Beinecke MS 218                                                    Flanders, ca. 1470
Hours (in Low Ger.)

     1. ff. 1r-14v    Penitential Psalms and Litany. Among the 19 martyrs
     Erasmus (7), Levine (12), Maurice (14), Boniface (16); among the 21
     confessors Servatius (9), Ulric (10), Bernard (16), Bernardinus (18),
     Alexius (20), Remigius (21); among the 20 virgins Odilia (8), Walburga
     (14), Gertrude (15).

     2. ff. 14v-17v    Dyt naschreuen beth Sancti Augustinus [sic] het In
     latine Summe sacerdos dat he maket to der bereydinge des Sacramentis. O
     du hogeste prester vnde ware bisschopp Ihesu criste... f. 18r ruled,
     but blank

     3. ff. 39r-48v    (quire V), 19r-38v Hours of the Passion in Low
     German, beginning defectively in Sext.

     4. ff. 49r-118r    [Various prayers] Hijr begynnet sich eyn schon gebed
     van demm liden christi. Dat selden ane gnade wert gesproken. O Enedige
     vnnd barmhertige here ihesu christe Ik bidde dy...; (f. 73v) Hijr na
     begynnet sick eyn schone bed van der marter vnnsis heren Ihesu
     christi.
     Eya sote Ihesu ewige cruczigede wyszheit myn herte vormanet dy...; (f.
     81r) To der Iuncfrowen Marien. Gegrutet sistu konigynne gegrutet sistu
     maria du czarte muder Ik vormane dy...[including a Salve regina in
     Latin, f. 86r-v]; (f. 90r) Hijr na folget eyn ynige betrachtinge der
     wapen vnd des lidens vnnses heren ihesu christi. In deme Sondage sculle
     wij vnse herte dorch grauen...; (f. 96r) Hijr na volget eyn bed van den
     ledematen christi vnses heren. Gegrutet sy dat erwerdige benedyde hovet
     vnses leuen heren ihesu christi...; (f. 98v) Van deme namen Ihesu. O
     Gude Ihesu. O Sote ihesu. O ihesu der iuncfrouwen zone vul
     barmhertigheit vnnd warheit...[Achten-Knaus, p. 148]; (f. 101r) We
     desse nagescreuenne vijff bede vnnd to eynem issliken eyn pater
     noster...alse he sunte gregorio restheyn [?] to Rome in der Capelle
     Ierusalem under der missen, de vordynet xx dusent vnnd xx. Iar. vnnd
     xxiiii daghe afflates de sunte Gregorius hefft gegeven vnnd ander
     pawese van synen tyden wente to Calixto de de sulve pawes Calixtus
     bestediget hefft, Vnnd is gefunden in deme anderen boke syner registere
     in deme cweyhunderden derden vnnd dritteynden blade. Here ihesu christi
     ik bede dy an, an deme cruce hangende...[translation of the Seven
     Prayers of St. Gregory, Leroquais LH 2. 346; Meertens, 6, p. 16]; (f.
     103r) Vnnse here got lerede synen frundenn veffteyn pater noster, vnnd
     xv. ave maria, we de sprekt, de schal daruan entfangen grote salicheit,
     Vnnd vnse here god sprak also, dorch des gebedes willen wil ik lozen
     veffteyn selen vth deme vegefure...den ik den andern nicht geuen wil
     die des nicht vordynet. Sequitur. Dat erste pater noster sprik. Dat
     erste pater noster hebbe ik gesproken to loue leue here alle dyner
     lidinghe wente...; (f. 114v) Hijr na volget eyn kort gebed sunder ed
     hefft grote gnade in sick we dat mit ynnicheit sprikt. O leue here
     ihesu christe des leuendigen goddis sone...; (f. 114v) Men leset in
     deme leuende sancti Bernhardi dat...O herre vorluchte myne ogen vp dat
     ik nimmier enslape in deme dode...[translation of the verses of St.
     Bernard, RH 27912]. f. 118v ruled, but blank

     5. ff. 119r-172r    [Prayers to the Virgin] O du aller soteste
     Iuncfrowe maria ik arme sunder valle othmodichlike to den voten dyner
     hilligheit...; (f. 126v) Van den frouden vnser frowen. Maria Ik vormane
     dik der ouerflodigen stoude ere vnnd werdicheit de dyn zele...; (f.
     134v) Hijr na volget de krone vnnser leuen frowen marien. Mit frouden
     latet vns hilligen vnnd werdigen de gedechtnisse des namen der
     Iuncfrouwen marien...; (f. 145v) Van der bodeschop marien de antyphona.
     Hec est dies quinque. Dit is de dagh den de here gemaket hefft hute
     hefft de here angesehn...; (f. 147v) Eyn ander bed van der Iungfrouwen
     marien volget. O du werdighe ewige Iungkfrowe maria du sote
     beschermerynne des mynschliken geslechtes...; (f. 154r) Van vnser leuen
     frouwen bodeschopp volget hijr na eyn gud gebeth. O hemmelsche
     konigynne maria werdige godis muder...[the scribe made several errors
     in the first 7 lines on f. 154v; he crossed out all the lines with red
     ink and began again on 155r]; (f. 157r) Item volgen hijr na De Souen
     word de unse leue frouwe sprak under deme cruce. Pater noster. O du uth
     fletende borne der ewigheit wu bistu my alsus gar vorsegen...[Achten-
     Knaus, p. 60]; (f. 158r) Hijr na volget eyn schone gebed van vnnser
     leuen frowen vnnd sunte Iohanse ewangelisten. O Vmbefleckede gnedige
     sunderlike iuncfrowe vnd moder goddis maria...[translation of O
     intemerata..., Wilmart 488-90]; (f. 165r) Hijr begynnet sik de
     Rossenkrantz der Eddeln hochgeloueden Iuncfrowen marien. Gegrutet sistu
     maria ful gnaden de herre is mit dy....

