Beinecke MS 492               England, s. XIV^^in
Pierre de Peckham, Edmund Rich, etc.

I.  1.  ff. 1r-85v  //Car si del frut mange eussez/  Del tut semblable a
li fussez/ Si saueriez sur tote rien/...A la dame qe por nos prie./ Ke issi
seit soun fiz ihesu crist./  Amen. Amen. issi finist.  Issi Finist Le Romaunz
qest Appelez Lume as Lays.

     Pierre de Peckham, La lumiere as Lais, lacking all of Book I and part
of Book II; Book III begins f. 16r.  Loss of text after f. 25 (conclusion of
Book III and beginning of capitula for Book IV).  List of chapter headings, in
red, for Book III, f. 16r; Book IV, f. 25v.  A. Langfors, Les incipit des
poemes francais anterieurs au XVI^^e siecle (Paris, ca. 1917) p. 436;
P. Meyer reprints portions and discusses the text in "Les manuscripts francais
de Cambridge," Romania 8 (1879) pp. 325-32; he read the notice of MS 492 in
the Techener catalogue (see Provenance), but did not know its present
whereabouts (p. 326).  See also M. D. Legge, "Pierre de Peckham and his
'Lumiere as Lais',"  Modern Language Review 24 (1929) pp. 37-47 and 153-71
(copy in Techener catalogue mentioned p. 43); and E. J. Arnould, "On Two
Anglo-Norman Prologues," Modern Language Review 34 (1939) pp. 248-51.

II.  2.  ff. 86r-99v  En le noun de nostre douce seignour ihesu crist ci
comencent les martires [sic] que sunt touches en le sermon que uient apres
rudement en dite...et pur nostre humilite estre hai haucez a la ioie du ciel
qe nous est aparailez.  Amen. per sa douce pite.  Ami pur W. ai fet cest escrit
chier le tenez et ne mie en despite.  [followed by a prayer in the same hand:]
Cest une oreison apres le sermon.  Omnipotens sempiterne deus miserere
famulo tuo .N. et per intercessionem...[explicit:] Ci finist le liuere qe seint
Edmunde de pountenei fit.  E si est apele speculum Amicicie.

     Edmund Rich, St., abp. of Canterbury, Speculum amicicie, also known as
Speculum religiosorum or Speculum ecclesie, in a French translation.
H. W. Robbins, ed., Le Merure de Seinte Eglise by St. Edmund of Pontigny
(Lewisburg, Pa., 1923) pp. 1-78, includes all the text except the sentence
at the end before the prayer [Ami pur W....].  MS 492 is not included in his
list of manuscripts, pp. viii-ix, nor in the list given by H. Forshaw, "New
Light on the Speculum Ecclesie of St. Edmund of Abingdon," Archives
d'histoire doctrinale et litteraire du Moyen Age 46 (1971) pp. 16-17.
According to A. Wilshire, MS 492 is of the original family of French
manuscripts, containing the text as translated for nuns, not as modified for
lay people; it is closely related to the text in London, B. L. Royal 12. C. XII,
ff. 17r-30r, but includes a vital sentence in the chapter on contemplation which
is lacking in all other manuscripts except Oxford, Bodl. Lib. Selden Supra 74.
See A. Wilshire, "The Latin Primacy of St. Edmund's 'Mirror of Holy Church',"
Modern Language Review 71 (1976) pp. 500-12; idem, Mirour de Seinte
Eglyse, Anglo-Norman Text Society 40 (London, 1982) siglum A9, pp. vi, xi,
xiii.

3.  ff. 99v-104v  Seint poul li apostole dit/ Si come nous trouum en escrit/...
Ke il sa ioie nous otrie./ Od lui en perdurable uie.  Amen.

     Poem on the love of God and the hatred of sin; Langfors, op. cit., p.
358.  P. Meyer, "Notice du MS. Rawlinson Poetry 241 (Oxford)," Romania
29 (1900), prints portions of the text, pp. 83-84; according to Meyer (p. 5)
the poem in MS 492 belongs to the same family as Cambridge, Corpus Christi
College 405, and Oxford, Bodl. Lib. Rawlinson Poetry 241.

4.  ff. 104v-105r  Swete ihesu king of blisse/ Min herd loue min herte lise/...
thu bring me out of this longing/ To come to the at min ending.  Amen.

     Hymn based on the "Iesu dulcis memoria" (14 quatrains); IMEV 3236.

5.  f. 105r-v  Cristene man thu lerne of loue/ For the ich wolde on erthe
come/...that thou mowe myn blisse yse/ thin owene is the nede.  Amen.

     Appeal of Christ to sinner, 54 verses; IMEV Supplement 631.5 (citing this
manuscript).

6.  ff. 105v-110v  Under the rubric medecines, a collection of recipes
including Pur dolur des oylz, Pour cheuelur auer, A la gute [several recipes],
Si homme ne put dormir, and A les mals del chief.  [added at end in a different
hand:] Ffinis. 1429. f. 111r-v has crude drawings, added s. xvi

     For such recipes, few of which have been published, see R. Bossuat,
Manuel bibliographique de la litterature francaise du Moyen Age (Melun,
1951) pp. 279-80.

     Parchment (soft, furry), ff. iii (parchment) + 111  + iii (parchment), 307 x
206 mm., trimmed.  In two distinct parts, the first of which has several
distinct formats.

