Lansdowne MS 1179

folio.

A very large and beautiful Volume, neatly written on fine vellum and embellished with seventy-eight paintings in camaieu gris of considerable merit for the time in which they were executed, being part of a French translation of the once popular and celebrated work of Vincent of Beauvais, entitled "Speculum historiale." The translator's name was Jean de Vignay, a monk, and master of the Hospital of St. Jaques de Haut-pas, who undertook the work about the year 1340, at the command of Jeanne Queen of France, wife of Philip V. surnamed Le Long. His translation has been printed; but the language in the MS. differs in many places from that in the printed copies. The present volume contains only eight books out of thirty-two, viz. from book 9 to book 16 in. elusive; narrating events from the reign of the Emperor Claudius to that of Valens, principally the lives of Saints: and of course the miniature paintings refer to the martyrdom of those holy persons. One leaf is wanting at the beginning of this MS. which contained the first two chapters of book 9. It was purchased at Count Macarthy's sale of duplicates above mentioned. There is a magnificent MS. of the first nine books of De Vignay's work among the Roval MSS. 14 E 1. which supplies the deficiencies at the beginning of the present volume.