     6. ff. 172v-186r     Prayers to all the Angels, all the Saints, all the
     Apostles, Anna (Hersame frouwe aller frouwen de werdigiste...), Andrew,
     Barbara, Maurice, Angels. f. 186v ruled, but blank

          Parchment, ff. ii (contemporary parchment) + 186, 120 x 90 (70 x
     52) mm., trimmed. Written in 13-14 long lines, ruled in black ink.
     Double horizontal bounding lines with 2 or more lines of text between,
     single vertical, all full across; except ff. 49r-68v (quires VI-VII),
     which are frame-ruled. Prickings at all but inner edges.
          I^^10 (-4), II-XVIII^^10, XIX^^8. The volume has been misbound; quire
     V should follow quire II. Catchwords in lower margin near gutter, on
     verso; signatures (letters of the alphabet, probably added later), in
     lower right-hand margin, on recto.
          Written in a neat batarde by two scribes: Scribe 1, ff. 1r-17v;
     Scribe 2, ff. 19r-186r.
          Fourteen good full-page miniatures of typical Southern
     Netherlandish production of the late 15th century (cf. Pacht and
     Alexander, v. 1, no. 329: Oxford, Bod. Lib. Buchanan e. 5 [Hainaut? s.
     XV^^3/4]): f. 1v (Penitential Psalms) Last Judgment; f. 18v (Hours of
     the Virgin) Virgin and Child on a crescent; f. 24v (Vespers) Descent
     from the Cross; f. 32v (Compline) Entombment; f. 45r (None)
     Crucifixion; f. 95v (Prayer van den ledematen christi) St. Veronica
     holding the cloth; f. 102v (Prayers of Gregory) Mass of Gregory; f.
     119v (Prayer to the Virgin) "portrait of the owner", a woman in grey,
     worshipping the Virgin and Child; f. 127v (Prayer to the Virgin) the
     Risen Christ appearing to the Virgin; f. 145v (Prayer to the Virgin)
     Annunciation; f. 159r (Prayer to the Virgin and John) Virgin and St.
     John standing at the foot of the Cross; f. 165v (Rossenkrantz der
     Eddeln...marien) Virgin and Child enthroned; f. 177v (Prayer to Anna)
     another "portrait of the owner", a woman in grey, this time kneeling
     before the Virgin and Child and Anna; f. 181v (Prayer to Barbara)
     Barbara beside the tower, holding an open book and a palm branch; f.
     183v (Prayer to Maurice), Maurice, wearing armor and a red and blue
     cape, holding a gold cross. The miniatures (except those on ff. 1v,
     18v, 159r) are painted over ruling for a normal text page and are set
     in wide arched frames of gold and black, within a full border of blue,
     gold, pink, and pale orange acanthus leaves, with red, purple, and blue
     flowers.
          Illuminated initials, 7-, 5-, or 4-line, with full borders on ff.
     1r, 96r, 127r, 146r, 158r, 166r, and 177r: blue with white highlights
     filled with red, blue, and green trilobe leaves on a gold ground,
     borders as for miniatures. The text is set off from the border by a
     narrow black, gold, white, and red frame not joined to the initial.
     Nine illuminated initials, 5- or 4-line, with three-quarter borders:
     gold on pink and blue, with white highlights, borders as for
     miniatures. 6-, 5-, 3-, and 2-line initials in gold on pink and blue,
     with white highlights; black ink hair-spray, with gold trilobe leaves
     and flowers, attached. 1-line initials in blue with red penwork or gold
     with black penwork; within the text, a black initial occasionally
     marked with a red stroke. Line-fillers in Litany only; leaves, cables,
     oblique lines with dots attached, etc., in blue or gold. Rubrics in
     orange-tinted red or crimson.
          Binding: s. xvii. Resewn on three twisted vegetable fiber cores
     laced into wooden boards. The colored, beaded endbands are embroidered
     on a piece of material, probably parchment, which extends to the
     outside of the boards. The spine is round and lined with parchment; the
     edges gilt and with a faintly discernable honeycomb pattern. Covered in
     light brown calf, extensively gold-tooled. There are two fastenings,
     the catches on the upper board, brass clasps attached to leather straps
     which are nailed to the lower board through metal plates. The lower
     joint has cracked and all the spine leather is detached from the
     bookblock, giving the effect of a case binding.

          Written in Flanders ca. 1470. (For other codices made in Bruges,
     but with text in Low German, see H. J. Leloux, Mittelniederdeutsche in
     den Niederlandern entstandene Manuskripte und Fruehdrucke, Nachbarn 23
     [Bonn, n. d. ca. 1980]. We thank J. Marrow for this reference.)
     Signatures of the 16th century on second flyleaf: "Gasper Vant'
     Lantenach [?]" and "Gaspar Van Santen". Belonged to Philip Henry Kerr,
     11th Marquess of Lothian (1882-1940; Anderson Galleries sale, New York,
     27 Jan. 1932, no. 18). Collection of Louis W. Dommerich. Presented to
     Yale by Mrs. Dommerich in 1956.

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 42, no. 218.

     Barbara A. Shailor