Harley MS 3766

The second surviving set of fragments of a collection of miscellaneous religious and historical tracts. The medieval foliation shows that ff. 83–94 were formerly bound after ff. 98–106.

ff. 1–18: ‘Liber qui intitulatur liber niger qui fuit inuentus cum cruce magna de Waltham sancte Crucis’, on the miracles of the Cross at Waltham (beginning imperfectly).

ff. 19r–23v: ‘Tractatus de generacione beate uirginis Marie matris Cristi gloriose’, beginning, ‘Anna et emeria sorores fuerunt.’

ff. 23v–26r: Life of Mary (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, p. 791), beginning, ‘Temporibus piissimi imperatoris Iustiniani fuit homo quidam princeps Iudeorum Theodosius nomen ipsi.’

ff. 26r–37r: ‘Sermo in concepcione uirginis Cristum concipientis’, beginning, ‘Ferculum fecit sibi rex solmon de lignis libani. columpnas esus fecit argenteas: reclinatorium aureum. ascensum purpureum. media caritate constrauit: propter filias ierusalem. De beate genitricis dei concepcione diuersi diuersa senciunt’.

f. 37r–v: William of Malmesbury, Miracula sanctae Mariae uirginis 13.1–3: given the heading ‘Miraculum de conceptione beate marie uirginis’, beginning, ‘Willelmus ex comite Normannie Rex anglie cum esset in reliquos’.

ff. 37v–38r: Prayers to the Virgin beginning with Stabat mater, ‘Oratio contemplatiua dolorum beate uirginis marie cum uideret filium suum penntem in cruce’ (found with the same heading in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Lyell 30, ff. 189v–191r).

f. 38r–v: ‘De etate sancte marie’, one sentence indicating that Mary was 63 when she moved from the world, 13 when Christ was born, and that she lived for 17 years after the Ascension.

ff. 38v–48r: Stephen of Eston, Meditationes de gaudiis beate uirginis.

f. 48v: ‘De amore’, beginning, ‘Mos est nempe amancium ut amorem suum silencio tegere nequeant’.

f. 48v: ‘Prosa de dilectione dei erga hominem’, beginning, ‘Fortius ut mors dilectio: qua durum fit suaue. Vt sancta refert leccio. nil est amanti graue.’

f. 49r–56r: Hugh of Fleury, Historia ecclesiastica 3: given the heading ‘De inuencione sancte Crucis’, beginning, ‘Constantius magnus constancii moderatissimi et egregii principis filius’.

ff. 56r–57v: Exaltatio sancte crucis (BHL 4178).

ff. 57v–79r: ‘Vtilis et deuota narracio de ligno dominico’, beginning, ‘Post peccatum ade expulso eodem de paradyso propter peccatum’.

ff. 79r–80r: Bernard of Clairvaux, Oratio ad Virginem Mariam, beginning, ‘Summe summi tu patris unice. mundi faber et rector fabrice’.

ff. 80r–82r: Explanations of the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed adapted from the works of Augustine, beginning, ‘Secundum beatum Augustinum in tractatu de oratione nichil aliud est oratio’.

f. 82r–v: Note on the burial places of the Apostles, ‘Vbi requiescunt apostoli’, beginning, ‘Petrus et Paulus requiescunt Rome. Andreas, Simon et Judas’ (also found in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 377, f. 7v).

f. 82v: Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed (ending imperfectly), beginning, ‘Simbolum grece collatio latine siue indicium quia ibi iudicatur fides nostre trinitatis qualiter debeatur credi.’

ff. 83r–85v: Questions on salvation, beginning imperfectly, ‘…tentem exhibere non plene discernit. quia plerumque parum’.

ff. 85v–88r: Leo the Great, Sermon 40.

ff. 88r–92v: Maximus of Turin, Homily 44.

ff. 92r–93r: Notes on fasting and its origins, beginning, ‘Videndum est quid sit ieiunium de auctoritate et de commendacione ieiunii’.

ff. 93r–94r: ‘De diuisione ieiunii et de multiplici ieiunio’, beginning, ‘Ieiunium sic diuiditur.’

f. 94r–v: Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.35 (ends imperfectly).

ff. 95r–97v: John Pecham, Philomena.

ff. 97v–104r: ‘Sermo magistri Ade Cartusiensis: in dominica .iii. Quadragesime de confessione’, beginning, ‘Erat iesus eiciens demonium et illud erat mutum. Et cum eiecisset demonium locutus est mutus et admirate sunt turbe. Non uno fratres modo sed modis multis. nec semel aut bis’.

ff. 104r–106v: ‘Item sermo magistri Ade Cartusiensis de confessione’, beginning, ‘In precedenti siquidem dominica audistis qui tunc affuistis: in sermone quem ad uos habuimus triplicem esse debere peccatorum nostrorum confessionem’ (ends imperfectly).

f. 107r: Text on angels, beginning imperfectly, ‘…[an]gelos. uirtutes. In secunda prcinipatus. potestates dominaciones.’

f. 107r–v: Bernard of Clairvaux, excerpt from Sermon on Peter and Paul 1, beginning, ‘Libentissime eciam paulum sequor: qui pre nimia dulcedine luget eos qui peccauerunt’.

ff. 107v–108v: ‘Item in quodam sermone die Pentecoste qui sit incipit. Cum ceterorum sit dilectissimi.’, beginning, ‘Ecce uos estis Cristi discipuli. studete omnes. studete singuli’.

ff. 108v–109v: ‘De ineuitabilitate mortis’, beginning, ‘Consideremus insuper in hac uite breuitate mortis ineuitabilitem iuxta prophetam.’

ff. 109v–110r: Roger of Waltham, Compendium morale, excerpt, beginning, ‘Vado mori Rex sum. quid honor quid gloria mundi?’

ff. 110r–111r: ‘De logico religionem ingrediente’, beginning, ‘Et premissa bene attendebat quidam logicus qui cum in sophisticis disputacionibus’.

ff. 111r–112v: ‘Qualiter unam et ueritas obuiauerunt sibi: et quomodo iusticia et pax osculate sunt’, beginning, ‘Quidam paterfamilias quidem rex potens quatuor habuit filias. quarum prima uocabatur misericordia’.

ff. 112v–114r: Bernard of Clairvaux, Parabola 5: ‘Parabole sancti Bernardi ualde morales’, beginning, ‘Rex nobilis tres habuit filias: fidem spem et caritatem.’

ff. 114r–116v: Bernard of Clairvaux, Parabola 6, beginning, ‘Filius regis super celestis ierusalem egressus est ut contemplaretur regna patris sui inferiora’ (ends imperfectly).

Decoration:

Large historiated initial in red, blue and purple ink with the Tree of Jesse and elaborate pen-flourishing extending into the margins, including acorns, oak and ivy leaves, a bird and a hybrid creature with the head of a king (f. 37v). Large puzzle initial in red and blue with elaborate pen-flourishing in red including oak and ivy leaves, acorns, birds, knotwork (f. 49r). Large puzzle initial in red and blue with cruder pen-flourishing in red and purple (f. 57v). Numerous red initials with pen-flourishing in purple ink, or blue with red flourishing. The flourishing usually includes foliate motifs, and sometimes a human face (see ff. 5r, 13r, 16v), rabbits and hybrid creatures (f. 56r). Marginal ink drawing in purple and red: a half-human creature aims at two rabbits with a bow and arrow (f. 56r). Small coloured initials and paragraph marks in red or blue. Small diagram in red ink in the lower margin with the head of a monster (f. 33r), combined with a head drawn in the side margin indicating the relevant place in the text.