Royal MS 14 C XIII

1. R. HIGDEN, Polychronicon; cf. 13 D. I, art. 1. Preceded by an alphabetical index (ff. 3-10), and the 'introitus' (beg. 'Quoniam de insule') and table of chapters to the Expugnatio Hibemiae of Giraldus Cam. brensis (f. 11 b). The prologue (f. 14) is in the shorter form beg. 'In historico namque contextu'; and the chronicle is of the shorter form represented by the MSS. C and D in Babington and Lumby's edition, cf. also 13 C. III, art. 2. Ends in 1327, 'ecclesia libertatem'. At the foot of f. 18 b is added a narrative 'de castello in Armenia', which occurs also in 14 C. VI, f. 3 b; and there are a few other marginal additions. f. 14.

2. Prefaces or exordia of historians to their several works, viz. Justinus, Julius Caesar, Solinus, Josephus, Hegesippus, Augustine (De civitate Dei), Orosius, Eusebius (Chronicon), Hugh de S. Victor (Liber de tribus maximis circumstantiis gestorum, see Hauréau, Œuvres de H. de S.V., 1886, p. 187), and Robert de Torigni. f. 166.

3. Giraldus Cambrensis, Expugnatio Hibernica; cf. 13 B. VIII, art. 2. Title, 'Incipit liber vaticinalis historie a Giraldo Cambr. digestus super Hibernie expugnacionc secunda'. Preceded by the dedication to Richard, Count of Poitou; a footnote refers to the 'introitus', which has been inserted on f. 11 b (see above). Described. by Dimock, Gir. Cambr. Opera, v, p. xxxix, who states that it contains the latest edition of the work. Contains libb. i and ii, and the first sentences of the letter to King John on the subject of the work (Dimock, p. 405), beg. 'Reverendissimo domino suo'; ends 'cui quoniam, &c.' Prefixed, on a blank page (f. 168), is an account of Giraldus, based upon Bale. f. 168 b.

4. Jacobus de Vitriaco, Historia Orientalis. The text is considerably shorter than the printed form (Douai, 1597), omitting capp. 1, 4, 15, 16, 37-42, 45-49, 69, 83, 94-102, while there are considerable omissions and variations elsewhere. The text begins in cap. 2, 'Melchisedech Dei altissimi sacerdos'. A table of (41) chapters is appended (f. 215). f. 195.

5. 'Incipit itinerarium fratris Odrici ordinis fratrum minorum de mirabilibus orientalium Tartarorum': the travels of Odoricus de Pordenone. Beg. 'Licet multa et varia de ritibus'. See H. Cordier, Les Voyages en Asie au xiv^e siecle du bienheureux frore Odoric de Pordenone, Paris, 1891; the present MS. is briefly described on p. lxix. It is no doubt the MS. (then in Lord Lumley's library) from which the work was printed in 1599 by Hakluyt (Principal Navigations, ed. 1903, iv, p. 371, cf. i, pp. lii-liv). f. 216.

6. 'Itinerarium fratris Willelmi de Rubrukis de ordine fratrum minorum anno gratie m^occ^oliii ad partes orientales': the travels of William de Rubruquis, or Rubruk, dedicated to Louis IX of France. Beg 'Excellentissimo domino, &c.: Scriptum est in Ecclesiastico'. Printed in Hakluyt (ed. cit., i, p. 175), evidently also from this MS., since it has the same chapter divisions and titles, and ends imperfectly at the same place, in cap. 28, 'non obediunt Moallis, et inter' (p. 155 in the Hakluyt Soc. cd. by W. W. Rockhill, 1900, who mentions this MS., p. xlii, but does not identify it with the MS. used by Hakluyt). f. 225.

7. Marco Polo, 'De mirabilibus orientalium regionum': the Latin version of friar Francesco Pipino of Bologna, produced about 1320, in three books. Pipino's prologue (headed 'Inc. prol. in librum dom. Marcipauli de Veneciis de condicionibus et consuetudinibus orientalium regionum') beg. 'Librum prudentis honorabilis ac fidelissimi'; lib. i, 'Tempore quo Edaldwynus princeps'. A table of chapters is prefixed to each book. No. 3 in the catalogue given in Sir H. Yule's Book of Ser Marco Polo, 3rd ed., 1903, ii, p. 530. f. 236.

8. 'Versus mag. Michaelis [MS. Machis] Cornubiensis contra mag. Henricum Abrincensem coram dom. abbate Westmonasterii et domino decano Sancti Pauli Londoniarum primis iudicibus', &c. : the satirical poem of Michael Blaunpayn of Cornwall, directed against Henry of Avranches, circ. 1250 (see Hist. Litt. de la France, xviii, p. 529). Beg. 'Archipoeta uide quod non sit cura tibi de'. Another copy is in Cotton MS. Titus A. xx, f. 52. f. 269.

9. 'Exposicio Triuet super poemata et historias tactas in libro de civitate Dei': the commentary by Nicholas Trivet on S. Augustine, De civitate Dei. Beg. 'Gloriosa dicia sunt de le, civitas Dei: cum Romani'. For a list of MSS. of the work see the article on Trivet in Dict. Nat. Biogr. f. 276. Vellum; ff. i + 310, 1 ft. 2⁵/₈ in. x 8³/₄ in. XIV cent. (circ. 1320- 1352). Gatherings of 12 leaves, with catch words. Sec. fol. 'Bellum del or (art. 1) 'de pontificibus'. Initials flourished in red and blue. on f. 14, 'Liber fratris Symonis Bozoun prioris Norwici' [Simon Bozoun, Prior of Norwich [1344-1352]. On the same page, in a different hand, is the press mark P lxi, which may be that of Norwich Priory, but is unlike those othet-wise known from that library (cf. New Palaeographical Society, Facsimiles, 1908, pl. 147). On f. 13 b is a list of 31 books belonging to Simon Bozoun, with their prices (printed in Dimock, Gir. Cambrousis Opera, v, p. xxxix, note). The present MS. (presumably) appears as 'Cronica monachi Cestrensis cum aliis', and is priced at 20 shillings. For f. 236 and the list of Bozoun's books see New Palaeogr. Soc., Facsimiles, pl. 143. On f. i are the initials R.W., roughly written. Belonged to [John, Lord] Lumley (f. 3). Lumley cat. f. 237; cat. of 1666, 7 b; CMA. 8316, 8298, 8348, 8324, 8350.