Add MS 37788

REGINALD PECOCK, Poor Men's Mirror: with other theological works in English, viz.:-

1. "Poore mennis myrrour": this title is given in the preface by the author [Reginald Pecock, Bishop successively of St. Asaph, 1444, and of Chichester from 1450 to his resignation, circ. 1459], who describes it as an "extract or outdrawzt fro pe first parti" of his "Donet of Cristen Religioun." Not printed. This MS. is the only one noticed by Churchill Babington in his preface to Pecock's Repressor (Rolls Series, 1860), p. lxx. In ten chapters. Beg. "Notwiþstondyng pat I haue maad," and ends "euer blisfulli wone. Amen." f. 3.

2. "Pese ben pe gaderid councels of seint Ysidre to enforme man how he schulde fle vicis and vse vertuis": translation of the Latin compilation from Isidore's Synonyma printed by Machlinia at tho end of Speculum Christiani (London, 1480?). The English was printed by Berthelet, 1544, at the end of Thomas Lupset's works (Berthelet, 1546, Kynge, 1560), and in Horstmann's Richard Rolle and his Followers, ii. p. 367. The Latin is in Royal MS. 6 E. iii., f. 107, and the English in Royal MS. 17 C. xviii., f. 104b, and Harley MS. 1706, ff. 90, 140. Beg. "O man knowe pi silf," and ends "oonli for liif euerlasting. Amen. Pese ben counceilis good and holsum, if pei haue wilful execueioun." f. 64.

3. "Augustinus de contemptu mundi": prose extract and poem (twenty couplets, headed "Pis sentence seip seint Austyn") both derived from the Summa Justitiae, a Latin compilation of uncertain authorship, sometimes attributed to Robert Grosseteste (Royal MS. 8 B. xvii., f. 6), though the verses, beginning "Cur mundus militat cum vana gloria," often occur separately (e.g. Royal MS.

8 B. vi., f. 29) and have been ascribed to S. Bernard, Jacopone Benedetti da Todi and others. Of the English, prose and verse, two other copies are in Harley MS. 1706, ff. 92 b, 149 b. Printed by Horstmaiin, l.c. In the Summa the prose extract is assigned not to S. Augustine, but to S. Bernard. Beg. "Iff þou seie to me pis is an hard word." Verse beg. "Whi is pe world biloued pat fals is and veyn Sipen pat his welpis ben uncertein." At the end, as in Harl. 1706, f. 93, is a Latin epigram (f. 83 b) on the same subject (four hexameters), beg. "Omnia terrena per vices sunt aliena." f. 81.

4. "De terra plasniasti me," etc.: verses (12 x 4 lines) of which a shorter form (five stanzas only) is printed by Perry, Religious Pieces from Thornton's MS. (Early Engl. Text Soc., 1867), p. 96. Other copies are in Cotton MS. Titus A. xxvi., f. 153 (five and a half stanzas) and Eg. MS. 1995, f. 55 (seven stanzas). Beg.: "Erpe out of erpe is wondirli wrouzt, Erpe of erpe hap gete a dignite of nouzt." Ends: "But pat pis erpe in pis erpe be worching pi wille So pat erpe fro pis erpe stiz up to pin his hille. Amen." Prefixed, as in the Egerton MS., is a couplet: "Whanne liif is moost loued and deep is moost hatid Panne deep drawit his drauzt and makip man ful nakid." f. 83 b.

5. "Memento homo quod cinis es et in cinerem reuerteris": three Latin verses, in red, viz.:-

"Fac bene dum viuis, post mortem viuere si uis. Tangere qui gaudet meretricem, qualiter audet Palmis polutis regem tractare salutis." f. 86. On the flyleaves are scribbled in 15th cent. hands (a) Twelve lines (the same rhymes ab throughout) beg. "The law of god be to pe thy rest The flesh py sacrifice pe world exile." Followed by other attempts at verse. f. 87 b;-(b) Recipe in English, "Peyse bene pe medysyns for akyng of pe bonys." f. 88 b. A note on the MS. by Churchill Babington is inserted as f. ii. Vellum; ff. iv. + 89. 6 in. x 4¼ in. Middle of the xv. cent. Initials :flourished in red and blue (one in gold). Sec. fol. "silf immediatli." Scribbled names (ff. 88, 88 b) of "Wyllam Barton " and "Paulus." A 17th cent. owner (ff. 4, 87), George Ouerton. Afterwards in Archbishop Tenison's Library, St. Martin's in the Fields, Westminiter. Sale-cat. 1861, lot 68. Then purchased by Sir William Tite, sale-cat. 1874, lot 2271. Bookplate of Lord Amherst, f. i. Amherst sale-cat. lot 676. Morocco binding, 19th cent.

includes:

• f. ii Churchill Babington, Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge: Note on a MS. of Pecock's Poor Men's Mirror: 19th cent.
• f. 3 Reginald Pecock, Bishop of St. Asaph (1444) and of Chichester (1450-1459): "Poor Men's Mirror": 15th cent.
• f. 64 Saint Isidore,; Bishop of Seville: Gathered counsels of S. Isidore (from the Synonyma): 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 81 Theology: Extracts from the Summa Justitiae: 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 81 Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln: Extracts from the Summa Justitiae, attributed to: 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 81 Saint Augustine,; Bishop of Hippo: De contemptu mundi, attributed to: 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 81 b Jacopone Benedetti, da Todi: Translation of verses Cur mundus militat, ascribed to: 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 81 b Saint Bernard,; Abbot of Clairvaux: Translation of verses Cur mundus militat ascribed to: 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 81 b Poetry: Translation of "Cur mundus militat": 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 83 b Poetry: "Erthe out of erthe is wondirli wrought": 15th cent.
• f. 86 Poetry: Three moral verses: 15th cent.: Lat.
• f. 87 b Poetry: Verses on the law of God, etc.: 15th cent.: Lat.
• f. 88 William Barton: Scribbling: 15th cent.
• f. 88 b Recipes: Recipe for aching of the hones: 15th cent.: Engl.
• f. 88b Paulus: Name scribbled: 15th cent.