Add MS 37512

1. TRAVELS of Sir John Mandeville: the vulgate Latin version as printed in 1485 and later. f. 1. Title: "De itineracione terre promissionis et alii. mirandis insulis liber Iohannis de Mandeville militis." Begins, "Cum terra Ierosolimitana." Colophon (f. 73 b): "Explicit libellus de mirabilibus mundi compositus per dominum Iohannem de Mandeville preclarissimum militem. Scriptus per me fratrem Iohannem Swanfelder ordinis fratrum beatissime dei genetricis Marie de Monte Carmeli. Et completus .xi. die mensis Augusti Anno domini m^o.cccc^o.lvii^o. Deo gracias. Amen." With a table of the 52 chapters (f. 74).

2. Narrative of the pilgrimage of George, son of Grisophan, an Hungarian noble, to the Purgatory of St. Patrick [a cavern on an island in Lough Derg, co. Donegal] in the diocese of Clogher, in Ireland in 1353; preceded by a "prologus dom. Nicolai episcopi Glotensis [al. Glotorensis, sc. Nich. MacCathasaid, bishop of Clogher 1319-1350], in cuius diocesi est hostium purgatorii sancti Patricii," and by letters testimonial, etc., as below. Latin. f. 75. Prologue begins, "Multipharie multisque modis olimque Deus"; and text (f. 77 b), "Incipit hijstoria Georgii prima. Dum sepe dictus Georgius juuenis etatis .24. annorum uel citra, homo robustus et cordatus." Colophon (f. 110): "Iohannes Swanfelder Scriptor huius libelli." The preliminary letters are from (1) Richard [Fitz Ralph], Archbishop of Armagh [1347-l360], "dilecto filio Georgio Ungaro"; dat. "apud manerium nostrum [in Brumeschiz] .....die Mercurii." f. 75b;-(2) The same "uniuersis Christi fidelibus"; dat. 2 Feb. [1354?]. f. 76;-(3) The same to his nephew "Richardo Radulfi rectori eccl. liebon. canonico in blaten."; dat. "apud manerium nostrum.....de Drumelium .ii. die mensis Februarii Anno dom. m^occc^oliii^o [1354], secundum computacionem eccl. ybernie." f. 76;-(4) "Litera Pauli prioris conuentus insule purgatorii testimonialis"; dat. "in cenobio purgatorii....in castro [sc. crastino] sancti Nicolai episcopi [7 Dec.] anno dom. m^occc^oliii^o f. 77;-(5) "Litera dom. Nicolai episcopi doton. [sic, sc. Clogher] in finibus mundi testimonialis"; dat. Morrow of the Nativity, 1353. f. 77;-(6) Similar letter from John de Foro Nili, prior of the Hospitallers in Ireland; dat. Tuesday after the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul [28 Jan. 1354 ?]. f. 77 b. The hero of the narrative followed Louis, King of Hungary, in his invasion of the kingdom of Naples [1348-1350] and was made captain of castles "prope Barletum" [Barletta?] in Apulia, where, by himself or others, he was guilty of 400 homicides. Struck with remorse, he set out for Rome to obtain absolution, and thence proceeded as a pilgrim to St. James [of Compostella] in Galicia. After leading a hermit's life there for five months, on hearing of St. Patrick's Purgatory "in ultimis terrae finibus" he made his way thither and, as soon as he had obtained episcopal licence, he was allowed to enter. The narrative then describes, in 18 chapters, what he saw, including Hell and its punishments and Paradise, with several visions in which the devil and fiends appeared in different forms, including those of his father Grisophan and his three brothers. Finally he is brought back to the chapel of St. Patrick by St. Michael, and is nearly stripped naked by the bystanders in their eagerness to have fragments of his clothes as relics. For a notice of two other MSS., at Vienna and Melk, see the Revue Celtique, ii., 1873-1875, p. 482. "Georgius fil. Grifaini" was amoung the sufferers seen in the Purgatory by a later Hungarian pilgrim, Laurentius Ratold, in 1411(see H. Ward, Cat. of Romances, ii., p. 491).

3. "Incipit uita Malchi monachi captiui," beg. "Qui nauali prelio"; by St. Jerome (see Migne, Patrologia, XXIII. col. 53). f. 110 b.

4. "Pafnucii [Paphnutii] monachi uita feliciter incipit," beg. "Vidimus et monesterium sancti Pafnucii": Rufinus, "Historia Monachorum," cap. xvi. (see Migne, xxi. col. 435). Colophon, "J[ohannes] S[wanfelder]. Explicit beata uita Pafnucii. Deo gracias. Amen." f. 114 b.

5. "Magni Basilii liber translatus de Greco in Latinum per Leonardum Aretinum feliciter incipit," beg. "Ego tibi hune libium, Coluci": the prefatory letter of Leonardo Aretino prefixed to the "Opuseulum Magni Basilii ad iuuenes," printed in 1470 (?). The work itself is not given. f. 117 b. Gatherings of 12 leaves, the first and last and two in the centre vellum, the rest paper; ff. 119. 8¾ in. x 6.7/8 in. Written in 1457 by Johann Swanfelder. (see above). Initials in red and blue, with filigree ornamentation. Bound in wooden boards covered with white skin. Book-plate of arms of H.R.H. Augustus Fredrick, Duke of Sussex (d. 1843, sale-cat. 31 July-3 Aug. 1844, lot 297); Phillipps MS. 13660 (sale-cat. 17-20 May, 1897,lot 498); Sotheby's sale-cat. 24-26 June, 1907, lot 718.