Yates Thompson MS 49/1

This manuscript is the first of two volumes containing Jean de Vignay's La Légende Dorée, a Middle French translation of a popular collection of saints' lives known as the Legenda Aurea (Golden Legend), originally compiled by Jacobus de Voragine (b. c. 1230, d. 1298).

The second volume of the text is now Yates Thompson MS 49/2.

Contents:

ff. 1r-114v: Jean de Vignay, La Légende Dorée, beginning with a prologue on the four divisions of the year, 'Messire saint Jerosme dist ceste auctorite' (f. 1r-v) and a list of saints in both volumes arranged according to their feast days (ff. 1v-2v); the saints arranged as follows:

ff. 2v-4v: L'avenement nostre Seigneur (Advent).

ff. 4v-7r: De saint André (St Andrew).

ff. 7r-9v: De saint Nicolas (St Nicholas).

ff. 9v-10v: De sainte Luce/Lucie (St Lucy).

ff. 10v-12v: De saint Thomas appostre (St Thomas the apostle).

ff. 12v-15r: Du temps de reconciliation (Times of Reconciliation); de la nativité Nostre Seigneur.

ff. 15r-16v: De sainte Anastasie (St Anastasia).

ff. 16r-18r: De saint Etienne (St Stephen).

ff. 18r-20r: De saint Jehan (St John).

ff. 20r-21v: Les saints Innocents (The Innocents).

ff. 21v-22v: De saint Thomas Becket (St Thomas Becket).

ff. 22v-25v: De saint Sylvestre (St Silvester).

ff. 26r-28v: La Circoncision nostre Seigneur (The Circumcision of our Lord).

ff. 28v-31r: L’apparition nostre Seigneur (Epiphany).

ff. 31r-v: De saint Paul le primer hermite (St Paul the Hermit).

ff. 31v-32r: De saint Remy (St Remigius).

ff. 32r-33r De saint Hilaire (St Hilary of Poitiers).

ff. 33r-v: De saint Macaire (St Macarius of Egypt).

ff. 33v-34r: De saint Felix (St Felix).

f. 34r: De saint Marcel (St Marcel).

ff. 34v-35v: De saint Antoine (St Anthony).

ff. 35v-36r: De saint Fabien (St Fabian).

ff. 36r-37v: De saint Sebastien (St Sebastian).

ff. 37v-39r: De saint Agnès (St Agnes).

ff. 39r-40r: De saint Vincent (St Vincent of Saragossa).

ff. 40r-42r: De saint Basille (St Basil the Great).

ff. 42r-44r: De saint Jean l'aumonier (St John the Almsgiver).

ff. 44r-45r: De saint Paul (St Paul).

ff. 45r-47r: De sainte Paule (St Paula of Rome).

ff. 47r-48v: De plusieurs saints Julien (St Julian the Apostate, St Julian the Bishop of le Mans and St Julian the Hospitaller).

ff. 48v-49r: Du temps de desvoiement (Time of Deviation).

ff. 49r-v: Septuagésime (Septuagesima).

ff. 49v-50r: Sexagésime (Sexagesima).

ff. 50r-50v: Quinquagésime (Quinquagesima).

ff. 50v-51v: Quadragésime (Quadragesima).

ff. 51v-52r: Jeûne des quatre temps (Fast of the Ember Days).

ff. 52r-53r: De saint Ignace (St Ignatius).

ff. 53r-56r: Purification Notre Dame (Purification of the Virgin).

ff. 56r-57r: De saint Blaise (St Blaise).

ff. 57v-58v: De sainte Agathe (St Agatha).

ff. 58v-59r: De saint Vaast (St Vedast).

f. 59v: De saint Valentin (St Valentine).

ff. 60r-v: De sainte Julienne (St Juliana).

ff. 60v-62r: Chaire saint Pierre (The Throne of St Peter).

ff. 62r-64r: De saint Mathias (St Mathias).

ff. 64r-67v: De saint Gregoire le Grand (St Gregory the Great).

ff. 67v-68r: De saint Longin (St Longinus).

ff. 68r-71r: De saint Benoit (St Benedict).

ff. 71r-72r: De saint Patrice (St Patrick).

ff. 72r-74v: Annonciation (The Annunciation).

ff. 74v-79r: Passion de Jesus Christ (The Passion).

f. 79r: Du temps de Réconciliation (Time of Reconciliation).

ff. 79r-82v: Resurrection de Jesus Christ (The Resurrection).

ff. 82r-83v: De saint Second (St Secundus).

ff. 83v-84v: De sainte Marie l'Egyptienne (St Mary of Egypt).

ff. 84v-87v: De saint Ambroise (St Ambrose).

ff. 87v-89v: De saint Georges (St George).

