Provenance:

Written c. 1475-99

England, last quarter of the 15^th century

The manuscript was purchased by James Marshall Osborn from A. R. Myers in 1961 and bequeathed to the Beinecke Library by Osborn in 1976.

Bibliography:

MacCracken, Henry Noble, ed. The Minor Poems of John Lydgate 2 vols. London: EETS, 1961-1962, 717-721.

“Osborn a14.” Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection, The James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts [Catalogue]

Linne R. Mooney, Adrian C. Barbrook, Christopher J. Howe, Matthew Spencer, “Stemmatic Analysis of John Lydgate’s Verse Chronicle, ‘The Kings of England Sithen William the Conqueror’” Revue d’Histoire des Textes 31 (2003): 277-299.

Related text: “Lydgate’s Verses on the Kings of England,” in The Historical Collections of A Citizen of London in the Fifteenth Century, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1876), pp. 49-54 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/camden-record-soc/vol17/pp49-54 [accessed 11 March 2016].

The script is: gothic liturgical script in brown and red ink.

• John Lydgate’s Kings of England
• Circa 1475-1499
• MS Title: “*** *** Sithen out of Normandy”
• Identification of Title: Redaction of Lydgate’s “The Kings of England sithen William the Conqueror”
  • Incipit: “That by *** *** and alle by diynaldry”
  • Explicit: “longe to reioyse and reigne in his reght”
  • 9 line prose summary  Isabel and Edward, title of France… FIX THIS
    • Incipit: “Phelop the king of France had issue iii sonns

Beinecke MS 410, England, fourth quarter of the 15th century

Indulgence Scroll (Roll?) in Latin and English

Heavily decorated indulgence scroll from the end of the 15th century. Floral border around top and sides. Two large images on first membrane, with dark blue backgrounds. Two heraldic crests on bottom of first membrane. Second membrane with floral and inset border, and indulgence instructions. Third membrane has large image of Christ-baby, bottom 1/3 is blank. “An indulgence of Innocent VI circa 1352” at bottom.

TBD from more detailed descriptions.

…

No pricking at all

No visible ruling; lines are slightly angled/arched in places to produce about a right upward angle of an eighth of a cm or so. Some stanzas more than others.

Varying length stanzas ranging from 9 lines to 24 lines. Gaps between range from 2-3 cm with one longer one of 4.5 cm after the 12^th.

Mostly consistent left margin of just under 2.5 cm.

There are brackets on each pair of rhyming couplets

Strapwork on the ascenders of the initial characters of each verse.

Latin and English (Mid/Northern)

[We’ve consulted LALME, but there is likely not enough data to make a more specific assertion.]

Imagery consists of four major image panels, two near the top and two further in (check measurements). These are connected by marginalia around the text panels.

The top scene has standing Christ at center with side wound and hand and foot wounds from Crucifixion, surrounded by the instruments of the passion. Christ , clad in loincloth, wraps proper right arm around base of cross and left around spear. There is considerable damage to his body especially around the head & face (results of touching?). Wearing cruciform halo with possible damaged crown of thorns. Crown of thorns, nails, column, grave, cock

Sponge , pincers, hammer , three dice to left of cross. (Complete list)

Mocking jews at edges, also hand for slapping.

Faded green vine in background.

The image is set on a green groundline with an ornate gothic architectural frame with gables and jamb figures. In the central gable is a Eucharist marked with IHS and chalice set on upper cross beam.

Arma Christi ir twith the Veronica (Mandylion) hanging from cross in top third of image. Includes robe and dice to the right, as well as the bag of money. To the left of the Mandylion is the lamp, and the sword, crossed spears, and scurge.
Abstracted body of Christ in the center, represented by scared heart set in crown of thorns. Heart shows side wound. Heart and crown set on three nails (actual size?) dismembered hands and feet on right and left with wounds. Flanking angels on each side and reference to curtain on top and bottom of central scene.
Lower section of image shows the whip, column, bundle of reeds, happer and cock standing atop column.

