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Harley MS 6149
- Record Id:
- 040-002051997
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 040-002051997
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000899.0x000368
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100165169809.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Harley MS 6149
- Title:
-
A collection of Scots and Latin heraldic and chivalric treatises
- Scope & Content:
-
Contents:
ff. 1r-1v: An untitled Scots heraldic treatise on the different rights and privileges of the kings of arms and heralds, and the sergeants of arms in service of the king, beginning: ‘Arthour son to the duke of Bertaingnie erle of Richmont lord of partynay Counstable of ffrance Till all þam his letteres sall se greting’; dated to 1447.
ff. 1v-5r: The Gaige of Battaill; a Scots heraldic treatise on the ordinances for single combat.
ff. 5r-42r: The Deidis of Armorie; a Scots heraldic treatise (title given in the Explicit) translated from a French treatise uniquely surviving in London, College of Arms, MS M. 19, where it is part of a longer work that also includes the items on ff. 42r-51v. According to Luuk Houwen, the work can be subdivided into five sections that describe the offices of arms and their origins, the modes of address for heralds and pursuivants employed as messengers, the principles of heraldry, and a ‘heraldic bestiary’ that explains the meaning of animals and fabulous beasts on coats of arms by using moral interpretations from bestiaries and natural encyclopedias (see Houwen, The Deidis of Armorie (1994), I, pp. xiii-xxii, xlii).
ff. 42r-44r: An untitled Scots heraldic treatise instructing heralds and pursuivants in the custom of ‘crying largess’, beginning: ‘Herrauldis ande pursewantis suld knaw quhen þai ar with princis and gret lordis how þai suld cry þar largesse the quhilkis ar cryit at gret festis’.
ff. 44r-46v: An untitled Scots heraldic treatise on the ceremonial of tournaments, beginning: ‘[H]er eftir folowis the ordinance and maner how turnais was wont to be maid efter the ordinance quhilk failzeis and þe harnas for knychtis and squyaris and quhat differens suld be in þe abilyement betuene knychtis and squayaris and hou the cry suld be maid’.
ff. 46v-49r: An untitled Scots heraldic treatise on the ceremonial duties of heralds at tournaments, in war, at feasts, and funerals, beginning: ‘Hereftir herrauldis and poursevans suld knaw quhat pertenis þaim to do quhen princis and lordis ar assemblit on þe feild with gret ostes for to feicht and mak battell rengee’.
ff. 49r-50r: The artiklis be þe quhilkis þai may wyn battallis; a Scots heraldic treatise on the rules by which battles may be won.
ff. 50r-51v: An untitled Scots heraldic treatise tracing the origin of heraldry back to the Archangels, beginning: ‘Maistir Iohnne erart beris witnes as it is writtin in ys buk At the office of armez was first exercit be women madynis quhill he had sene in divers historiis / but yit it was not the begynnyng of the office / ffor quhen god creat þe waurld þe fyrst day he creat þe angellis to be messingeris to yr devinis sacretis thingis of his manesse’.
ff. 52r-61v: Liber Armorum; a Scots version of an homonymous part of the Middle English The Boke of Saint Albans; probably based on the text that was printed at St Albans in 1486 (see Houwen, The Deidis of Armorie (1994), I, p. xliv).
ff. 62r-77r: De coloribus in armis deputis et eorum nobilitate ac differencia; a Latin treatise on the colours of heraldry excerpted from Nicholas Upton’s De officio militari (1446/7).
f. 78r: A colophon introducing a Scots treatise that was never begun: ‘en eftyr folouis ane lytil trecty of the Instruccioun of the figuris of armes and of the blasoning of the samyn eftir the fraynche oppiniyon translatit owt of fraynche in Scottis at þe command of ane wirshepfull man Wilyem Cumyn of Inverellochquy alias Marchemond Herald be his obedient sone in the office of armes Kintyre pursevant and undir his correccioun as eftir folowewis be cheptours’ [followed by pen trials].
ff. 79r-82r: Heraldorum nomen et officium unde extorsum sit Epistola; a copy of a Latin letter (1451) by Pope Pius II to Johannes Hinderbach, Prince-Bishop of Trent, on the heraldic office.
ff. 83r-109r: Þe Buk of þe ordour of chevalry or knychthed; a Scots version of William Caxton’s The Book of the Ordre of Chyvalry (1484), a Middle English translation of a French version of Ramón Lull’s Le Libre de ordre de cavayleria.
