Royal MS 17 C XX

DIALOGUE between Dives and Pauper, in eleven parts, part i treating of Holy Poverty, the other parts of the Ten Commandments. The authorship is uncertain, the attribution by Bale and others (repeated by John Theyer in this and the other Royal MS.) to Henry Parker, a Carmelite of Doncaster, who preached on poverty at Paul's Cross in 1464 (see Dict. Nat. Biogr.), being probably a mere guess and inconsistent with the text of ch. 47 of the first commandment (f. 66 b), from which it appears that the work was composed in 1405 (cf. ch. 29, f. 49, where the comet of 1402/3 is referred to as if recent). In ch. 42 of the same commandment the author speaks with disapproval of a newly introduced fast of Our Lady observed weekly on the same day of the week as Lady Day in each year. Printed by Pynson, A compendiouse trelise dyalogue of Diues and Pauper, 1493, and by W. de Worde, 1496, and Berthelet, 1536. Other copies are in 17 C. XXI below, and Harley MS.

149 (wanting part i and incomplete at the end). The text of part i differs materially from the editions. The original table of capitula has been cut away except the last page (f. 13) and another inserted (ff. 4-12) in a hand of about the same period. Table beg. 'This table, leue frend, and þis tretys suyng be dyuyuyd' (sic, for divided); dialogue (the Latin text is wanting), 'D[iues]. Leue frend, þese wordys ben þe wordis of Salamon'. Ends 'in þe kynges court of heuen, to which blisse he bryng vs þat for vs dyed on þe rode tre. Amen'. In the same hand as the new table of contents are a number of corrections of mistakes made by the original scribes, who have misplaced several passages.

On one of the vellum fly-leaves (f. 2) is scribbled a copy of a bond dated 1472. On f. 2 b is the note, perhaps in the hand of T. Patten (see below), 'Hunc librum voco librum (drawing of a ram) breuiter sic T: et optime facit ad et item ad cosmographiam veterem. item ad dictionarium [] et [] Anglicum. item ad problemata iocosa. item ad noscendum autores antiques preterquam hic vix notos quorum in hoc libro flat catalogus' (hence in Theyer's catalogue the title 'Aries astrologicus'). In the same hand are (f. 1 b) notes on internal evidence for the authorship of the dialogue and (f. 2) 'Paginarum numerum examinaui ego T.N (?) [] (sic, for [] ?) 25 [] 1587' [? Friday, 25 Aug.], see below.

Paper (except vellum fly-leaves); ff. 270. Quarto. 81/2 in. x 53/4 in. First half of XV cent. Gatherings (beg. f. 13) of 19, leaves (i⁴, ii¹¹, xii-xxii¹⁰). Sec. fol. in table 'men moun'; in text 'berdys'. On f. 3 is scribbled the name (16th cent.) John Pollard. On f. 2 are the notes 'Mei T. Patten, empt. [] 28 [] 1587 à - Seton bibliopola Londinensi habitante sub Aldersgate. prec. (erased)', and John Theyer, praetium ]^s of Mr. Bayly by Staple Inn, 15 May, 1640' (cf. f. 3 b). A Thomas Patten was demy of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1577-1580. Theyer sale-cat. no. 192; CMA. 6517.