At base of image, outside the frame, kneeling donor holding inscribed scroll referencing wounds and flanked by heraldic arms left and right hanging from trees.

Third image: empty cross situated between text column, includes three nails on cross bar (17mm length) with erasure at bottom and right arm.

Fourth Image:

Cross set in landscape background and on hll of Golgotha with birds. Naked Infant Christ seated behind corss on red cushion, holding orb and blessing in right hand. Christ is out of scale and same length as base of the Cross.

Overall use of color trends heavily to reds and blues with lighter green washes. Some minor use of gold foil, esp in large illuminated letter tha opens second membrane and and subsequent three letters.

Marginalia from top:

Navy blue border throughout, approximately ___ cm in width, filled with flowering vine and birds, snail, other small animals. Flowers vary in form and content. Droplets of blood scattered throughout. Margin is continuous except where it is interrupted by heraldry. Marginal format, while consistent in type of content, shifts forms and style at membrane 2 and 3. Membrane three is all vegetal motifs, membrane 2 has flowers, insects, bees, snails, butterflies.

Ornamented initials match marginalia in color

{. . . .}

Anglicana hand with Secretary influences

The majority of the roll (the verse portion) is written in one hand. It is a rather neat hand,  indicating a competent scribe. The whole roll is written in brown ink with some variations in the darkness of the ink. For example, in the fifth stanza, the third line and the first half of the fourth line are significantly lighter in color than the other lines in the stanza.

The scribe has a tendency of making many ambiguous (or otiose) strokes, sometimes to represent an omitted final “e.”

The following are some examples of the mixed Anglicana and Secretary letter forms found in this script:

• Anglicana – backwards e, S – forward e (examples to come)
• Anglicana-style w (Wodstocke in stanza 5, line 7), Secretary-style w (wyfe in stanza 5, line 9).
• Anglicana – two-compartment a, S – one compartment a  (examples to come)

At the end of the roll, there is a prose interpretation of the verse, which is also in an Anglicana hand with Secretary influences. This seems to be a second scribe. Note, especially, the slightly darker brown ink.

No presence of pricking. Very light ruling appears to be created through a light ink or pencil.

Margins for border and text were meticulously blocked out. This is seen through the ruling of the interstitial lines

The margins were scored in first and the spaces for images and text blocked out. Then the main images were painted in. The ruling for text was applied around the images and then the margins filled last. This is based on evidence seen in the first interstitial line of the first membrane as the margin image is created around the text. Additionally the cross in the midst of the second block of text on the second membrane was created before the ruling was applied.

Language: English, Late Middle English.

The manuscript is in fairly good condition with minor damage. The top right corner of the first membrane is missing a small section of parchment with, apparently, no attendant loss of script. On the first membrane, there are some signs of aging, rust colored stains and possible water or mold damage. There is a section (4.5cm X 4cm) of missing parchment on the right side which has been repaired. The second membrane has a section (2cm X 1cm) of damage on the the top, left side which has been repaired resulting in some missing script. There are some small areas of damage on the left edge of the first and third membranes – possibly resulting from rodents.

Parchment roll, 183cm  x  12.5-14cm. Unevenly trimmed on right edge. Composed of three membrane segments unevenly stitched together with undyed string. All membranes are contemporary to each other.

This roll is composed of three membranes attached with glue.

The width of roll is 161 mm (or 6 3/8 inches) at the top of the roll. The width at the bottom of the roll is 158 mm (or 6 1/4 inches). The bottom edge of the manuscript is unevenly cut.

The total length of manuscript is 1528 mm (with membrane overlaps of 11 and 25 mm subtracted).

The first membrane is 622 mm (or 24 1/8 inches) in length. There is a 11 mm (or 3/8 inch) overlap, where the first membrane is on the bottom, pasted underneath the second membrane.

The second membrane is 555 mm (or 21 7/8 inches) in length. There is a 25 mm (or 1 inch) overlap, where the second membrane is on top, pasted on top of the third membrane.

The third membrane is 387 mm (or 15 1/4 inches) in length.

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