Hard-coded id of currently selected item: . JSON version of its record is available from Blacklight on e.g. ??
Metadata associated with selected item should appear here...
Harley MS 1758
- Record Id:
- 040-002047589
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 040-002047589
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000709.0x00010a
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100193733641.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Harley MS 1758
- Title:
-
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
- Scope & Content:
-
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, including the Tale of Gamelyn. Imperfect, with the loss of many folios throughout the manuscript. Occasional marginal notes in English and Latin are written by the scribe of the nearby text, and some (in red) by the rubricator. A few additional notes in other 15th- and 16th-century hands.
ff. 1r–9v: General Prologue. Rubric (f. 1r): '[H]ere begynneth the book . of tales of Caunterburye . compiled by Geffraie Chaucers of Brytayne chef poete'. Incipit (f. 1r): 'Whan that Aprill . wt his schoures swote . / The drought of Marche . hath perced to þe rote'. A folio has been lost following f. 9, which would have been the first page of the Knight's Tale (I.845–915 are lost). Explicit (f. 9v): 'And schortly for to tellen . as it was . / were it bi aventure . or sort or cas'.
ff. 10r–33r: Knight's Tale. Incipit (f. 10r): 'vyctorie . & as a conquerour to lyven . / Not greveth us your glorie / & youre honour'. One folio lost following f. 33, which would have been the first page of the Miller's Tale (as opposed to the Prologue; I.3158–250 are lost). Explicit (f. 33v): 'Ther ben full gode wyves mony oon . / Whi arte thou angry with my tale now'.
ff. 33v–40r: Miller's Prologue (f. 33v) and Tale (ff. 34r–40r). Incipit (f. 34r): 'Tassid with silk & persid with laton . / In all this worlde to seke up & doun'.
ff. 40v–45v: Reeve's Prologue (ff. 40v–41r) and Tale (ff. 41r–45v). One folio and one quire are lost after f. 45, containing the end of the Cook's Prologue (I.4346ff.), the entirety of the aborted Cook's Tale (perhaps), and the beginning of Gamelyn. Explicit (f. 45v): 'Our oost answerde & seide I graunte it the . / Now telle on Roger loke that it be good'.
ff. 45v–55r: Cook's Prologue (f. 45v); as in all the manuscripts belonging to the ‘d’ family in the textual tradition, the Tale of Gamelyn is copied as the conclusion of the Cook's Tale (ff. 46-55). Incipit (f. 46r): 'All the londe that he hadde it was purchas . / ffayn he wolde it were dressid among hem alle'.
ff. 55v–67v: Man of Law's Prologue (ff. 55v–56v) and Tale (ff. 56v–67v).
ff. 68r–75r: Squire's Prologue (f. 68r) and Tale (ff. 68r–75r). Folio 75v was ruled, but left blank.
ff. 76r–88v: Merchant's Prologue (f. 76r) and Tale (ff. 76r–88v).
ff. 89r–102r: Wife of Bath's Prologue (ff. 89r–97v) and Tale (ff. 97v–102r).
ff. 102r–106v: Friar's Prologue (f. 102r–v) and Tale (ff. 102v–106v).
ff. 106v–113v: Summoner's Prologue (ff. 106v–107r) and Tale (ff. 107r–113v).
ff. 114r–126v: Clerk's Prologue (f. 114r–v) and Tale (ff. 114v–126v).
ff. 127r–137r: Franklin's Prologue (f. 127r) and Tale (ff. 127v–137r).
ff. 137r–143r: Second Nun's Prologue (ff. 137r–138v) and Tale (ff. 138v–43r).
ff. 143r–149v: Canon's Yeoman's Prologue (ff. 143r–45r) and Tale (ff. 145r–49v). Six folios (the three center bifolia of a quire) are missing following f. 149, which would have contained the end of the Canon's Yeoman's Tale and beginning of the Physician's Tale (VIII.1178–481, VI.1–225). Explicit (f. 149v): 'But taketh hede now sirs for goddis love . / he toke his cole of whiche I spake of above'.
f. 150r–v: Physician's Tale. Incipit (f. 150r): 'Myn pitous honde mote smyten of thyn heed . / Allas that evyr Apyus the saye'.
ff. 150v–158r: Pardoner's Prologue (ff. 150v–51r) and Tale (ff. 151r–158r).
