YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE MANUSCRIPTS
Beinecke MS 426 England, s. XIV^^med
Matthew of Westminster, Flores historiarum
ff.1r-87v [Added in upper margin:] historia Mathei Parisiensis: Manuscriptum
Loftusianum. [text begins imperfectly:] //Ora ad compitum ubi se findit in
quadruuium et stans ibi tacite rei euentum diligenter explora.
Transient enim figure hominum utriusque sexus...extremum qualiter uel quomodo
ueritatem plurimi ignorauerunt. Carneriuam natus princeps Edwardus amatus.
Ingratis gratus est morte graui cruciatus. ff. 85-86 misbound
H. R. Luard, ed., Flores historiarum in Rolls Series 95 (London, 1890)
v. 1, pp. xxx-xxxi; Beinecke MS 426 is designated "II (4). MS. Tenison." The
text begins imperfectly in Book I, 1058 (Luard ed., v. 1, p. 578) and contains
continuations in Book II to 1327. See A. Gransden, "The Continuations of the
Flores Historiarum from 1265 to 1327," Mediaeval Studies 36 (1974)
p. 473, note 13.
Parchment, ff. iii (paper) + i (original parchment pastedown) + 87 + i
(original parchment pastedown) + iii (paper), 384 x 260 (289 x 196) mm.
Written in 2 columns, 48 lines. Single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines,
full length and full across. Remains of prickings in upper margin; ruled in lead.
I-VII^^12, VIII^^3 (ff. 86, 85, 87: leaves missing between ff. 85 and 87).
Catchwords in center of lower margin, enclosed in rectangle, verso.
Written in bold gothic textura; x is crossed.
Rubrics, often accompanied by notes to rubricator in well formed current
Anglicana script. Decorative initials not filled in. Numerous pen trials and
crude drawings in margins (e.g., ff. 28r, 46v, 47r, 63r).
Binding: s. xix. Blind-tooled brown calf with a gold-tooled title.
Parchment flyleaves (formerly pastedowns) from a Missal (England, s. xv) much
rubbed and worn, and with offset impression from original binding of corner
tongues and four attachments. 2 columns, 36 lines, written space 275 x ca. 185
mm.; 9 mm. between rulings for text. Gothic textura. Fine blue initials
with intricate herringbone penwork designs in red. Headings in red; paragraph
marks in blue.
Written in England in the middle of the 14th century, presumably at the Cluniac
priory of St. Saviour, Bermondsey, Surrey (inscriptions of s. xv/xvi on f. 23r
"Bermondsey Saluator IHS," and f. 84v "Bermondsey Rogamus vos"). Note at foot
of f. 1r, s. xv^^2: "Ihesus for the woly name and for the bytter peschyn saue
me ffro syne and schame and worly damnaschyn." Belonged to Dudley Loftus
(1619-95; DNB, v. 12, pp. 79-88; note on f. 1r: "Manuscriptum Loftusianum");
acquired by Sir James Ware (1594-1666) who collated it with Lambeth Palace MS
1106; there are numerous marginal notations comparing the two codices (see M. R.
James and C. Jenkins, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the
Library of Lambeth Palace [Cambridge, 1932] Part V, pp. 818-24). Purchased in
1686 by Henry Hyde, second Earl of Clarendon (1638-1709; Catalogi MSS. Angl.
et Hib., 1697, no. 93); from whom it passed to Thomas Tenison, archbishop of
Canterbury (1636-1715); sale of Tenison heirs (Sotheby's, 1 July 1861, no. 60)
to Sir Thomas Phillipps (no. 15732, tag on spine). Letter concerning provenance
of manuscript from F. Madden of British Museum, 10 Nov. 1860, bound in at front
of volume. Purchased from H. P. Kraus in 1968 (Cat. 100, no. 11; Cat. 117,
no. 29) by Edwin J. Beinecke for the Beinecke Library.
Barbara A. Shailor