Add MS 35298

"LEGENDA SANCTORUM in Englysshe": the English version of the Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine, with additional lives, chiefly of English saints. Other MSS. of this version, much less complete, are Add. 11,565, Harl. 630 and 4775, and Eg. 876. For descriptions of these, and of two other imperfect MSS. (Douce 372 and Lambeth 72), see Pierce Butler, Legenda Aurea, etc. A study of Caxton's Golden Legend, with special reference to its relation to the earlier English prose translation (Baltimore, 1899), pp. 50-75, 150-154. The present MS. is perfect, but for the loss of a leaf or two at the end (see below). The table of contents is headed "The Calendyr of the lyves of Seyntys." f. 1. The title on f. 2 is followed by the rubric "Here begynneth the boke of pe lyfe of Seyntis . callid in Latyn Legenda Sanctorum." The Lives of Saints are in 194 chapters, beginning with St. Andrew and ending with the Dedication of the Church. The life of St. Dominic has the usual misleading reference (f. 95) to the French translator Jean de Vigany, "for I ffryour John of Renyngnaye translatour of this boke wolle no more put here," etc. (cf. Stowe MS. 51, f. 18 b, and Butler, p. 146); and the life of St. Germanus has the usual hiatus (f. 90 b, 1. 41, Butler, p. 73). A blank space is left after Ch. 93 (Apollinaris), and Ch. 94 (Edmund the Confessor) begins a new leaf (f. 73) in a different hand. The life of St. Thomas of Canterbury (Ch. 10, at f. 9) is that of the Legenda Aurea, not the longer one in Add. 11,565 (Butler, pp. 65, 105). The additional chapter on St. Jerome, beginning "Seint Jerom seith pat who so woll here or tell holi scripture," which follows Pentecost in most of the MSS. (e.g. see Harl. 630, f. 141 b), is omitted here. Ch. 85 (St. Peter) has here an appendix, "The pardoun of al þe Chirchis in Rome," beg. "In the cyte of Room ben iiij^o.lxvij parysh churchis" (ff. 65-66 b), which is not in the other MSS. Peculiar to this MS. also are three lives, viz. Ch. 79, Edward the Confessor, beg. "In olde tyme the Reame of ynglonde." f. 48;-Ch. 80, Winifred, beg. "After that a holy man Benno." f. 53;-and Ch. 81, Erkenwold, beg. "In olde tyme when the kyngdom of ynglond." f. 53. Eight others occur only here and in Lambeth MS. 72, viz. Chapp. 94-101 (ff. 73-76 b), Edmund the Confessor, Bride, Edmund the Martyr, Frideswide, Edward the King and Martyr, Alphege, Augustine of Canterbury and Oswald the Bishop (cf. Butler, p. 151). The Dedication of the Church is followed, without a break, by (Ch. 195) "The Lyfes of Adam and of Eve" (= Harl. 4775, f. 256 b, Eg. 876, f. 316). f. 162;-(Ch. 196) "The v. wyles of kyng pharao pat he vsid ayenst the children of Israel " (imperf. in Harl. 4775, f. 262, and Eg. 876, f. 320). f. 165;-(Ch. 197) "Holy Aduent" (=Harl. 4775, f.251 b, Eg. 876, f 314 b). f.167;-

(Ch. 198) "Here folowith certein tretys that declarith whate the churche betokenyth and dyuers oper maters": expositions of the symbolical meaning of church furniture and ceremonies, etc., and of the Decalogue, the seven deadly sins, etc. f. 168 b. The sectionheadings (68 in number) are all given in the table of contents. The last section ("Howe a man shulde werke in pe xii. articlis of the feith with al mekenes") breaks off imperfectly, but hardly more than one leaf can be wanting. Vellum; ff. 174, double columns of 68 to 79 lines. Middle of the xvth cent. Illuminated initials, and border on f. 2; headings in red. On f. I is the signature of William Browne the poet (ob. 1643 ?); also "Thomas North Knight" [? Sir Tho. North, translator of Plutarch] in an earlier hand, and the signature of William Herbert the bibliographer, with date 1776 (sale-cat., 15 Mar. 1796, lot 7). Arms of Elias Ashmole (ob. 1692) stamped on the covers. Bookplate of arms of Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, 6th son of George III. (sale-cat. 1844, Bibliotheca Sumexiana, pt. ii. lot 323). Afterwards Ashburnham Appendix 91 (sale-cat. 1899, lot 1).

16 ½ X 11 ¾ in.

Edward the Confessor of England: Life: 15th cent.

Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa: Legenda Aurea: 15th cent.: Engl. version.

Elias Ashmole, founder of the Ashmolean Museum: Arms, on cover of: 17th cent.

Sussex, d 1843 Augustus Frederick, Duke of: Bookplate: 19th cent.

Saints: Golden Legend: 15th cent.

Bookplates: Sussex, Augustus Frederick, Duke of: 19th cent.

includes:

• f. 53 Saint Erkenwold: Life: 15th cent.
• f. 53 Saint Winifred: S. Life of: 15th cent.
• f. 65 Court of Rome: The pardon of all the churches in Rome: 15th cent.
• f. 73 Saint Edmund,; Archbishop of Canterbury: Life of: 15th cent.
• f. 74 b Saint Bridget: Life of: 15th cent.
• f. 75 Saint Edmund,; King and Martyr: Life of: 15th cent.
• f. 75 Saint Frideswide: Lite of: 15th cent.
• f. 75 b Edward of England; Saint, Martyr: Life: 15th cent.
• f. 76 Saint Alphege,; Archbishop of Canterbury: Life: 15th cent.
• f. 76 b Saint Oswald,; Bishop of Worcester: Life of: 15th cent.
• f. 76 b Saint Augustinus,; Archbishop of Canterbury; died in 604: Life: 15th cent.
• f. 162 Adam: Lives of Adam and Eve: 15th cent.
• f. 165 Pharaoh; King of Egypt: The Five Wiles of: 15th cent.
• f. 168 b Theology: Exposition of church symbols, etc.: 15th cent.