ff. 158r–163r: Shipman's Prologue (f. 158r–v) and Tale (ff. 158v–163r).
ff. 163r–166r: Prioress's Prologue (f. 163r–v) and Tale (ff. 163v–166r).
ff. 166r–168v: Prologue (f. 166r–v) and Tale of Sir Thopas (ff. 166v–168v). Explicit (f. 168v): 'So worthely under wede / Till it was on a daye . / Here endeth Sir Thopas'. One folio lost following f. 168, which would have been the first page of the Melibee (VII.919–91).
ff. 169r–182r: Melibee. Incipit (f. 169r): 'that techeth Senec . When that thi frende is deed quod he late noght thyn y[g]en ben to moist of teeris ne to meche drie'. The bottom half of f. 182 has been cut away, although with no apparent loss of text.
ff. 183r–192r: Monk's Prologue (ff. 183r–184r) and Tale (ff. 184r–192r).
ff. 192v–200r: Nun's Priest's Prologue (ff. 192v–193r) and Tale (ff. 193r–200r).
ff. 200r–204r: Manciple's Prologue (ff. 200r–201r) and Tale (ff. 201v–204r).
ff. 204v–230v: Parson's Prologue (ff. 204v–205r) and Tale (ff. 205r–230v).
ff. 230v–231r: Retractions. Explicit (f. 231r): 'so that I may be oon of hem at the daye of dome that schulen be savyd . Qui cum patre . & cetera'. Colophon (f. 231r): 'Here endeth the book of the tales of Cauntirburye . Compyled bi Geffraye Chaucers . Of whos soule Ihesu crist have mercye . Amen quod Cornhyll'.
Decoration:
22 bar borders and puzzle initials with foliate and spray decoration in colours and gold, at the beginning of most of the Tales. Initials in gold against grounds of blue and red with white tracery and spray decoration. Initials in blue or red with penwork decoration in red or blue. Running titles in black. Rubrics and marginal notes in red. Spaces for miniatures left blank before prologues.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Harley Collection
- Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "040-002047589", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 1758: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002045828
040-002047589 - Is part of:
- Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts
Harley MS 1758 : Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales - Hierarchy:
- 032-002045828[1760]/040-002047589
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
-
1 volume
- Digitised Content:
- http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100193733641.0x000001 (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- English, Middle
Latin - Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1430
- End Date:
- 1470
- Date Range:
- Middle of the 15th century
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
- Available for research unless otherwise stated
- User Conditions:
- Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript
Please request the physical items you need using the online collection item request form.
Digitised items can be viewed online by clicking the thumbnail image or digitised content link.
Readers who have registered or renewed their pass since 21 March 2024 can request physical items prior to visiting the Library by completing
this request form.
Please enter the Reference (shelfmark) above on the request form.If your Reader Pass was issued before this date, you will need to visit the Library in London or Yorkshire to renew it before you can request items online. All manuscripts and archives must be consulted at the Library in London.
This catalogue record may describe a collection of items which cannot all be requested together. Please use the hierarchy viewer to navigate to individual items. Some items may be in use or restricted for other reasons. If you would like to check the availability, contact our Reference Services team, quoting the Reference (shelfmark) above.
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Dimensions: 340 × 235 mm (text space: 250 × 125 mm).
Foliation: ff. 1* + 232 (5 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves: 2 at the beginning (ff. [i-ii]) and 3 at the end (ff. [233-35]); f. 1* is a modern paper leaf with a parchment former flyleaf pasted to the verso; f. 232 is a cutting from a former flyleaf).
Collation: Gatherings mostly of 8, with horizontal catchwords in the lower margin of the last verso of each gathering and traces of quire signature in the lower right corner of the rectos in the first half of the gatherings (see ff. 46-47). Missing a number of leaves.
Script: Gothic. Possibly written by 3 professional scribes and corrected by a supervisor.
Binding: British Museum in-house, with marbled endleaves (ff. [i] and [235]).
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: England.
Provenance:
'Cornhyll', possibly the rubricator: rubric on f. 231r (Manly and Rickert, Text, 1940): 'Quod Cornhyll'.
Edmund Foxe of Ludford, county Salop, Shropshire, admitted to Lincoln's Inn 1536 (see Wright, Fontes, 1972; Manly and Rickert, Text, 1940): his inscription (f. 232r).
