Stowe MS 953

NARRATIVE POEM in old English verse relating the revelation to St. Methodius of the history of the world from the Creation to the Day of Judgment. Begins:-

"Sum tyme was there a man of state That was clepyd Methodius, An holy byshop, a gret prelate, A man nobyll and gracyous."

It summarises the story of the patriarchs, and -relates the lives of two eastern kings named Cusdro and Sabysas. The latter is conquered by the sons of Ishmael, who subsequently, under Oreb and Zeb, are defeated by Gideon. The poem proceeds to prophesy the overrunning of the whole world by the sons of Ishmael (the Saracens) and the persecution of the Christians ; the victory of the Christians; the birth and reign of "Antecryst ye develys byrde"; and the Day of Judgment. Of Antichrist it is said:-

"yt xall not be as folkys have tolde he xulde be begotyn of a frere and born of a nune, but he xall be born of a bysmere bolde y^e werst woman ony where may wone." All the last part is largely borrowed from the book of Revelation. The poem is written in rough octosyllabic quatrains, sometimes incomplete, with the rhymes indicated (sometimes wrongly) by red ink. Paper; ff. 16. XVth cent. At the end is the name (as owner) of William Gilberd de Toffet Monachorum (Toft-monks, co. Norfolk), 16th cent.; and at the beginning are the bookplate of Francis Blomefield, 1736, the initials T. M. [Thomas Martin of Palgrave, ob. 1771], and a note by Thomas Astle that the MS. was presented to him by the Rev. [John] Brand in 1788.

Poetry: The revelation to St. Methodius: 15th cent.

Bookplates: Blomefield (Francis): 1736.

Francis Blomefield: Bookplates: 1736.