     Part I:  ff. 1-85.  ff. 1r-55v, written space 249 x 177 mm.  Written in 2
columns of 36 lines.  Single vertical and horizontal bounding lines, full
length.  and full across. Two additional sets of double vertical lines in
outer margin; two sets
of double horizontal lines full across in lower margin; one set of double lines
full across in upper margin.  Ruled in brown ink.  Prickings in upper, lower and
(on some folios) in outer margins.  ff. 56r-71v, written space 248 x 179 mm.
Written in 2 columns of 36 lines.  Single vertical and lower horizontal bounding
lines, double upper horizontal lines, all full length and full across.  All
horizontal lines cross intercolumnar
space.  Ruled in light brown ink.  Prickings in upper, lower and outer margins.
ff. 72r-85v, written space 246 x 175 mm.  Written in 2 columns, 36 lines.
Single vertical and single or double horizontal bounding lines, all
full length and full
across.  All horizontal lines cross intercolumnar space.  Ruled in light brown
ink. Prickings in upper, lower and outer margins,
and near gutter.  I^^2 ( + 1 leaf, f. 3, after 2), II-III^^10, IV^^8 (-3, after f.
25), V^^9 [structure uncertain], VI^^10, VII-VIII^^6, IX-X^^10, XI^^4.  Catchwords,
lower right corner, some decorated with red, verso.  Leaf signatures:
ff. 1r-55v, 1
to 5 diagonal strokes in lower margin between vertical lines separating
columns, or letters of alphabet, in red, in lower right corner; ff. 56r-71v,
two sets of 1 to 5 vertical strokes in lower margin between vertical lines
separating columns and under right column; ff. 72r-85v, 1 to 4 vertical or
horizontal strokes in lower right corner and, on ff. 74r and 75r, traces of
later quire and leaf signatures, perhaps from when I and II were bound
together (Kiii, Kiiii).
Written in gothic textura by two hands:  Scribe 1:  ff. 1r-71v; Scribe 2:  ff.
72r-85v.  One historiated initial, f. 16v, Master expounding to a pupil,
figures predominantly pink and blue on a pale purple and gold diapered
ground; blue initial
with white filigree and pink and green curling vine serifs on a pink ground
with white ivy; ground framed by a thick gold band, edged in black.  Two
styles of minor decoration that correspond to work division of the two scribes:
ff. 1r-71v, 2-line initials, blue or gold with red or blue penwork with
flourishes; 1-line initials, blue or gold; numerous line-fillers, almost every
line in different styles, blue and gold; first letter of each verse stroked
in red. ff. 72r-85v, 2-line initials, blue with red penwork and flourishes.
No line-fillers.  First letter of each verse stroked in red.  Rubrics
throughout.
     Part II:  ff. 86r-111r, written space 248 x 157 to 169 mm.  Single vertical
and horizontal bounding lines, upper 1 or 2 lines full length.  Upper 4 and
lower 2 lines cross intercolumnar space.  Ruled in red ink, except ff.
104v-111r, ruled in light brown ink.  Prickings in upper margin.  I-III^^6, IV^^8.
Catchwords lower right corner.  Leaf signatures (i, ii) for first quire.
Written in gothic textura by two hands:  Scribe 1, ff. 86r-99v (column 1);
Scribe 2, ff. 99v (column 2)-110v.  Decorative initial, divided red and blue,
4-line, on f. 86r, with blue and red flourishes and design cascading down
inner margin.  2-line initials, blue, with red penwork and flourishes.  1-line
initials, red or blue.  Rubrics throughout.  Very crude drawings (s. xvi)
added on f. 111r-v.
     Binding:  s. xix.  Brown, hard-grained goatskin, blind- and gold-tooled.
Bound by F. Bedford (London, active 1851 - ca. 1883). Title on spine:  "Lume As
Lais/ Poemes francais MS. XIV siecle."

Written in England at the beginning of the 14th century.  Notes in English
cursive of s. xv on ff. 16r, 16v, 25r, etc.  Signatures of s. xvi include
Thomas Leedes and John Younge (f. 111r-v).  Many signatures of members of the
Lake family:  Robert Lake (1584), Thomas Lake (1585, 1589, 1625; 1567?-1630,
DNB v. 11, pp. 417-19) and Hugo Lake (27 Jan. 1627).  Early modern provenance
otherwise unknown.  Library of J. J. Techener (1802-70); described in J.
Techener,
Description raisonnee d'une collection choisie d'anciens manuscrits
(Paris, 1865) v. 3, p. 5, no. 1498.  Collection of Thomas Brooke, F. S. A., of
Armitage Bridge (bookplate); sold by Sir John Arthur Brooke, Fenay Hall, at
Sotheby's (31 May 1921, no. 908).  At sale of Sir R. Leicester Harmsworth
(Sotheby's, 16 Oct. 1945, no. 2018); bought by Ellis for George Smith of
Marlborough.  At Smith's sale (Sotheby's, 2 Feb. 1960, no. 317, pl. 22 of f.
16v); purchased by Maggs, apparently for Martin Bodmer.  Acquired from H. P.
Kraus in 1960 by Edwin J. Beinecke for the Beinecke Library.

Barbara A. Shailor