Royal MS 2 A X

BREVIARY of St. Albans Abbey, the full contents (artt. I, 3 are additions) being:-

1 Two hymns for the Assumption of the Virgin; 12th cent. f. 1. (a) 'Adest dies leticie iocundus omni lumine', in eight 4-line stanzas. Printed, as by S. Odilo of Cluny, Migne, cxlii. 1035; Dreves, Analecta Hymnica, 1, p. 298; cf. Chevalier, Repert. Hymnol. no. The sixth stanza combines the last two of the printed text, the seventh and eighth being additional. (b) 'Aurora uelut fulgida I ad celi meat culmina', in six 4-line stanzas. Printed, as by S. Peter Damian, Migne, cxlv. 934; cf. Chevalier, no. 1665.

2. Calendar, with Paschal table, &c. f. 1 b. Among the entries are: Jan. 27, 'Festiuitas reliquiarum', and Dec. 29, 'Dedicatio ecclesi Sci. Albani'. Besides the Feast 'Sci. Albani Anglorum prothomartyris' (June 22, green), the 'Inuentio Sci. Albani', with octave, is given on Aug. 2 (red). Neither S. Thomas the Martyr (Dec. 29, 1170) nor the Invention of S. Am. phibalus (June 25, 1178) is entered, and the Translation of S. Thomas (July 7, 1220) and that of S. Edward Conf. (Oct. 13, 1163) are later insertions. The whole Calendar may be compared with the fuller and later St. Albans Calendars in 2 B. vi and 14 C. vii. A few obits have been inserted, including, Feb. 10, 'Oriolda' (12th cent.), and, Mar. i, Fr. Willelmus de Hextanton apud Lugdunum' (14th cent.).

3. Three lections for S. Faith; an addition of about 1200. f. 8 b.

4. Psalter, Canticles and Litany. f. 9 b. As far as the end of Ps. ciii, and again from Ps. cvii to PS. CX. 2, no more of each verse is given than occupies a single line; Ps. civ-cvi are given in full; and from Ps. cx. 3 to the end no more of each verse is given than occupies half a line. The Canticles (f. 54) comprise only the first six of those in 2 A. iii above. 'Confitebor' and 'Ego dixi' are restricted to half-lines, and ' Exultavit' to single lines; the rest are written in full. In the Litany (f. 58 b) the entry 'Sce. ALBANE. II.' follows immediately after the Apostles and Evangelists

(see pl. 16). S. Thomas Mart. is not included. At the end of the Litany (f. 62) follow the Ave 'In veneratione Sce. Marie ad Vesperas', two collects 'De Sco. Luca', and a Response and Verse 'De inuentione S. Albani'.

5. Hymns for services throughout the year, beginning, 29

without a rubric, with '0 lux beata Trinitas', followed by a rubric. f. 62b. The hymn 'In natali Sci. Albani ad uesperas' (f. 74b) begins 'Ecclesie prosapies ueri patris effigies melos pangamus humiles ALBANI Sancti memores' (Dreves, Analecta Hymnica, xi, p. 67; cf. Chevalier, no. 25958). After the hymns (f. 79 b) follow without a break 'Cantica' for Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.

6. Collects for Saints' Days, from S. Silvester (Dec. 31) tO S. Nicholas (Dec. 6), special prominence, as elsewhere, being given (fF. 85, 86) to S. Alban. f. 83 b.

7. Services for the Four Sundays after Epiphany, with the Feriae, followed (f. 111 b) by those for the Purification, Assumption, Nativity and Annunciation of the Virgin. f. 89. Between this article and the next (ff. I23-I25) are a few lections, &c., the first leaf being in the same hand as the bulk of the volume, the rest in a 13th cent. hand.

8. Various services, beginning with that 'In veneratione Sce. Trinitatis'. f. 126. After the Trinity service follow:-'ln Invent. S. Crucis', f. 131; 'Eodem die Alexandri pape', &c. f. 131 b; 'In exalt. S. Crucis', f. 133; 'Eodem die S. Cornelii et Cipriani', &c., f. 133 b; 'In commem. Sce. Marie', f. 135; 'In fest. Sci. Michaelis', f. 140b. Next comes, without a break, the Commune (ff. 145-200), followed by services, &c., 'De S. Maria': three 'lectiones' [collects], f. 2O1 ; 'De S. Albano', f. 201; collects of S. Ambrose, S. Tiburtius, &c., S. Elphege and S. George, f. 206 b ; 'De quolibet sancto a pascha usque Oct. Pentecostis', f. 206b; 'Marci Evang.': collects f. 210; 'De S. Vitale': a collect, f. 210b; 'Apostolorum Philippi et Iacobi', f. 210b; 'In vigilia omnium sanctorum', f. 214. A few lections have been inserted on the last leaf (f. 220).

Vellum; ff. 220. 7.1/2 in. x 5 in. XII cent. (before 1170, see art. 2). Gatherings of 8 leaves. Finely written, with initials in red and green (see pl. 16); the initial B of Ps, i in gold. Entries in the Calendar in red, green and blue. At the foot of f. 2, 'Hic est liber sancti Albani quem qui abstulerit aut titulum deleuerit, anathema sit. Amen' (14th cent.); and at the top of the page, in a 14th cent. charter-hand, 'De armariolo in choro'. On f. i is the name J. Wardeyr (16th cent.) ; this is repeated on f. 220, together with the name 'Wallyngfforthe'.