Royal MS 13 B IX

CHRONICLES of William of Newburgh and Martinus Polonus, &c., in Latin, viz.:

1. 'Incipiunt cronica Willelmi de Newburgh (the author's name is erased) de gestis Anglorum'; in 5 books. Prologue, addressed to E[rnald], Abbot of Rievaulx, beg. 'Patri et domino E. abbati Rieuallis, &c. Litteras sanctitatis vestre suscepi'; text, 'Historiam gentis nostre, id est Anglorum'. Ends with 1198, as usual. Printed in Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I, ed. R. Howlett, Rolls Series, 1884, i and ii. The present MS. is there described (p. xlix) as a degraded specimen of the class to which MS. 262 of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Bodleian MS. Digby 101 also belong. Tables of capitula prefixed to libb. iii-v; those to libb. i and ii are added at the end of lib. v. f. 2.

2. Martinus Polonus, Chronicon summorum Pontificum atque Imperatorum Romanorum. Prologue beg. 'Quoniam scire tempora summorum pontificum'; the chronicle beg. 'Sicut ergo dicit Orosius'. The text is of the longer form, as printed in 1477 and 1559, not the shorter form published by J. Fabricius in 1616, and contains the passage relating to 'Pope Joan' (f. 154 b), which is marked by a cross in the margin. A leaf is wanting after f. 128, containing the end of the preliminary sketch of Roman History and the first page of the chronology of the popes. The chronology of the emperors begins on f. 129, and occupies the righthand page throughout, that of the popes (beg. on f. 139 b with the words 'prouincie Galilee de uico Bethsaida') being on the left. Ends imperfectly at 1215 on the papal side, and 1165 on the imperial. There is a marked change of hands on ff. 146-148. f. 123.

3. Johannes de Lygnano (i. e. Legnano), Tractatus de bello. The author's name is given on f. 236, 'Explicit tractatus de bello, compilatus per me Iohannem de Lyng' de Mediolano minimum iuris vtriusque doctorem in studio Bononie, mccclx, pendenti forti exercitu contra ciuitatem qui causam dedit tractatui vt scolaribus tunc causa exercicii foret, doctorum autem subiceretur correccioni'. Beg. 'In tractatu belli sic procedam'. Printed in Tractalus Universi Iuris, xvi, p. 371 (Venice, 1584). Followed (f. 223, without fresh title) by the same author's Tractatus de duello (ib. xii, p. 281). At the end (f. 236 b) is a summary of the whole work, with the subscription (f. 241), 'Explicit tabula super libello tractatus de bello domini Iohannis de Lygnano'. f. 167.

4. Charter of Charles, eldest son of John, King of France, confirming the undertaking made by his father to ratify the treaty of Bretigny, with the modifications made at Calais. In French. Both the undertaking (with the treaty itself recited) and the confirmation are dated at Boulogne, 26 Oct. 1360 [in the printed text the former is dated at Calais, 24 Oct.]. Printed in Rymer's Foedera, Recorded., iii, pt. i, p. 519. f. 242.

A fly-leaf (f. 1) contains the prologue to the Chronicle of John Brompton (see Twysden, Scriptores Decem, col. 725), beg. 'Postquam contigit Britones modo Wallicos', and (omitting cap. 1, on Pope Gregory) the beginning of the text, 'Anno gratie quingentesimo octogesimo octauo . . . fines sui imperii extendebat, in a 15th cent. hand.

Vellum ; ff. 250. 11¹/₄ in. x 8 in. XV cent. (artt. 1, 3, 4) and XIV cent. (art. 2), each article being originally a distinct MS. Gatherings, art. i, i-vii¹², viii-x¹⁰, xi⁷; art. 2, i⁶ (imperf.), ii¹², iii¹³, iv¹²; art. ³, i-ix⁸, x³; art. 4, i⁸. Art. 1 (double columns.) has illuminated borders in English style on ff. 2, 23 b, 51 b, 103, with initials flourished in red and blue. Sec. fol. 'presidens Brytones'. On f. 167 (art. 3) is 'Liber Rob. Danebert (?) i[uris] v[triusque] doctoris' (16th cent.), and at the end of art. 4 (f. 250), 'Ex legato pli domini Friderici filli Petri Wormariani pro dom. et mag. Coruchio filio Iohannis in Gorichen [? Gorinchem, in the Netherlands] moram habente' (16th cent., referring perhaps to art. 4 only). Cat. of 1666, f. 8; CMA. 8303, 8344, 8404.