Royal MS 20 D IX

FRENCH TRANSLATION of the Authenticum (Justinian's Novellae) and Tres Libri (Codex, libb. x-xii). Originally the MS. doubtless also included the Institutes, which are comprised in the table of chapters at the end, but seven quires and part of the eighth were removed from the beginning of the book at an early date. These three articles (together with the Liber Feudorum) ordinarily compose the portion of the Corpus Iuris Civilis known as the Volumen, see above, 10 D. I, &c. The translation is presumably the same as in the Paris MS. (now Bibl. Nat., anc. fonds fr. 498) described by Paulin Paris, Les MSS. François, iv, p. 264. Contents:-

1. 'Ci commance li liures des nouieus establissemenz a lempereur Iustinian, qui est apelez autentiques': the Authenticum or nine collationes of Novellae. Beg. 'Li empereres Iustinians dit Porceque nos somes embesoignie des cures de la chose commune'; ends 'se il ne gardent ceste chose qui est si profitable a la chose commune'. Colophon, 'Ci fenissent les autentiques a lempereeur Iustinian en francois. Deo gracias'. f. 6.

2. 'Cil (sic) commance li disismes (-xii) liures del code a lempereeur Iustinian': the Tres Libri. Beg. 'Li empereres Gordians dit Se il est proue que uostre peres'; ends 'sera puniz de painne de xxx. th. dor'. Colophon, 'Ci fenissent li troi liure del code a lempereeur Iustinian'. f. 133.

Art. 3 is in another hand.

3. Table of chapters to the Institutes and to artt. 1, 2. Beg. 'Ev non de nostre seignor Ihesucrist ci commence les institutes a lempereor Iustinian. Li empereres Cesar Flauius Iustinians et toz iorz Augustus dist'. f. 185.

F. 190 is a cancelled copy of the end of art. 1 (cf. f. 133). On this and the other fly-leaves are insertions of various dates as follows:-(a) A few legal notes in a hand which also appears in the margin of the text and is nearly contemporary with it. f. 1 b;-

(b) Copies made 16 Mar. 1394/5 for John de Wells, al. Welles, 5th Baron de welles, by Richard Kyrkeby, his clerk, of a fine (55 Hen. III) and two other deeds in Latin relating to lands, &c., in Sutton [in the Marsh], co. Linc. A mutilated note at the top describes them as copied 'ex manu curiali veteri in perchameno valse indeformi ex vetustate et nigredine mixta cum glaucositate, fine et latere indentatum, tam visum per dominum Iohannem de Wythryne rectorem ecclesie de Wymyngton in comitatu Bedfordie (quam per dominum Iohannem Bynbroke rectorem ecc;esie de Cumberworht [Cumberworth, co. Linc.] inserted) quam per dictum Ricardum' &c. f. 2;- (c) Record of the claim of will. de Welle [temp. Edw. I ?] to free warren and other franchises in Well, Alford, Hellowe [Belleau], and other manors in co. Linc., n.d. Lat. In a hand of circ. 1400. f. 2 b;-(d) Extract of Chancery Roll 16 Edw. III, granting to Henry, Earl of Lancaster, and his men certain franchises throughout the kingdom. Lat. In a late 14th cent hand. f. 3;-(e) Copy of grant by Sir John FitzRalph de Kele to Sir Adam de Welles of services in Braytoft and other places in co. Linc.; Hellow [Belleau, co. Linc.], 25 Jan. 1337/8. Fr. In a late 14th cent. hand. f. 3 b;-(f) List of the feoffors of John, Lord Welles, 'coram disposicione sua versus London. iiiito die Maii anno domini millesimo cccmo non[agesimo]', specifying such of them as were still living 3 Oct. 20 Ric. II [1396]. The reference is probably to some settlement drawn up before Welles' single combat with Sir David Lindsay (afterwards Earl of Crawford) at London Bridge, 6 May, 1390. Among the surviving trustees is 'dominus Johannes de la Ware dominus de Manchestre' [John, 4th Lord De la Warr, whose mother was Welles' aunt], and among the deceased trustees John de Waltham, Bishop of Salisbury, John, [6th] Lord Ros of Hamlake, Sir William de Skipwith, John de Ravensere, canon of Lincoln, Robert Stynt, parson of Westkele [W. Keal, co. Linc.], and others. f. 190 b;-(g) Message 'per Iohannem Grantham' (beg. 'Memorandum quod dicatis domino meo de Well.') that a plenary indulgence (as if he had visited Rome this year) is granted to Welles, his wife and children, on payment of 40 florins for the bull, also a portable altar 'in locis interdictis et ante diem', licence to pass over to the country of Prester John 'cum indulgencia eiusdem articuli sicut peciit', and dispensation for a duel in defence of the faith of the Church only; as to his last petition 'videbatur consilio suo quod non esset racionabile et nullo modo propterea ex eo mencione (sic) facienda', n.d. [circ. 1390, a year of jubilee ?]. f. 190 b;-(h) Two valuations of Hemnales and Madles manors in Epping, co. Essex, n.d. [15th cent.]. f. 190 b. Vellum; ff. 191. 14 in. x 93/4 in. Probably written in Flanders. End of XIII cent. Gatherings (beg. f. 6) of 3 leaves (i-vii lost, viii³, xxiv, xxv⁶, xxxi⁴, xxxii⁶), numbered usually at the end but sometimes at the beginning, after xxi unnumbered, with catchwords. Double columns. Sec. fol. (now) 'donne son heritage'. Initials of books illuminated, with small miniatures, other initials flourished in red and blue. The subjects are chiefly the Emperor and litigants (at ff. 15, 30 a bishop). On f. 5 b are owners' inscriptions, viz. (a) 'Ici comence en francoys la promiere collection en francois que len apele autentices e est a Alis de Heynau contesse de Norfolk [widow of Roger le Bigod, 5th Earl who d. 1306] et mareschale dangleterre file le conte Iohan de Heynault a qui la conte de Hollande et de Selande e la seignorie de Frisc eschey. Pries pour le conte Rogier mareschai son signour e por lauant dite Alis e por le conte Iohan son pere e por la contesse Phelippe [daughter of Henry III, Count of Luxemburg] sa mere e por monsignour Iohan de Hastinges sire de Bergeueny [d. 1313] a qui le liure fu en aucun tens e pour tous les amis e les amies a lauant dite Alis e por tous ceus a qui ele estoit tenue'. It does not appear from this whether John Hastings, Lord Hastings and Abergavenny, was the original owner or whether it was temporarily made over to him by the Countess. It must have afterwards belonged (see above) to John, 5th Lord Welles, from whom it probably descended to his great-grandson John Welles who was cr. in 1486 Viscount Welles, married Edward IV's 3rd daughter Cecilia, and d. in 1499. Hence it may be possible to read the two erased inscriptions:-(b) Erased, possibly 'Cecyl Welles' (cf. 15 D. II and Cotton MS. Vespasian F. III, f. 9);-(c) Erased, perhaps '(Thys buke is ?) myn John Viscount Welles . . . to kyng Herry the viith'. The joined initials HR (Henry VII or VIII) are on f. 6. Cat. of 1666, f. 15; not in CMA.

includes:

• f. 2b Aby, Lincolnshire: Claim to free warren in: temp. Edw. I: Copy.