Rolle, Richard, 1290?-1349, attributed name Richard, of St. Victor, -1173. Benjamin minor. English Herbert of Cherbury, Edward Herbert, Baron, 1583-1648, former owner Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Manuscript. HM 127
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ff. 1-32. [Richard Rolle, attributed to]. [Contemplations of the Dread and Love of God]. Incipit: Whi ech man schulde desire to love god, Amonge alle creatures whiche god of his endeles myȝte made. Explicit: whiche be þe techinge of almiȝti god have write to þe þes fewe wordes in helpinge of þi soule. Ardeat in nobis domini fervor amoris. English. Text here preceded by a chapter list (labelled a-z, the last entry with no sign:"This schort pistil þat folweþ is deuided in sundri materes ech mater be himself in titlis as þis kalender shewes . . .), and by a prologue (In þe begynnynge and endynge of alle goode werkys: worshipe and þonkynge be to almyȝti god makere and byere of all mankind . . .). Contemplations of the Dread and Love of God (title used in Wynkyn de Worde's edition, 1506), or Fervor amoris, as on f. 33v, including the following three texts, Tractatus de quattuor gradibus amoris. P. S. Jolliffe, A Check-list of Middle English Prose Writings of Spiritual Guidance. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, Subsidia Mediaevalia 2 (Toronto 1974), H.15. C. Horstman, ed., Yorkshire Writers: Richard Rolle of Hampole (London 1896) 2:72-105. ff. 32-33. [Prayers]. Incipit: A Goode curteis angel ordeined to my gouernaisse I knowe wel myn feblenes. . .yow also in him aftir his holi techinge. I þanke him with þis holi preier. Pater noster et cetera. Et ne nos inducas in temptacionem Set libera nos a malo. Per defensionem angeli commissi nobis ad custodiam amen. Ave maria. [A]ngele qui meus custos pietate superna/ me tibi commissam salva defende guberna. . . Latin; English. A. Wilmart, Auteurs spirituels et textes dévots du moyen âge latin (Paris 1932; repr. 1971), 556-58], with versicle, response and prayer, Deus qui sanctorum angelorum tuorum aliquos tibi benigne concedis assistere. . . ; devotions to one's guardian angel, the English prayer pr. in Horstman, p. 105, followed by a suffrage in Latin. On ff. 32v-33, two prayers to Jesus in Latin: Ihesu fili dei vivi omnium cognitor adiuva me ut vanis cogitacionibus non delector. . .; O bone ihesu tibi sine te placere non possum clementer. . . Some prayers in feminine form. f. 33r-v. [De quattuor gradibus amoris]. Incipit: I ffinde and rede bi holi mennis writinge þat aftir oure ladies assumpcion Seint Johan euangelist gretliche desirid to se þat blessid ladi. Explicit: and þan seie an antem wiþ a deuout orison suiche as we þenkemost plesinge to oure soule. Explicit tractatus de quatuor gradubus [sic] amoris. English. N. S. Baugh, A Worcestershire Miscellany Compiled by John Northwood c. 1400 (Philadelphia 1956) 151-52. ff. 34-50v. [Richard Rolle] [Form of living]. Incipit: In euery sinful man or woman þat is bounden in dedeli sinne is þre wrecchednesses þe whiche bringeþ hem to þe deþ of helle. Explicit: and praye for me þe grace of ihesu crist be wiþ deþ and kepe þe. Amen. Rubric: Incipit liber nuncupatus Amore langueo. English. Richard Rolle, Form of Living, in Horstman, 1:3-49; H. E. Allen, Writings Ascribed to Richard Rolle, Hermit of Hampole (New York 1927) 256-68; H. E. Allen, English Writings of Richard Rolle Hermit of Hampole (Oxford 1931) 82-119. f. 51. [Poem]. Incipit: Crist made to man a faire present/ His blody body wiþ loue y brent. . .þan schal my loue be trewe. Explicit: & fin/ and loue in loue schal make fin. English. C. Brown and R. H. Robbins, Index of Middle English Verse (New York 1943) and Supplement by R. H. Robbins and J. L. Cutler (Lexington 1965) 611. C. Brown, ed., Religious Lyrics of the XIVth Century (Oxford, 2nd ed., 1952) 113-14, with collations from this manuscript on pp. 273-74. ff. 51-52v. [Poems]. Incipit: Hyt is yfounde and ywrite þat oure lady apered to seint Thomas of caunterbury and badde him and tauþt him to worschipe here. . .Be glad of al maydens flourre/ þat hast in heuene swich honoure. Explicit: Bringe me to þe blisse of heuene/ þorwe grace of clene lyfe. Latin; English. Text preceded by a Latin legend ("Legitur quod dum beatus Thomas martir Cantuariensis Arche episcopus septem