ff. 109r-115v: Þe lawe of Armes within listis; a Scots treatise on the question what happens when an accuser and defender are summoned for trial by combat but the accuser dies after the summon and before the trial.
ff. 115v-124r: Þe coronacioun of þe emperour; a Scots treatise on different types of investitures, beginning with the coronation of an emperor.
ff. 124r-126r: Þe vii deidis of honour and of þair vii crownnys and of quhat materis þai ar maid of ande for quhat caus þai ar giffin; a Scots treatise on different types of crowns awarded for specific deeds in war.
f. 126v: An untitled Latin treatise on war, beginning: ‘Irem scribam sapientem sagatem fidelem considerantem approbatum in militia ne valeant proteres corrumpi a scribis vel notariis imperas’.
ff. 127v-128v: An untitled Latin treatise on war, beginning: ‘Noli frequentare bella et exponere te et animam tuam eis frequenta consilium maiorum qui sunt in curia et non occuperis hiis’.
ff. 128v-132v: A selection from Vegetius’s De re militari translated into Scots, here described as ‘þe translacioun out of latyne in to ynglis de bello campestra inwegeus de rei militari’.
ff. 132v-133v: Duodecim sunt consideranda antequam bellum publicum contra adversarios committetur; a Latin treatise on preparations for battle.
f. 133v: A fragment of an untitled Scots heraldic treatise, beginning: ‘It is to wndirstand and wit quhar of armis ar maid and quhy þai war first ordanit’.
ff. 134r-139v: An untitled Scots heraldic treatise on the history of the office of arms, creation of officers of arms, and their regulations, beginning: ‘It is rycht nedful for þaim þat shuld persew thoffice of armes to have knawleg quhat maner of office it is and quharfor it wes ordanit and quhat suld be þe observant of it And quhat wer þe caus þat þai war callit herraldis eftir þat þai ar maid’.
ff. 140r-145r: Þe first fynding of armes callit the origynall determynyng of blasonyng of armes; a Scots heraldic treatise on the history of the office of arms with an account of the nine colours of heraldry linked to nine precious stones and the Nine Orders of Angels.
ff. 145v-150v: Coats of arms in colours; not related to families, but the blazons that have been added to the arms on ff. 145v-149r (featuring French heraldic terminology) indicate that they served as examples of or exercises in the art of blazoning [followed by pen trials].
ff. 151r-155r: An untitled Scots poem on the art of blazoning and orders of heralds, beginning: ‘First as þe erth incresith populus / So convalit vicis and variance’.
ff. 155r-164v: De insignis et armis gratia insigniorum; a Latin heraldic treatise, excerpted from Bartolus de Saxoferrato’s Tractatus de insignia et armis.
ff. 164v-173v: De materia duelli; a Latin treatise on duels.
f. 173v: A fragment of a Latin treatise on the coronation ceremony, beginning: ‘Incipit consecratio conventu fidelium seniorum duo episcopi per manus producant ad ecclesiam’.
Decoration:
Numerous coats of arms in colours, drawn in margins (ff. 10v-42r), or rows (ff. 145v-149v: 12 per page; f. 150r: 24 on the page; and f. 150v: 37 on the page). Drawings of four imperial and royal crowns (ff. 116v, 117v, 118v, 120r), and seven crowns of honour (ff. 125r [3x], 125v [3x], 126r) in colours. Numerous large (2-line) initials in red ink, some with reserved areas, some with penwork decoration (ff. 96r, 98r, 106v). 10 large black initials with cadels highlighted in red ink (ff. 10r, 72v, 109v, 111r, 111v, 112r, 116v, 126r, 126v, 127v). Numerous small (one-line) initials in red ink. Display script (capitals in brown ink) on f. 1r. Rubrics and underlining in red ink. Decorated boxes for catchwords in brown or red ink.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Harley Collection
- Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "040-002051997", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 6149: A collection of Scots and Latin heraldic and chivalric treatises" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002045828
040-002051997 - Is part of:
- Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts
Harley MS 6149 : A collection of Scots and Latin heraldic and chivalric treatises - Hierarchy:
- 032-002045828[6153]/040-002051997
- 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_100165169809.0x000001 (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Latin
Scots - Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1489
- End Date:
- 1499
- Date Range:
- c 1494
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
-
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- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Paper; parchment (used for the outside bifolio of most quires: ff. 9, 10, 19, 20, 29, 30, 39, 40, 49, 50, 59, 60, 67, 68, 75, 76, 83, 94, 95, 105, 106, 117, 118, 129, 130, 141, 142, 153, 154, 166, and 167).
