Royal MS 18 B XXV

HOMILIES for Festivals, in English. The collection, which differs but slightly from another in Harley MS. 2247, consists of eighty-nine (originally ninety?) sermons in two series, de tempore and (f. 82) de sanctis. About 55 are more or less closely parallel in contents to the corresponding sermons (nearly all illustrated by tales) in the Festial of John Myrcus or Mirk (ed. Th. Erbe, Early Engl. Text Soc., 1905, cf. 17 C. XVII, art. 5, and 18 B. XXIII), but with such variation of language as to suggest the possibility of their being another translation from a common original. In one case (sermon i of the Festial) a single sermon in Mirk is represented by two in the MS., viz. no. 3, which beg. 'Wirschipfull frendys, þis day is callyd þe first sonday of Aduent, þat is to say þe first sonday of Cristes commyng, bot it is to wete', and no. 4, 'De adventu Christi ad iudicium', which beg. 'The secunde commyng of Criste schall be to þe dome, þe which schall be ferse, egre and cruell'. By a mistake of the 15th cent. binder the inside parts of the first two quires ( ff. 2-11 and ff.14-23) have been transposed. Two leaves are lost after f. 83. On ff. 1-23 b are many notes in a 16th cent. hand. The homilies not corresponding to the Festial are as follows:-

1. 1st Sund. in Advent. Beg. 'Worschypfull frendys, thys day begynneth the Aduent . . . . Experiens schewyth'. f. 1.

2. The same. Beg. 'Now begynnyþe holy chyrche to make remembraunce'. f. 15.

6. Christmas. Beg. 'Sanctus Hugo Cluniacensis rehersyþ and seiþ'. f. 22 b.

7. The same. Beg. 'That famose clerke Ysodorus writyd'. f. 12.

12. Circumcision. Beg. 'Wirschypful frendys, suche a day is þe holy fest . . . and it is to wete þat for iii causes'. f. 8.

16. Septuagesima. Beg. 'Wirschipfull frendy[s], fynd wrytyn in þe gospell . . . this is þe literall sense'. f. 26 b.

18. Sexagesima. Beg. 'W. f., we fynd . . . þe dysciples of Criste vnderstud not þis parabell'. f. 29.

19. Quinquagesima. Beg. 'W.f. I fynde . . . gostly, by þis poore blynde man I vndirstond'. f. 30 b.

21. Ash Wednesday, imperfect, apparently, by loss of a leaf of the archetype (cf. Harley MS.2247, f. 48 b). Beg. 'W. f., on Wednesday as by þe commandement and constitucion'. f. 34.

22. The same. Beg. 'Confession is a purgacion of synne. Example in bodyly sekenes'. f. 34 b.

24. 1st Sund. in Lent. Beg. 'W. f., we rede in þe gospell . . . þis is þe litterall sense '. f. 38.

25. The same. Beg. 'Beatus Maximus in sermone de xl^ma seyþ þe devyl supposyd'. f. 39.

27. 2nd Sund. in Lent. Beg. 'It is wryten in þe gospel . . . þis is þe litterall sence'. f. 42.

29. 3rd Sund. in Lent. Beg. 'This holy euangelyst seynt Luke . . . Januens pat famose doctor vpon þe same sayþ'. f. 45.

31. 4th Sund. in Lent. Beg. 'Reuerent and w. f., our soueranc saucoure Crist Ihesu schewyd a grete my[]t'. f. 49.

33. Passion Sunday. Beg. 'W. and r. f., þis day is callyd Passion Sonday, not for bycause'. f. 51 b.

36. Maundy Thursday. Beg.' Thys day is callyd Schere Thursday or els þe day of Cristes Maundy'. f. 54.

38. Good Friday. Beg. 'W. souerans and f., our soueran saueoure Criste Ihesu as þis day ful obediently meked hym'. f. 56 b.

39. Easter Eve. Beg. 'F., on Estir eve þe pascall is bro[]t forþe f. 58 b.

41. Easter Day. Beg. ' Ri[]t w. sou. and f., eueryman remembre hymselfe and take gode hede'. f.6o b.

42. The same. Beg. ' Honorable sou. and f., []e schall vndirstond þat oure souerane saueoure Criste lhesu chargyþ'. f. 62.

43. The same. Beg. 'W. s. and f., aftir þe commendable custome'. f. 64.

44. The same. Beg. 'Si mundi sint manducent, primo Reg. 21⁰ [1 Sam. xxi. 4]: Þes were þe wordes of Achymalech'. f. 65.

46. Rogation Days. Beg. ' Honorable sou. and f., euery man þat haþ charge and cure'. f. 68.

48. Ascension Day. Beg. 'Honorabyl and w. sou., our saueoure Criste Ihesu as on Thursday'. f. 71.

50. Whitsunday. Beg. 'Hon. sou., it is wrytyn in Actibus Apostolorum þat þe holy gost was sente'. f. 72.b.

53. Corpus Christi. Beg. 'W. f., it is to be remebred and vndirstond þat oure soueran saueour Crist ihesu willyd'. f. 77.

54. Dedication of a church. Beg 'W. f., on suche a day schall be þe dedycacion . . . I fynd wryten in Legenda Sanctorum þat for iii causes'. f. 79 b.

63. Annunciation. Beg. 'Estote misericordes' &c. off þe blissyd annunciacion of oure lady seynt Mary þe whyche is callyd'. f. 93.

70. Feast of Relics. Beg. 'Gaudete de omnibus sanctis, whiche schall be on N. next commyng, þe whiche is called festum reliquiarum'. f. 108 b.

78. Nativity of the Virgin. Beg. ' A penis inferni libera nes, deus: []e schall, &c. of þe natiuite of oure lady rede []at Per was an holy man'. f. 124.

87. All Saints. Beg. 'Frendys, oure modire holy chirche induciþ a maner of doctrine'. f. 136.

88. All Souls. Beg.'A penis inferni libera nos, domine: []e schall &c. and pray for all cristyn sowles deuotely heryng'. f. 137.

89. For a burial. Beg. 'Wirschipful sufferans and frendes, I recommend to []oure deuote prayers þe sowle of oure wele beloued '. Imperfect, breaking off 'as þei wold þere ayrys'. For the rest see Harley MS. 2247, f. 109 b, where it is followed by one more sermon for a similar occasion. f. 138.

On the vellum fly-leaf (f. 140) are forms of certificate by a priest that he has shriven a penitent, dated 1532-3; also scribbled names of Alis Jamys and Elina Taylor. On f. 141 are pasted slips of paper with 15th cent. notes for sermons.

Paper (exc. f. 140); ff. 141. Folio. 113/4 in. x 8 1/2 in. Late XV cent. Gatherings of 12 leaves, numbered, with catchwords. Sec. fol. (as misbound) 'vnto to hym '. Not in the old catalogues.