Royal MS 2 B III

From Warner and Gilson, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Old Royal and King's Collections (1921), I, p. 39:

'PSALTER, in Latin, with a Calendar, the Canticles, Te Deum, Athanasian Creed and Litany. Ps. 9:20-10:11, omitted in error, are supplied by a later hand on an inserted leaf (f. 22).

The Calendar includes:-

Jan. 30. Aldegundis. Feb. 3. Blasius (red). "6. Amandus et Vedastus (red). Oct. " 27 Dionysius et alii (red). Mar.17. Ghetrudis (Gertrude). May 1. Walburgis (red). June 5. Boniface (red). June 6. Gudwal (Ghent). " 14. Basil (red). 1. Bavo (Ghent, red). 4. Francis (can. 1228, red). 14. Donatian (Bruges, red). 26. Transl. S. Amandi. Nov.12. Livinus (Ghent, red).

The two feasts of S. Thomas the martyr are erased. In the Litany (f. 171 b) the Apostles include 'Marchialis' (Martial, bp. of Limoges); the Martyrs, Quintin and Lambert; the Confessors, Gudwal, Donatian, Bavo, Landoald, Willebrord and Trudo; and the Virgins, Landrada, Vinciana, Aldegundis, Waldetrudis and Ghertrudis.

Vellum; ff. 174. 9 5/8 in X7 in. Late XIII cent. of Flemish execution, probably from Ghent or Bruges; illuminated in a rather coarse style, with heavy black outlines. Emblematic figures (without the zodiac signs) in the Calendar, on red and blue grounds, within architectural frames, viz.

Jan. Man seated before a fire, warming his feet and drinking. Feb. Woman standing before an altar, holding a candle, Feb. 2). Mar. Man lopping a low branch from a tree, the top of which extends above the frame. Apr. Youth holding two green branches. May. Youth, riding, with a hawk on his r. hand. June. Man bearing a faggot on his shoulder. July. Man with a scythe. Aug. Man reaping. Sept. Man sowing, from a basket. Oct. Man, with sickle and basket, gathering grapes. Nov. Beating an oak [outside the frame] for acorns, two pigs below. Dec. Killing a pig by a blow with the back of an axe.

For very similar subjects (especially those for Feb. and June) see M.R. James, Catalogue of MSS. . . . Of the library of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906, no. 26, p. 53. On the verso of the next seven leaves (the recto left blank) are a series of miniatures of the Life of Christ, on raised and burnished gold grounds within slightly ornamented ribbon-borders, mostly with lozenge corner-pieces (about 6 1/4 in.X4 3/8 in.). The subjects are:-

1. Tree of Jesse; eleven half-length figures, David, Solomon, the Virgin and Christ in the central row, and seven prophets, in peaked hats, at the sides four more prophets in medallions at the corners of the frame. f. 8 b.

2. Annunciatim; both Gabriel (l.) and the Virgin standing, with a lily in a pot between them. f. 9 b.

3. Nativity; The Virgin raised up in bed on her right arm; Joseph on r., with his head resting on a stick ; the Child in a manger behind, supported on two tall columns, with the heads of the ox and ass (without bodies) bent over it. f. 10 b.

4. Shepherds at Bethlehem; Three figures, one seated (l.), two standing, one of whom (r.) is playing bag-pipes ; an angel above, issuing from clouds. f. 11 b.

5. Adoration of the Magi; The Virgin crowned ; the Child laying his band an the casket offered by one of the Magi, whose crown rests on his bent knee. f. 12 b.

6. Massacre of the Innocents; Herod, seated (l.), directing the massacre ; three men in chain-armour executing it; woman with a dead child (r.) protesting to Heaven. f. 14 b.

7. Flight into Egypt; Joseph (r.) holding a staff over his r. shoulder with his l.hand. f. 15b. The series is continued on leaves inserted at the several divisions of the Psalter, viz.

8. Ps. xxvi. Entry into Jerusalem. f. 36 b.

9. Ps. xxxviii. judas receiving the thirty pieces of silver; on r. Christ with face averted (see Pl. 2 1). Jews, as elsewhere, in peaked hats. f. 51.

10. Ps. Iii. Scourging of Christ. f. 65.

11. Ps. lxviii. Christ bearing His Cross. A man in front (r.) striking Him, another behind pushing Him forward. f. 78b.

12. Ps. xcvii. The three Marys at the Sepulchre. f. 109 b.

13. Ps. cix. Harrowing of Hell. Christ (l.), a very tall figure, holding Adam by the hand, who is followed by Eve and other naked figures, all issuing from a door-way. Below, the devil, bound, and a gaping hell-mouth. f. 126.

Two miniatures appear to be lost, after fr. 94, III (Ps. lxxx, ci). The nearly full-page initial B of Ps. i (f. 15 b) contains miniatures of David playing a harp and slaying Goliath. In other large initials are miniatures of the Temptation (f. 37); the Death of the Virgin, with Christ above, holding the Virgin, crowned, on His left arm, as an infant (f. 5o b, see pl. 21); Christ washing the disciples' feet (f. 64); the Ascension (f. 64 b); the Descent of the Holy Spirit (f. 79) ; the Resurrection, with angels swinging censers (f. 95) ; Christ and Mary Magda enc (f. 110); the Last judgement (f. 112,); and S. Thomas (f. 1 25 b . The remaining Psalms have initials in gold on red and blue square backgrounds, with straight projecting limbs along the margins, ending in dogs' heads half-way down the page. From insertions in Jan. and Feb. in the Calendar it appears that in the 16th cent. the MS. was at Cambridge. They are:-

Jan. 14. ' Resumptio. Missa Botulphi.' " 19. Exequie Roberti Rede militis. Omnium studentium in artibus.' Sir Rob. Rede, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, founder of the Rede Lectures, &c., d. 8 Jan., 1518-9. " 22. Exequie Walteri Nele. Exequie in ecclesia Botulphi.' Walter Neel or Neal founded a 'chest' both at Cambridge and Oxford, about 1344 (Camb. Antiq. Soc., Grace Book A, 1897, P. xlii; Anstey, Munimenta Acad. Oxon., 1868, i, p. 168). " 24. 'Exequie Willelmi Norwicensis episcopi', sc. William Bateman, founder of Trinity Hall, &c., and of a 'chest', d. at Avignon, 6 Jan. 1355. Feb. 4. Exequie Ricardi de Ling', Chancellor, founder of a'chest' in 1352 (Grace Book A, p. xliii). ' " 23. Exequie Willelmi de Blida', possibly Will. Blyth, archdeacon of Norfolk, d. 1372-3 (Le Neve, Fasti, ed. Hardy, ii, p. 483). " 24. 'Hoc die tenentur omnes regentes esse presentes in missa ante principium evangelii ad tertium Agnus.' " 27. ' Exequie Billigforde', sc. Richard de Billingford, Chancellor, founder of a 'chest' in 1400 (Grace Book A, p. xlii).

The days in the same months on which there were no disputations, &c., are also noted. Press-mark at the top of f. 2 (Jan.); and on the fly-leaf (f. I b) the note, written 1553-1558: ' God saue the most vertuous and nobull Quene Marys gras (grace), and send her to injoye the crounne of Eynglande longe tyme and spas, her enimys to confunde and hutterly to deface, and to folo her godly procedynges God geue vs gras, as euery subyectte ys bounde for her gras to praye. . . .Be me your humbull and poore orytur Rafe Pryne, grocer, of Loundon, wushynge your gras prosperus helthe.''