Harley MS 4399

Contents:

Pèlerinage de la vie humaine (Pilgrimage of the life of man), by Guillaume de Diguleville (or Guilleville, Digulleville, Degulleville, Deguileville), a Cistercian monk of Chaalis, or Chailly, near Senlis. This is a copy of the first recension of the text, in 4 books with a prologue:

ff. 1r: Prologue;

ff. 1r-33r: Book 1;

ff. 33r-59r: Book 2;

ff. 59r-74r: Book 3;

ff. 74r-88v: Book 4.

Decoration:

103 column-width framed, tinted drawings in yellow, purple, green, grey and brown on a ground of silver scrolls on red. Initials in red or black.

The subjects of the miniatures are:

f. 1r: Guillaume de Diguleville preaching, Guillaume dreaming, his vision of Jerusalem with an angel guarding the gate;

f. 1v: Pilgrims with wings fly towards the heavenly Jerusalem; pilgrims climbing over the walls on the ladder of Humility, helped by St Benedict;

f. 2r: Pilgrims climbing into the heavenly Jerusalem using a rope, held by St Francis of Assisi: souls undressing before Peter standing at the gate with keys;

f. 2v: God's Grace (Grace-Dieu), a crowned woman, gestures towards a pilgrim (?Guillaume de Deguileville), tonsured, wearing a monk's habit;

f. 4r: The pilgrim is baptised by a priest in a headdress; he is then blessed by Moses, dressed as a bishop, with God's Grace standing behind;

f. 4v: Moses as a bishop with a crozier points to a priest in a headdress holding three bottles of ointment;

f. 5r: Reason (Raison) advising the clergy represented by a nun and a bishop;

f. 6r: A priest performs a marriage, with two witnesses in attendance;

f. 6v: A monk being tonsured by Moses, represented as a bishop;

f. 7r: Clerics celebrating mass;

f. 7v: Clerics receiving the symbolic key and spear from a bishop before an altar;

f. 9v: Two clerics show impatience, as one takes the spear from Moses, who is holding out a key; Reason giving a sermon to a cleric;

f. 10v: A man receiving communion, with the pilgrim and Grace watching; Reason teaching the mystery of the host to a cleric;

f. 11r: Grace appeases Nature;

f. 13v: Nature kneels before Grace;

f. 14r: Charity, holding a charter with hanging seal, and Penance, holding brooms in her hand and in her mouth, standing before a cleric;

f. 17r: The symbol of the set square, representing spiritual perfection and physical reality;

f. 18r: Grace teaching the pilgrim about the communion host;

f. 19v: Aristotle and Wisdom (a crowned woman);

f. 22r: The pilgrim is given the staff or 'bourdon' and pilgrim's bag or 'scrip' from an open chest;

f. 24r: The pilgrim with his staff and bag, takes leave of Grace;

f. 24v: Grace teaching the pilgrim about his staff;

f. 25r: Grace shows the pilgrim his arms, which are hanging on a rail, and gives him his tunic;

f. 25v: Grace teaching the pilgrim in his knight's tunic;

f. 26v: Grace giving the pilgrim his hauberk; Grace giving him his neck armour (gorget ), helmet and shield;

f. 28v: The pilgrim, fully armed, is instructed by Grace;

f. 31r: Grace with the pilgrim, who discards his arms, and wears his pilgrim's robe;

f. 31v: Memory, with eyes in the back of her head, is brought before the pilgrim by Grace;

f. 32r: The pilgrim sets off, with Memory carrying his possessions behind;

f. 32v: Moses blesses the pilgrim; Grace gives him her protection;

f. 33r: The pilgrim and Memory walking; they meet an old man with a stick who represents Misunderstanding;

f. 33v: Reason intervenes;

f. 34r: Reason gives Misunderstanding a letter; the pilgrim reads the letter;

f. 34v: Misunderstanding turns away and will not listen to Reason;

f. 37r: Reason speaks to the pilgrim, with Memory behind;

f. 37v: Reason and the pilgrim with his staff and bag;

f. 40v: The pilgrim's soul floating above the water;

f. 41r: Reason talking to the Pilgrim about the body and soul;

f. 42v: The pilgrim stands before a forest; he meets Idleness;

f. 43r: The pilgrim meets Industry, a man mending a net;

f. 44r: The pilgrim returns to Idleness;

f. 45v: Reason rescues the pilgrim;

f. 46r: The pilgrim meets an old woman representing vice at the intersection of two paths; the pilgrim with a rope representing vice;

f. 47v: Sloth attacks the pilgrim with an axe;

f. 48r: She ties him up; he escapes and flees;

f. 48v: The pilgrim meets Pride on the shoulders of Flattery;

f. 50v-53r: Possessions of Pride: Bellows; a hunting horn; spurs and a club; a cloak;

f. 54r The pilgrim with three women wearing veils, representing Slander, holding a spear on which are pierced five ears, Treachery, holding a stick and a box, and they are both seated on the back of Envy, kneeling on all fours with daggers protruding from her eyes;

f. 57r: The pilgrim is attacked by Treachery and falls from his horse, he is then attacked by Envy;

f. 57v: Anger with a scythe in her mouth, a sabre at her side and rocks in her hands;

f. 58v: Memory comes to the aid of the pilgrim with an axe;

f. 59v: Avarice as a woman with many arms, including claws, and holding scales, begging bowl, a bag and a spike;

f. 60r: Servants of Avarice, represented as a King with a mace, a chessboard and a church symbolising religious conflict;

f. 66v: The pilgrim meets Gluttony, a woman with a long nose, and a bag and funnel in her mouth; the pilgrim meets Lust, a woman riding a pig, holding the head of a beautiful woman and a spear;

f. 69v: The pilgrim is struck down to the ground by Lust, Gluttony, and Avarice;

f. 70r: A hand from above restores the pilgrim, handing him his staff;

f. 71r: The pilgrim kneels holding a scroll with the words, 'atoy du mon[de] virge glorieuse';

f. 73r: Grace and the pilgrim stand before a wooden barrel with an eye crying tears into it;

f. 74r: The pilgrim stands before a symbol of the sea with figures drowning in it, and angels coming to save them;

f. 74v: The devil with his net for fishing souls from the sea;

f. 75r: Grace and the pilgrim talking;

f. 76v: The pilgrim meets a woman with feathered feet, representing Youth;

f. 77r: The pilgrim flies off on the back of Youth above the sea;

f. 78r: Tribulation, a woman wearing a smith's apron, holding pincers and a mallet, sits on the sea, which contains fish;

f. 79v: The pilgrim falls into the sea, and Tribulation attacks him with a mallet and pincers;

f. 81r: The pilgrim is rescued from the sea by Grace;

f. 81v: The ship of religion comes to ferry the pilgrim across the sea;

f. 82r: The guard of the ship, representing fear of God, attacks the pilgrim with his mace;

f. 82v: 4 images: Poverty and Chastity, then Discipline and Obedience enter the monastery (left); Lesson with a bowl of honeyed food, Abstinence standing beside a table at which three people are seated, eating;

f. 83r: 4 images: Worship seated at an organ, with a horn in her mouth; the pigrim and Grace before the monastery (left); Chasity holding a staff, standing beside a bed; the three dead serving three monks seated at a table (right);

f. 85r: Obedience ties up the pilgrim with a rope; the pilgrim meets Illness, carrying a load on her back, and Old Age with crutches over her shoulder;

f. 86v: A robed figure (?the pilgrim) lies in bed and a woman offers him the milk of kindness;

f. 87v: Death with a scythe and coffin stands before the dying pilgrim.

Catchwords in the lower margins. Leaf signatures.