Osborn a2

          Robert Mannyng, Handlyng Synne (Middle English poem). Northern
     England, probably Durham; second quarter of the fifteenth century.
     Paper, with watermarks used at Durham from 1435-1456 (Piccard 13.716,
     Tiel 1447-49). 145 ff. 215 x 145 mm (writing space: 170 x 95 mm). 1
     column, 28-30 lines.

          I-XV (12). Lacks I (1-8,12); II (2); IV (3); V (11-12); VI (1-12);
     X (11-12); XII (12); XV (6-12). Four quires are missing at the
     beginning and at least one at the end. Catchwords at end of every
     complete quire (14v, 26v, 37v, 59v, 71v, 83v, 105v, 128v, 140v). Quires
     XII-XV have lower case roman numerals i-vi on verso of first six
     folios.

          Written in three scripts. Script one is Anglicana, with minor
     influence from secretary (1r-31r). Script two is an early form of
     secretary, with several of the more familiar Anglicana graphs, (long-r,
     round-e, two-compartment a) (31v-47v). Script three is Anglicana (48-
     145). Rubricated Latin titles on ff. 5v, 6r, 7r. Bound in original oak
     boards, with leather or vellum spine missing. The middles of the quires
     are bound with fragments of a Latin theological manuscript of the
     fourteenth century.

          Believed to have been originally owned by Sir William Bowes (1389-
     1460) of Streatlam, Governor of Berwick. The inside binding has the
     eighteenth century engraved bookplate of Sir William Blakiston-Bowes.
     On f. 56r is the name Roger ?Willims. Purchased from Laurence Witten in
     1957. Bequest of James M. Osborn in 1976.

          Comment: This poem was begun by Mannyng in 1303 as a translation
     of the Anglo-Norman poem "Le Manuel des Pechiez (Peches)," written
     perhaps by William of Waddington. The text of the poem is incomplete,
     beginning at line 2501 and ending at line 12363, with gaps at lines
     2677-2734, 2797-2858, 4277-4338, 5433-6288, 8876-9002, 10509-10570.
     There are many variants from the text printed by Furnivall (Roxburgh
     Club; EETS 119, 123), including an "interpolation" of 126 lines between
     lines 6546 and 6547 of Furnivall's text. These lines correspond to
     lines 5377-5414 of the Anglo-Norman "Manuel." This manuscript is listed
     in the Index of Middle English Verse as 778, no. 5 (Bowes Midland
     copy).

     Bibliography:

     Bond, W. H. and C. U. Faye. Supplement to the Census of Manuscripts, p.
     97, no 5.

     Robbins, R. H. and J. L. Cutler. Supplement to the Index of Middle
     English Verse, no 778.

     Schulz, Susan A. An Edition of Robert Mannyng of Brunne's "Handlyng
     Synne", Dissertation, New York University, Resume in DAI, September
     1973, vol. 34, no. 3.



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