Beinecke MS 86                                                        England, s. XIV
Brut Chronicle (in Anglo-Norman), etc.				Pl. 18

     1. front and back flyleaves: a paper document of s. xviii, relating to
     Wiltshire, with Julianna Charter as plaintiff.

     2. ff. 1r-12v    Fragments of a Brut Chronicle, in Anglo-Norman. //Rome
     et oscist touz lez mescreauntz gil poet...ou il fuist ioyeusement
     resceu.

          The text of this fragment begins imperfectly in chapter 36
     (Constantine) and has several lacunae. Folios 1-4 (the two central
     conjugate leaves of a gathering) correspond to the English text in F.
     W. D. Brie, ed., EETS, v. 131 (1906) pp. 40/20 - 67/22 and contain
     chapters 36-44. Folios 5, 7, 6, 8 (individual leaves in that order) may
     be from one quire, but one leaf is missing after both 5 and 6; 9-12 are
     the two outer bifolios of a quire originally consisting of 8 leaves,
     but the two inner bifolios are wanting after f. 10. Folios 5-10 contain
     portions of chapters 81-84. The work ends in chapter 86 (beginning on
     f. 11r) with the thirty-first year of Edward III.

     3. f. 13r (a single leaf tipped in)    Progenies ab Adam usque Henricum
     IIII Regem Anglie.

          A note stating that King Henry IV was consecrated in 1399 and
     documenting his descent from Adam.

     4. f. 13v    Nomina Regum Anglie quorum cronicke consecuntur.

          A list of 86 kings (each numbered) from Brutus to Edward III. The
     offset image of an illuminated initial with extensive border indicates
     that the leaf originally preceded art. 2.

     5. f. 14r    Names of prisoners captured and killed at the battle of
     Poitiers (19 Sept. 1356), in Anglo-Norman.

     6. ff. 14v-19v    Terms of the treaty of Bretigny (8 May 1360), in 40
     chapters, numbered in red (Anglo-Norman).

     7. ff. 19v-20v    De modo [tenendi] parliamenti. Hic discribitur modus
     quomodo parliamentum Regis Anglie et anglorum suorum tenebatur
     temporibus Regis Edwardi filij Etheldredi Regis...De loquela Regis post
     pronunciacionem...ad eius et eorum honores et comoda fore inteligerint
     et sincierint [changed to sencierint]//

          N. Pronay and J. Taylor, Parliamentary Texts of the Later Middle
     Ages (Oxford, 1980) pp. 67-72. According to Taylor, the Yale
     Modus
     appears to be an early version of the "A" Recension similar in some
     ways, although not in all, to the group associated with London, B. L.
     Vespasian B. VII.

          Parchment, ff. i (paper, s. xviii) + 20 + i (paper, s. xviii; same
     document serves as front and back flyleaves), 366 x 245 (275 x 165) mm.
     The physical format varies somewhat depending upon the text. Folios 1-
     12, 14r: written in 41 long lines; single or double vertical and
     horizontal bounding lines full across; ruled in lead; remains of
     prickings in upper, lower, and outer margins. Folio 13: written in 43
     lines, sometimes in 2 columns, with appropriate rulings in lead; the
     leaf appears to have been slightly trimmed. Folios 14v-20v: written in
     41 long lines; single inner and double outer vertical bounding lines,
     double horizontal bounding lines, full across; with additional ruling
     in outer margin; ruled in lead; some prickings in all margins, except
     inner.
          For collation of ff. 1-13, see articles 2-3; folios 14-19 are
     composed of a single gathering of six leaves, plus one added at end (f.
     20).
          Written in Anglicana bookhand by a scribe who also copied Malmesbury
	Church, MS 2 (see below).
          Decorative initials, blue with red penwork, appear only on ff. 1-
     12; initial strokes and headings, in red, throughout.
          Binding: s. xviii-xix. Stab sewn to a vellum folder made up of a
     legal document (trimmed with some loss of text) dated 1766 and
     involving the manors of Whitechurch and Milbourne in Wiltshire. The
     outside has an inscription, s. xix, "Some leaves of early English
     History in Norman French supposed to have come from Malmesbury Abbey."
     A similar inscription occurs on f. i verso.

          Written in England at the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th
     century; in 1971 N. R. Ker determined that it was copied by the same
     scribe as two items now belonging to Malmesbury Church (MS 2) in
     Wiltshire and that all three items were formerly bound together (see
     Ker, MMBL, v. 3). The original manuscript was acquired by James P. R.
     Lyell who divided it into three parts and sold each separately (Lyell
     Cat., p. xxix). One portion (46 leaves) was repurchased by Lyell on 8
     April 1942 and presented to Malmesbury Church; Yale acquired the second
     part (20 leaves in present binding) from Henry Fletcher in 1950;
     Malmesbury Church bought the final part (41 leaves) in 1961. Papers
     accompanying the manuscript and now in Beinecke Library files include:
     1. unsigned note, s. xix, "These old Parchments were found in
     Malmesbury Abbey during excavations. They are written in Norman French
     and are supposed to be part of an Early English History, but they have
     never been deciphered. The 2 loose pages [now missing from both the
     Yale and Malmesbury texts] belong apparently to a book of travels,
     probably Sir John Mandeville's, which were written about 1372"; 2.
     letter dated 3 Feb. 1882, Ashburton, Devon, "My dear Sparke, Thanks for
     sending me the curious leaflet which I now return. It is written in
     Norman French which I unfortunately know very little about and have no
     books that throw any light on it...[comments on the 2 lost leaves:] It
     begins with an account of the Isle of Rhodes altho the first words are
     'estre appelle Collos et vncore les Turkes l'appellent ensynt. Et seint
     Poul en ses pistres estriuoit a eux dicele Isle ad Colocenses. Ceste
     Isle est bien.' ...It is beautifully written and to anyone who knew
     Norman French it would be easy to make out...Yours very Truly, John S.
     Amery." [The words quoted from the Mandeville text belong to the
     Insular version, ch. 4; see G. F. Warner's edition for the Roxburghe
     Club (1889) p. 13/39.] Note (s. xix) in red, inside front cover: "Re
     Bayliffe/ 33 Anglesea Place/ Clifton/ Bristol."

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 27, no. 86.

     Barbara A. Shailor