Harley MS 273, ff 1r-69v

The first unit of the manuscript includes:

1. Calendar, with a dedication (f. 1v) of the parish church of St. Laurence at Ludlow ('lodelowe') (ff. 1r-6v);

2. Indulgences by Popes Innocent Urbanus IV and John XXII, added to a blank page by the Ludlow scribe (f. 7r)

3. Psalter, incipit: 'Benoyt le home'. A copy of the so-called Oxford Psalter. For the text see F. Michel, Libri Psalmorum versio antiqua gallica (Oxford, 1860) and Dean and Boulton 1999.

4. Canticles and other liturgical pieces; incipit: 'Jeu regeierai a toi sire car corou/cie estes a moi'. For the texts see B. Woledge and H. P. Clive, Répertoire des plus anciens textes en prose française, depuis 842 jusqu'aux premières années du XIIIe siècle (Geneva, 1964), nos. 1-11, 13 (in verse), 15; and Dean and Boulton 1999, nos. 457 and 840 for a translation of the Pater Noster, apparently unique to the manuscript (ff. 53v-59r);

5. Hours of the Virgin with added prayers; Rubric '[C]i comencent le matins nostre / dame in fraunceis. Domine labia', incipit: 'Sire mes levres overez'. For the text see Dean and Boulton 1999, nos. 680, 811, 814, 815, 821, 823, 827, 828, 834, 835, 838, 860, 868, 939. (ff. 59v-67v).

6. Hours of the Dead, imperfect. Rubric 'Ci comence placebo en ro/mance. re placebo domino', incipit: 'Jeo plerrai au seignur en re/aume des vifs'. Breaking off at the beginning of the sixth lesson. Possibly copied by a later hand. For the text see Dean and Boulton, 1999, no. 829 (ff. 68r-69v).

Decoration:

Puzzle initials (ff. 8r, 15r, 23v, 28r, 33r, 37v, 42v; 5-8 lines) in blue and red with pen flourishing in contrasting red and blue, at the beginning of major text divisions. Smaller puzzle initials (ff. 19v, 47v, 59v; 4-7 lines) in red and blue. Psalm and verse initials (1-8 lines) in alternate red and blue written across the left bounding line. Rubrics in red, with decorated cadels (ff. 18v, 48v, 51r).

Added drawings of a rabbit in brown ink (f. 23r) and of hybrids in red ink (ff. 58r, 59r).