Harley MS 4664

This manuscript contains 3 separate parts with liturgical texts made for the Benedictine priory of Coldingham:

Part I (14th century):

ff. 2r-8v: Liturgical lections and antiphons for the feast of Corpus Christi, 'In festivitate corporis Christi ad jesperas [sic] super psalmos' (with added lectiones on ff. 8r-8v), 14th century.

Part II (c 1270 – c 1280):

ff. 9r-124r: Breviary (the 'Coldingham Breviary'), including the Temporale, with many additional instructions added in the margins.

f. 125v: A scientific instruction in Anglo-Norman for predicting the New Moon. The instruction explains how to interpret Arabic numerals in red and brown ink and accompanying dots in the right columns of the pages of the Calendar. A red number indicated in which year of the Metonic cycle of 19 years the Sun and Moon were in conjunction on a particular date. Each red number is surrounded by four numbers in brown ink. These indicated different times on which the conjunction would occur for four consecutive Metonic cycles (76 years). The dots preceding and following these numbers told whether the hour would be a.m. or p.m. Falk has established that the numbers were calculated for a 76-year cycle that started in 1289. He suggests that the instruction, and the numbers and dots in the Calendar, may have been added by John Westwyk: a late 14th-century astronomer, instrument maker, and monk of the Benedictine abbey of St Albans (see Falk, ‘New Moon’ (2020) [online source]; Falk, The Light Ages (2020), pp. 200-201, pl. 5.10).

Part III (2nd half of the 13th century):

ff. 126r-132v: Calendar with computes for Easter (ff. 132r, 132v).

ff. 133r-180v: Psalter with litany of saints (ff. 175r-176v), hymns and biblical readings.

ff. 181r-197v: Hymnal, including a hymn for St Cuthbert, with music notation. F. 182v is the hymn 'Nunc sancte nobis spiritus' set as a double canon and written on 2 staves of 4 red lines.

ff. 198r-332v: Sanctorale with several prayers added in margins (for St Blaise in the lower margins of ff. 213v-214v, for St Valentine in the lower margins of ff. 215v-216r, and St Guthlac in the right and lower margin of f. 224r) and a 15th-century section on ff. 320r-332v; f. 200 is a 14th-century replacement page.

Decoration:

Part I:

Numerous small initials in blue or red with, respectively, red or blue penwork decoration.

Part II:

One full-page miniature on f. 125v: a Benedictine monk (presumably intended to represent the original owner of the manuscript) kneeling before the enthroned Virgin and Child, holding a scroll inscribed 'Ave Maria gratia plena' (Hail Mary, fully of grace), the words of the archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation.

Two large initials in red and blue with foliate decoration in red, blue, green and gold (f. 2r, 21v).

Numerous small initials in blue or red with, respectively, red or blue penwork decoration.

Layout: 245 x 170 mm (text space: 162 x 125 mm) in two columns of 36 lines.

Part III:

Four historiated initials with colours and gold:

f. 133r: King David with harp.

f. 145v: A boastful fool observed by a queen.

f. 157v: A monk in blue habit reading or singing from a book on a lectern with a monk in red habit standing next to him.

f. 162r: Christ enthroned.

Three types of large initials:

Large initials in gold against a red and blue background with white foliate decoration (Calendar: ff. 126r, 126v, 127r, 127v, 128r, 128v, 129r, 129v, 130r, 130v, 131r, 131v; Psalter: 133r, 133v, 224r, 247v, 273v, 274r, 276v, 278r, 287v, 298r, 303v, 314r, 316r).

Large puzzle initials in red and blue with red and blue penwork decoration (ff. 177v, 271v, 272r, 178r, 178v, 179r, 179v, 180r (x2), 182v).

Large blue or red initials with foliate and zoomorphic ornamentation in red, blue, green and gold (ff. 138r, 142r, 145r, 153v, 158r, 177r, 177r, 186r, 187r, 191v, 198r, 202r, 205r, 206v, 208r, 209v, 212r, 214r, 217v, 218v, 220r, 222v, 226r, 227r, 228r, 230v, 233r [also features a human head, perhaps representing John the Evangelist], 236r, 237r, 249r, 250v, 253r, 266r, 267v, 269r, 270v, 275r, 278v, 281v, 282v, 284r, 287v, 291r, 292v, 301r, 310v, 317v).

Numerous small initials in blue with red penwork or in gold on a blue and red background (and red initials without penwork decoration throughout ff. 322v-332v).