Moral and religious pieces in French, almost all in verse, written in about A.D. 1300, in England
File
MS. Douce 210
Held at the Weston Library
A full account will be found in the Bulletin de la Société des Anciens Textes Français, 1880, No. 1, p. 46: the more important are:
- (fol. 1) Allegorical poem on the state of society, compared to members of the body, imperfect at beginning and end: beg. 'Kele ne porrat iamais failler | Tant come en sai se voleut tener': fol. 2 is mutilated: and fols. 3, 13 damaged.
- (fol. 18) 'Ici comence le traitee | En romanz del Cheualer De', i.e. Chevalier de Dieu: beg. 'Tels parolent de Cheualers.' A poem named Corset on fol. 22v beg. 'A son treschier seignor Alain | De part Rober son chapelain': one leaf is wanting after fol. 12, and four after fol. 34. On fol. 35 is a fragment of the Roman des Romans.
- (fol. 35) 'Ceo est le liure ke aprent de viure parfitement. Si est apele le Miroir Seint Edmond le confessour', the Speculum Ecclesiae of st. Edmund Riche, in prose: text beg. 'Videte vocacionem vestram, etc. Cez motz de la postle parcenent.' On fols. 43v-44v are some astronomical figures.
- (fol. 45) 'Ci comence Noreture | Curteisie & grant mesure ...', by Urbain le courtois: text beg. 'Vn sage home de grant valour.' Some hymns follow, in French (fol. 45v); and 'De sancto Blasio Antiphona' in Latin (fol. 46v); after which are two Latin pieces about Judas Iscariot (fol. 46v) and Pilate (fol. 47). At fol. 51v are some Latin medical 'Pronostica', in verse.
- (fol. 48) 'Coment homme se gardera par le conseille Gawin [Gauvein] de femme prendre un espouse': beg. 'Benoit soit Dieu omnipotent.'.
- (fol. 51v) 'Ici comence la Ròmaunce Dame Fortunee': prologue beg. 'Solace dime & toute ire': the first lines give 'Simund de Freine [Simon de Fresne] me fist', acrostically.
Dates
- Creation: written in about A.D. 1300, in England
Extent
61 leaves, in double columns
Language of Materials
- French
Shelfmark
MS. Douce 210
Other Finding Aids
Falconer Madan, et al., A summary catalogue of western manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford which have not hitherto been catalogued in the Quarto series (7 vols. in 8 [vol. II in 2 parts], Oxford, 1895-1953; reprinted, with corrections in vols. I and VII, Munich, 1980), vol. IV, no 21784
Our best descriptions for medieval items in this collection are in Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries under MSS. Douce.
Custodial History
'Bought at Lord Donegal's sale', A.D. 1800.
Physical Facet
On parchment, imperfect
Dimensions
11 7/8 × 7 7/8 in.
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk