophrastus, Greek architect; 50. Menander, Greek dramatist; 51. Philomon; 52. Papirius, Roman consul; 53. Fabius maximus; 54. Marcus Curtius, Roman soldier;

membrane 6: 55. King Phyrrus of Epirus; 56. Fabricius, Roman consul; 57. Tholomeus philadelphus (Ptolemy); 58. Sempronius, Roman consul; 59. Zeno, philosopher; 60. Marcus Aurelius; 61. King Santippus of Lacedemonia; 62. Servius, Roman consul; 63. Metellus Macedonius, Roman general; 64. Quintus Ennius, Roman poet; 65. Sirach, Jewish scribe;

membrane 7: 66. Hannibal; 67. ?Marius Marcellus, Roman consul; 68. Terentius Varro, Roman politician; 69. Paulus Emilius (Lucius Aemelius Paulus), Roman consul; 70. Flaminius, Roman general; 71. Sempronius Sulpicius, two consuls of Rome; 72. Astrubal Aphricanorum (Hasdrubal Barca, Carthaginian general); 73-74. Scipio Africanus standing before the Senate.

3rd row:

membrane 4: 75. Syfax, King of Numidia; 76. Fabius, Roman Consul; 77. Masinissa, King of Numidia; 78. Scipio Nasica, Roman consul; 79. (?Marcus) Ennius, poet; 80. Plautus, Roman comedian;

membrane 5: 81. Aristobulus, King of Judea; 82. Scipio Aemilianus, Roman general; 83. ?Jugurius; 84. Marius, Roman consul; 85. Silla, (?Sulla) Roman consul; 86. Poppaeus magnus, Roman consul; 87. Sertorius, Roman statesman; 88. Mithridates, of Pontus; 89. Catho porcius (Cato the Elder);

membrane 6: 90. Deodatus, Greek orator; 91. Catilina, Roman consul; 92. Horatius Flaccus (Horace), Roman poet; 93. Salustus, orator; 94. Marcus Tullus Cicero; 95. Julius Caesar with a sword and shield bearing the Roman eagle; 96. Catho Uticenis (Cato the Younger); 97. Crassus; 98. Octavianus, Emperor Augustus, with a crown and orb; 99. Brutus; 100. Cassius holding a knife; 101. Ovid; 102. Valerius Maximus, Latin author;

membrane 7: 103. Marcus Antonius; 104. Clepatra holding the asp; 105. Virgilius; 106. Pompeus; 107. Oratius satirus (?Horace).

SEXTA ETATIS: SIXTH AGE

(This series extends across membranes 7-10)

1st row

membrane 7 (right): 1. The Nativity, with the ox and ass;

membrane 8: 2. Emperor Tiberius; 3. John the Baptist; 4. Titus Livius (Livy); 5. Gayus Gallicula (Emperor Caligula); 6. Phylon of Alexandra, philosopher; 7. Emperor Claudius; 8. St Dionisius the Areopagite; 9. Persius, Roman satirist; 10. Juvenal, Roman satirist; 11. Emperor Nero;

membrane 9: 12. Seneca, stoicist; 13. Lucanus Anneus (Lucan);14. St Paul; 15. Simon Magus, holding a book with a devil hanging on it; 16. Quintilianus (Quintilian) orator; 17. Emperor Vespasian; 18. Josephus, Jewish historian; 19. Emperor Titus; 20. Emperor Domitian; 21. Emperor Trajan;

membrane 10: 22. Plutarch; 23. Jeropolitanus, bishop; 24. Emperor Hadrian; 25. Quadratus, bishop; 26. Secundus, philosopher; 27. Aquila, Roman scholar; 28. Emperor Titus Andronicus; 29. Apollonius stoicus, Greek philosopher; 30. Galeinus medicus (Galen); 31. Justinus, philosopher and martyr.

2nd row

membrane 7 (right): 32. Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus; 33. Egesippus historiografus (Hegesippus), Christian historian; 34. Emperor Septimus Severus;

membrane 8: 35. Origenes (Origen); 36. Tertulianus Africanus (Tertullian); 37. Policratus (Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna); 38. Simacus (?Symmachus, Greek scholar); 39. Theophilus, Bishop of Caesaria; 40. Emperor Severus Alexander; 41. Vulpianus; 42. Emperor Maximinus; 43. Affricanus scriptor (?Julius Africanus); 44. Emperor Gordianus (Gordian); 45. Porphirius, (? Porphyry), Greek philosopher;

membrane 9: 46. Theopompus, Greek historian; 47. Emperor Philippus (Philip the Arab); 48. Emperor Decius; 49. Emperor Gallienus; 50. St Januarius, martyr; 51. Emperor Diocletian; 52. Emperor Constantine; 53. Pope Silvester; 54. Lactantius, early Christian author; 55. Eusebius;

membrane 10: 56. Saint Helena, mother of Constantine; 57. St Hilarius; 58. Emperor Julianus (Julian the Apostate); 59. Basilius magnus (Saint Basil); 60. Gregorius Naziansus (Pope Gregory); 61. St Ambrose doctor; 62. Emperor Constantius; 63. St Jerome; 64. St John Christostom; 65. St Augustine; 66. Johannes Damascenus (St John of Damascus); 67. Paulus Orosius.

3rd row

membrane 7: (right): 68. Pope Leo; 69. Uterpandragon (King Utherpendragon of Britain); with a crown and staff;

membrane 8: 70. Clordoreas (King Chlothar of the Franks); 71. Emperor Justinian; 72. Priscianus grammaticus (Prician); 73. St Benedict; 74. Totila, king of the Ostrogoths; 75. King Arthur of Britain, with a shield bearing three gold crowns; 76. St Gregory the Great; 77. Emperor Phocas of Byzantium; 78. Costroe (Khosrau), King of Persia; 79. a scholar with hood, carrying a book;

membrane 9: 80. Pippin, king of Francia, holding a shield with fleur-de-lis emblems; 81. Karolus magnus (Charlemagne) with an imperial crown, and armour bearing an imperial eagle and fleur de lis; 82. Hugh Capet; 83. Guillermus dux Normandie (William of Normandy); 84. ?Godefridus de Boulhon (?Godfrey of Bouillon, crusader);

membrane 10: 85. Emperor Honorius; 86. Saladin rex Aegypti with a curved scimitar; 87. Karolus primus (?Charles I of Anjou); 88. Pope Nicholas III; 89; Pope Boniface VIII; 90. ?’..Caroli’, (?Charles, count of Valois), a knight in armour with sword; 91. an Eastern ruler dressed as a knight with turban and scimitar.