Dimensions: 255 x 200 mm (text space: 190 x 125 mm).
Foliation: ff. 104* + 173 (+ 2 unfoliated paper flyleaves at the beginning + 3 at the end); the paper features four different watermarks, including a unicorn, coat of arms with three fleurs-de-lis, coat of arms of the Dauphin quartered with those of France, and a crown (see Houwen, The Deidis of Armorie (1994), I, pp. xxxvi-xxxvii); 1 unfoliated paper stub between f. 78 and f. 79; torn off or cut out strips of paper and parchment (now repaired with blank paper and parchment) have caused loss of text on ff. 18r, 18v, 35r, 35v, 61v, 126r, 133r, 133v, 166r, 166v; 1 unfoliated paper pastedown on f. [ii]recto (bibliographical notes).
Script: Gothic cursive.
Binding: British Museum in-house; re-bound on 2 May 1894.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: Scotland.
Provenance:
Adam Loutfut, Kintyre Pursuivant in the service of Sir William Cummyn of Inverallochy, Marchmont Herald, and (after 1512) Lyon King of Arms, copied ff. 1r-44r, 78r, and 83r-173v in c. 1494: inscribed his name in a colophon dated to 1494 on f. 44r: ‘Explicit iste liber honorabili armigero Wilelmo Cummyn de Inverellochy alias marchamond heraldo per [manum] Adam Loutfut. Anno domini Mo cccco nonagesimo quarto mensis nonas Septembris’; added a reference to William Cummyn in the colophon on f. 78r. Two other scribes copied, respectively, ff. 44r-59v; and ff. 60r-77r and ff. 79r-82r, perhaps at the request of Loutfut. (see see Houwen, The Deidis of Armorie (1994), I, p. xxxvii; and Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 121).
Lee family (unidentified), owned in the 17th century-early 18th century: members inscribed with pencil the names of 'Michall' on f. 16r; 'George Lee' on ff. 17r [with the date ‘1684’], 20r, and 25r; 'George Lee Michall' on f. 24v; and 'John Lee' on ff. 24v, and 26v (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (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, 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.
- Publications:
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The Book of the Ordre of Chyvalry, ed. by Alfred T. P. Byles, Early English Text Society, Original Series, 168 (London: Early English Text Society, 1926), pp. xxvi-xxx [concerns the text at ff. 83-109 in the present manuscript].
Diane Bornstein, 'The Scottish Prose version of Vegetius 'De re militari'', Studies in Scottish Literature, 8 (1970-1971), 174-83.
A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-12), III (1808), p. 332.
Frederick James Furnivall, Queen Elizabeth's Academy: A Book of Precedence, the Ordering of a Funeral, Etc.: With Essays on Early Italian and German Books of Courtesy, Early English Text Society, Extra Series, 8 (London: Early English Text Society, 1869), pp. 93-104 [text of the poem on heraldry at ff. 151-155 in the present manuscript].
Larisa Grollemond, ‘No. 69: Deeds of Armory (Deidis d’armorie)’, in Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World, ed. by Elizabeth Morrison and Larisa Grollemond (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019), p. 220 (cat. no. 69).
Luuk A. J. R. Houwen, The Deidis of Armorie: A Heraldic Treatise and Bestiary, 2 vols, The Scottish Text Society, Fourth Series, 22 and 23 (Edinburgh: The Scottish Text Society, 1994), I, pp. xxxv-lv.
The Medieval Bestiary: Animals in the Middle Ages, ed. by David Badke [accessed 5 December 2019].
Terence O'Neill, ‘Adam Loutfut’s Book’, The Coat of Arms, 4:32 (1957), 307-10.
John Robert Horne Stevenson, Heraldry in Scotland: Including a Recension of 'The Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland' by the Late George Seton, 2 vols (Glasgow: Maclehose, 1914), I, p. 25 n. 2.
Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972), p. 121.
- Exhibitions:
- Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World, J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 14 May 2019 - 18 August 2019
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)