YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
PRE-1600 MANUSCRIPTS
Beinecke MS 17 (olim Z109.227) France, s. XV^^2
Hours, use of Paris
1. ff. 1r-11v Full calendar in French, with major entries in gold,
the others alternating red and blue, of the type printed by Perdrizet;
the leaf with the month of November is missing.
2. ff. 12r-15v Sequences of the Gospels. //nomine eius. Qui non ex
sanguinibus neque ex voluntate...qui uiderunt eum resurrexisse a
mortuis non crediderant//
3. ff. 16r-18v Obsecro te, beginning abruptly: [speran]//cium. Uirgo
ante partum, uirgo in partu et uirgo post partum...et uictoriam contra
aduersitates huius// [masculine forms; Leroquais, LH 2.346-47].
4. ff. 19r-22v O intemerata, a long form. //enim dei ipse christus
filius uerus omnipotens deus...cum sanctis et electis suis uitam et
gloriam sempiternam. Amen [Wilmart 494-95].
5. ff. 23r-62v Hours of the Virgin, use of Paris. //et in psalmis
iubilemus ei. Dominus tecum. Quoniam... R. Dei genetrix.
Oratio. Deus qui de beate marie//
6. ff. 63r-77v Penitential Psalms and Litany. //delictum meum
cognitum tibi feci...ut indulgenciam quam semper optauerunt pijs
supplicationibus...Amen. Pater noster. Aue maria. Among the martyrs,
Eustachius; among the confessors, Remigius and Taurinus; among the
virgins, Genevieve, Avia.
7. ff. 77v-83v Short Hours of the Cross; rubric on f. 77v, text
begins abruptly on f. 78r: //christe et benediximus tibi...per omnia
secula seculorum amen.
8. ff. 84r-89v Short Hours of the Holy Spirit. Domine labia mea
aperies...Omnipotens sempiterne deus da nobis illam sancti//
9. ff. 90r-130v Office of the Dead, use of Paris. //vocem orationis
mee. Quia inclinauit...semper optauerunt pijs supplicationibus
consequantur. Qui uiuis et regnas deus per omnia secula seculorum.
amen.
10. ff. 131r-134v Fifteen Joys of the Virgin, in French. Doulce dame
de misericorde...pries lui quil enlumine mon cuer. Aue maria. E tres
doulce dame pour ycelle grant ioye que// [Leroquais, LH 2.310-11].
11. ff. 135r-137v Seven Requests, in French. //conseil et ayde en
lonneur de celuy...Sire si comme ce fu uoir regardes moy en pitie.
Pater noster. [Leroquais, LH 2.309-10].
12. ff. 137v-138r Saincte uraye croix aouree. Qui du corps
dieu...[Sonet 1876].
13. ff. 138r-140v Suffrages addressed to the Holy Trinity, Michael,
John the Baptist, Dionysius, Catharine, and Margaret, ending imperfectly.
Parchment, ff. iii (paper) + ii (contemporary parchment) + 140 +
ii (paper), 196 x 142 (93 x 63) mm. Written in 17 long lines per page
in the calendar, 15 in the text, ruled in pale red ink; single bounding
lines, full across; prickings visible at outer edges.
The volume was misbound, with many folios out of order; it was
corrected by N. R. Ker in 1971. The collation is now as follows: I^^12
(-11), II^^8 (-1, 6, 7), III^^8 (-3, 8), IV^^8 (-1), V^^8 (-4), VI^^8 (-3,
5, 7, 8), VII^^6 (-4), VIII^^6 (-1, 5), IX^^8 (-1, 3), X^^8 (-2), XI^^6
(-1), XII^^8; XIII^^8 (-3, 6), XIV^^8; XV^^8 (-1), XVI^^8 (-2, 4),
XVII^^8, XVIII^^8 (-1), XIX^^6; collation of ff. 124-140 uncertain;
leaves missing after ff. 124 and 134. Catchwords in the lower margin of
last folio of quire, verso, slightly right of center.
Written in gothic script of two sizes, verging on batarde, by one
person.
Two miniatures (ff. 84r and 131r) of poor quality remain. The
location of the other miniatures can no longer be determined due to
rebinding. On f. 84r Pentecost, in an arched frame; miniature and text
in a 3/4 bar border, gold with flowers, attached to an historiated
initial (Dove) and a full acanthus border (blue and beige acanthus,
flowers, birds, and gold dots) with four scenes inserted in corners,
clockwise from lower right: Christ on the road to Emmaus, Christ
appearing to Mary Magdelen, Noli me tangere, and the Ascension; the
entirety within a blue bounding line. On f. 131r the Virgin and Child
enthroned, with two angels in a thick brown arched frame; miniatures
and text in a 3/4 border, a twig with branches lopped off, in blue with
white highlights, attached to an historiated initial (Joseph) and a
full acanthus border, as above, with a green bounding line. 6-line
historiated initial in the same style on f. 139v, with St. Dionysius and
his companions, Rusticus and Eleutherius. On all other pages, outer
margin, traced border as above, with green bounding line, except ff.
23-29 (quire III), in red. 2-line initials, blue or pink with white
highlights on gold ground, filled with flowers, fruit, or ivy. 1-line
initials and line-endings, gold on pink and blue grounds, with white
highlights. KL monograms in Calendar, as 2-line initials; names of
months, dates, and important feasts in gold; other feasts alternately
in red and blue.
Water damage on ff. 2 and 3; portion of border on f. 35 cut out;
last folio damaged by moisture and acid.
Binding: 1976. Dark brown calf over wooden boards, blind-tooled.
Bound in Yale Library Conservation Studio. Previous French binding, s.
xix, boxed with the codex.
Written in Northern France in the second half of the 15th century
as indicated by Saints in the Litany, perhaps in Rouen judging by the
style of the miniatures. Belonged in 1590 to Alexandre Ramon of Nemours
(note on f. iv verso). Belonged to Caroline M. Street (signature and
date 1845 on f. 141r). Bookplate of Augustus Russell Street; gift of
Mrs. Augustus Russell Street in 1869.
Bibliography: De Ricci v. 1, p. 165, no. 17.
Barbara A. Shailor