ff. 89v-92r: De saint Marc (St Mark).

f. 92r: De saint Marcellin (St Marcellinus).

ff. 92r-v: De saint Vital (St Vitalis).

ff. 92v-96v: Une vierge d'Antioche (A virgin of Antioch).

ff. 97r-v: De saint Philippe (St Philip).

ff. 97v-101r: De saint Jacques le Mineur (St James the Less).

ff. 101r-103v: Invention de la Sainte Croix (Feast of the Holy Cross).

ff. 103v-104r: Martyre de Saint Jean devant la Porte Latine (Martyrdom of St John).

ff. 104r-105r: Rogations ou Litanies (Rogationtide).

ff. 105r-107v: Ascension (Ascension).

ff. 107v-110r: Pentecote (Pentecost).

f. 110r: Des saints Janvier, Gordon et Epimaque (St Januarius, St Gordian and St Epimachus).

ff. 110r-v: Des saints Nerée et Achillée (St Nereus and St Achilleus).

ff. 110v-111r: De saint Pancrace (St Pancras).

f.111r: Du temps de pélerinage (Pilgrimage tide).

f. 111r: De saint Urbain (St Urbanus).

f. 111v: De sainte Pétronille (St Petronilla)

ff.111v-112r: Des saints Marcellin et Pierre (St Marcellinus and St Peter).

f. 112r: Des saints Prime et Felicien (St Primus and St Felician).

ff. 112r-113r: De saint Barnabé (St Barnabus).

ff. 113r-v: Des saints Vit et Modeste (St Vitus and St Modestus).

ff. 113v-114r: Des saints Cyr et Julite (St Cyricus and St Julitta).

f. 114r: De sainte Marine (St Marina).

ff. 114r-v: Des saints Gervais et Prothais (St Gervase and St Protase).

f. 114r: La nativite saint Jean Baptiste (The Nativity of John the Baptist). This rubric is the final line on the page and refers to the first text of Volume 2.

Decoration:

One group of illuminations in the manuscript was undertaken by artists related to the Coëtivy Master (quires 4-7 (ff. 27-56) and quire 15 (ff. 109-114)), and two collaborators (quires 2-3 (ff. 9-26)). A second group was made by a workshop based in Rouen (quires 8-14 (ff. 57-108)).

79 large and small miniatures and historiated initials, accompanied by partial foliate borders, in colours and gold.

Large decorated initials, in colours and gold. Smaller and small initials in gold on red and blue grounds.

The first quire is unfinished, with spaces left for large and small miniatures and initials; underdrawing for partial borders (ff. 1-8); in the quires 11-14, underdrawing for 15 miniatures and one initial, with and some parts filled with colours; initials and borders completed (ff. 81-108).

The subjects of the miniatures and historiated initials are as follows:

f. 9v: St Lucy kneels before a cauldron and is stabbed in the throat; St Lucy with a palm branch and a book.

f. 10v: St Thomas kneels, having destroyed an idol in a temple, and he is stabbed in the side by a priest; Christ appears to him.

f. 12v: The Nativity; three figures (the Magi?) see a vision of the Virgin and Child.

f. 13r: A kneeling figure who washes his hands outside a city (Herod?) and a figure (Magi?) indicates the Virgin and Child.

f. 13v: The Roman prefect, beaten and with dirty clothes, complains to the Emperor; St Anastasia is burned at the stake.

f. 16r: St Stephen, kneeling in priest’s robes, is stoned; St Stephen before the Jews, filled with the Holy Spirit.

f. 18r: St John the Evangelist before the Emperor Domitian at the Latin Gate in a cauldron of boiling oil, with light from heaven and soldiers with bellows; St John in a boat with a book, sailing to Patmos;

f. 18v: St John writing on Patmos.

f. 20r: Herod orders his soldiers to massacre the infant boys.

f. 20v: Death of Herod, with Salome present.

f. 21v: The murder of St Thomas Becket at the altar by four soldiers, with monks kneeling.

f. 22v: Silvester resuscitates the bull; Silvester goes into the dragon’s den.

f. 26r: The Circumcision of Christ in the temple.

f. 27r: Scholars debating with ?St Bernard.

f. 28v: The Magi present gifts.

f. 31r: Two lions help St Anthony bury St Paul’s body.

f. 31v: St Remigius baptises Clovis; St Remigius is carried up to heaven.

f. 32r: St Hilary at a council with the Pope.

f. 32v: St Hilary resuscitates an infant.

f. 33r: St Hilary, sleeping among the bodies of pagans, is called by the devil; St Hilary meets the devil wearing a coat filled with holes, each containing a flask of liquid.

f. 33v: St Felix bringing grapes to Bishop Maximus; St Felix destroys idols.

f. 34r: St Marcel is attacked at the altar by soldiers of Emperor Maximian.

f. 34v: Saint Anthony wrestles with devils.

f. 35v: St Fabien's supervises the writing of the Acts of the Martyrs.

f. 36r: St Fabian kneels and is decapitated by soldiers of Emperor Decius.

f. 36r: St Sebastian is wounded by the arrows of Diocletian's soldiers.

f. 37v: St Agnes, covered in hair, helped by an angel, resuscitates the prefect's son; she is surrounded by light.

f. 39r: St Vincent has a millstone attached to his body.

f. 40r: St Basil praying for a young man and woman and banishing the devil.

f. 42r: St John appears to a penitent woman before his tomb with two other bishops.

f. 44r: Conversion of St Paul, he falls from his horse outside a walled city.

f. 45r: St Paula on a ship and on pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

f. 47r: St Julian as Bishop of le Mans resurrecting three dead men.

f. 48v: Clerics and acolytes at a font.

f. 49r: Two pilgrims and a Pope meet on a path.

f. 49v: A man picking from a thorn bush.

f. 50r: Christ heals a kneeling blind man.

f. 50v: Christ is tempted by the devil.

f. 51v: Christ in a pulpit blessing a kneeling figure.

f. 52r: St Ignatius is attacked by two lions before Emperor Trajan in the circus.

f. 53r: Christ is presented to Simeon in the temple by the Virgin, accompanied by Joseph and St Anna, holding a basket of doves.

f. 56r: St Blaise in a bishop's mitre is crucified on an X-shaped cross outside the city (?Dubrovnik), with kneeling women bringing candles and food, and a torturer holding an iron comb.

f. 57v: St Agatha is led into a brothel by two soldiers, ordered by Quintianus.

f. 58v: St Vaast as bishop outside a city (?Arras).

f. 59r: St Amand baptising Dagobert's son.

f. 59v: St Valentine is decapitated by a soldier before the Emperor Claudius.

f. 60r: St Juliana battles a devil disguised as an angel, watched by the Prefect outside the city of Nicomedia.

f. 61r: St Peter seated on a throne, preaching before Theophilus and others.

f. 62r: St Mathias is stripped and has his hands tied before the Emperor; he preaches, watched by a demon.

f. 64r: St Gregory blesses the host, and the body of Christ appears from a tomb within the altar; the instruments of the passion are displayed.

f. 67v: A statue of St Longinus with an axe attacking a statue holding a spear.

f. 68r: St Benedict in a black robe holding a crozier, with a church in the background.

f. 71r: St Patrick preaching to the King of Ireland.

f. 72r: The Annunciation, with the angel kneeling before Mary.

f. 74v: The Crucifixion, with an angel and a devil receiving the souls of the two thieves.

f. 79r: The Resurrection; Christ steps from the tomb holding a cross, surrounded by three soldiers.

f. 82v: Martyrdom of St Secundus (unfinished drawing).

f. 83v: St Mary the Egyptian (unfinished drawing).

f. 84v: St Ambrose preaching (unfinished drawing).

f. 87v: St George on a horse with a lance (unfinished drawing).

f. 89v: St Mark with a lion (unfinished drawing).

f. 92r: Martyrdom of St Marcellinus (unfinished drawing).

f. 92r: Martyrdom of St Vitalis (unfinished drawing).

f. 92v: Martyrdom of Virgin of Antioch (unfinished drawing).

f. 97r: St Philip (unfinished drawing).

f. 97v: St James the less preaching (unfinished drawing).

f. 101r: St Helena with figures digging up the Cross (unfinished drawing).

f. 103v: St John in a cauldron of boiling oil outside the Latin Gate of Rome (unfinished drawing).

f. 104r: Kneeling figure (unfinished drawing).

f. 105r: The Ascension (unfinished drawing).

f. 107v: The Holy Spirit as a dove descending above the head of the Virgin (unfinished drawing).

f. 110r: Martyrdom of the boy St Gordian; martyrdom of the eunuchs, St Nereus and St Achilleus by beheading.

f. 110v: Martyrdom of the boy St Pancras.

f. 111r: Martyrdom of St Urban, priests and deacons are beaten and beheaded.

f. 111v: St Petronilla on her deathbed; the beheading of St Marcellinus and St Peter.

f. 112r: St Primus and St Felician tame two lions and two bears; St Barnabus is dragged out of the city by a rope around his neck.

f. 113r: A light from heaven shines on the boy St Vitus and his tutor St Modestus who are tortured by the Emperor Diocletian.

f. 113v: Martyrdom of St Cyricus and St Julitta.

f. 114r: St Marina on her deathbed surrounded by monks.

f. 114r: The twins Gervase and Protase are beheaded by order of General Astasius.