gaudia temporalia . . ."), several short Latin texts (Gaude flore virginali; O sponsa dei electa mater domini nostri ihesu christi benedicta; Domine ihesu christe fili dei vivi qui beatissimam genitricem tuam). See C. Brown and R. H. Robbins, Index of Middle English Verse (New York 1943) and Supplement by R. H. Robbins and J. L. Cutler (Lexington 1965) 465. C. Brown, ed., Religious Lyrics of the XVth Century (Oxford 1939) 59-60, English portions only from this manuscript. U. Chevalier, Repertorium hymnologicum, Louvain 1892-1912, Brussels 1920-21, n. 6809 for the hymn, Gaude flore virginali. ff. 53-62v. [Richard of St. Victor]. [Benjamin Minor]. Incipit: A Greet Clerc þat men callaþ Richard of seint victor in a book þat he makeþ of þe studie wisdam. Explicit: Ibi Beniamin adolescentulus in mentis excessu: þat is þer is Beniamin ȝe ȝonge child in rauissyng of mynde. Mercy help. Gremercy help. English. A Tretyse of þe Stodye of Wysdome þat Men Clepen Beniamyn (translation of Richard of St. Victor's Beniamin Minor), in P. Hodgson, Deonise Hid Divinite. Early English Text Society original series 231 (London 1955) 11-46; HM 127 collated as C. f. 62v. [Seven Works of Mercy]. Incipit: The seuene dedis of mercy/ I wole do as god us bede. Explicit: Cherishe þe sinful to turne fro vys/ And wys him in to þe riþt way. English. Index of Middle English Verse 3459. The seven Works of Mercy,"Bodily" and"Gostly.". f. 62v. [Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit]. Incipit: Septem dona spiritus sancti, Domum [sic] sapiencie castitas contra luxuriam. Explicit: Domum [sic] timoris domini humilitas contra superbiam. Latin. Title supplied by cataloger. Support: Parchment. Script: Anglicana formata. Layout: 1⁸(+1, f. 1) 2-7⁸ 8⁶(-6). Catchwords in the lower right corner; quire and leaf signatures in red ink towards lower edge of right margin in letters and roman numerals. 32-33 long lines or lines of verse, ruled in lead; pricking visible in the outer margin. Other Decoration: Three gold initials, 7- to 9-line, on ff. 2 and 34, infilled with void leaf designs in light purple and some red, and with light purple flourishing. Assigned Date: s. XV1/4. Input into Digital Scriptorium by: C. W. Dutschke, 7/10/2012. Cataloged from existing description: C. W. Dutschke with the assistance of R. H. Rouse et al., Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Huntington Library (San Marino, 1989). Bound, s. XIX, in English polished brown calf, ruled in blind; same binding on HM 1342 and HM 1343. HM 127. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
Christian life--Early works to 1800 Poems (rbgenr) Decorated initials England 15th century. (aat) Manuscripts (documents) (aat)
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Manuscripts, Huntington Digital Library
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Three sixteenth century owner's notes: f. i,"Ihon wyllyamson" and"This is Iohn Whyttes Boke/ whoo so euer on yt dothe louke/ he that fydyth yt and brynges yt agayne/ I wyll geyfe him xl d. for his payene" (R. Hanna,"The Index of Middle English Verse and Huntington Library Collections: a Checklist of Addenda," Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 74 (1980) 235-58, here nn. 66-69); f. 62,"Thomas wilbram I commende me unto you and woll and require you that you comm and be biffore me." The inscription"Thomas Wilbraham his Booke" occurs in London, Brit. Lib., Harley 266, a chronicle in English, on f. 151v; see C. E. Wright, Fontes Harleiani (London 1972) 354. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigienses, pt. 1, lists both a Thomas Wilbraham (1530/1-1573; of Peterhouse; Recorder of the City of London) and a Thomas Wilbram (b. 1555; of St. John's). Belonged to Edward, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648), whose calligraphic monogram,"E" superimposed on"H," appears on f. 1 (without annotation of price); see C. J. Fordyce and T. M. Knox,"The library of Jesus College, Oxford," Proceedings of the Oxford Bibliographical Society 5.2 (1937) 53-115; the plate following p. 72 shows Herbert's monogram. Passed by inheritance to George Charles Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis (1862-1952); his sale, Sotheby's, 20 March 1923, lot 327 to A. S. W. Rosenbach.
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