Edward Foxe (b. 1546, d. c. 1627), son of Edmund Foxe (Manly and Rickert, Text, 1940): his inscriptions, including: signatures (ff. 1* verso, 232r); records of his marriage to Jane Oteley in 1561 and the births of their children from 1567 to 1595 (ff. 126v-127r); inscription (f. 231r): 'Edwarde Ffoxe oweythe this booke ex dono patris sui'; and various short Latin inscriptions (f. 231v).
Foxe added English verses in previously blank spaces (ff. 204r, 229v, 231r, 231v): 'The bribing iudge by wreastinge lawes / the harmles man do the Plage / As eager hauke withe claspinge clawes / the sely birde do the take'; signed 'Per me Edwardum Foxum' (f. 204r). 'Larned virgill, (these present daies / in vears the chiefteist man) / the laureall croune and only prais / from laten Poetis wan' (f. 204r); also appearing in fragments on ff. 229v, 231v, 232v. 'O puisant Queene of regall Kinde / yf lik your Princelik will' (f. 204r). 'Fyrst hautye Pride by seacreat meanes / causles, dothe cause, envye'; signed 'Edwardus ffoxus Possidet hunc librum ex dono Patris sui' (f. 231r).
The inscription 'Corpus Christi 1679' (f. 200r).
Francis Atterbury (b. 1663, d. 1732), bishop of Rochester, politician, and Jacobite conspirator: his inscription (f. 1* verso); presented by him to Robert Harley when dean of Christ Church, Oxford, i.e. sometime between September 1711 and July 1713, as recorded by Harley's librarian, Humfrey Wanley in his catalogue (see A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts 1808; Wright 1972).
The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts.
Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish Harley, née Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d. 1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library.
- Information About Copies:
-
Full digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Digitised Manuscripts, https://bl.uk/manuscripts/.
Select digital coverage available for this manuscript: see the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, https://bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/.
- Publications:
-
A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-1812), II (1808), pp. 200-01 (no. 1758).
Harry L. D. Ward and John A. Herbert, Catalogue of Romances in the Department of Manuscripts in the British Museum, 3 vols (London: British Museum, 1883-1910), I: Harry L. D. Ward (1883), p. 513.
Eleanor P. Hammond, Chaucer: A Bibliographical Manual (New York: Macmillan, 1908), p. 175.
The Text of the Canterbury Tales: Studied on the Basis of All Known Manuscripts, by John M. Manly and Edith Rickert, 8 vols (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1940), I, pp. 198-206.
Carleton Brown and Rossell Hope Robbins, The Index of Middle English Verse (New York: Columbia, 1943), nos. 1913, 4019.
Germaine Dempster, 'A Chapter of the Manuscript History of the Canterbury Tales: The Ancestor of Group d: The Origin of its Texts, Tale-Order, and Spurious Links', Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 63 (1948) 456-84.
Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 55, 156-57, 401.
Anthony Ian Doyle and Malcolm B. Parkes, 'The Production of Copies of the Canterbury Tales and the Confessio Amantis in the Early Fifteenth Century', in Medieval Scribes, Manuscripts and Libraries: Essays Presented to N. R. Ker, ed. by Malcolm B. Parkes and Andrew G. Watson (London: Scolar Press, 1978), pp. 163-210 (p. 191 n. 61).
Anthony S. G. Edwards and Derek Pearsall, 'The Manuscripts of the Major English Poetic Texts', in Book Production and Publishing in Britain 1375-1475, ed. by Jeremy Griffiths and Derek Pearsall (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), pp. 257-78 (pp. 274-75 n. 40).
Charles A. Owen, The Manuscripts of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer studies, 17 (Woodbridge: Brewer, 1991), pp. 38, 42, 58-60, 72, 81, 104, 112, 121.
Linne R. Mooney, 'A New Scribe of Chaucer and Gower', Journal of the Early Book Society, 7 (2004), 131-40.
Derek Pearsall, ‘The Manuscripts and Illustrations of Gower’s Works’, in A Companion to Gower, ed. by Sian Echard (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 2004), pp. 73-97 (p. 81).
Julia Boffey and A. S. G. Edwards, A New Index of Middle English Verse (London: British Library, 2005), nos. 1913, 4019.
- Exhibitions:
- British Library Treasures, (online), 27 February 2016-
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)