Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

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Lot 89
  • 89

Prayers, offering several thousand years' indulgence for their use, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [England, first half of the fifteenth century]

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
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Description

  • Vellum
131 leaves, 149mm. by 98mm., wanting at least a gathering from the beginning, else complete, collation: i-xiii8, xiv6, xv8, xvi9 (last a singleton, probably attached to next gathering in previous binding, and moved to this gathering by last binder), xvii4, horizontal catchwords in cartouches, single column, 10-11 lines in black ink, in a fine textura quadrata script, rubrics in red, spaces left for initials (those at end of volume crudely filled in), some smudging and offsetting of rubrics, blank border of fol.124 cut away, some water damage and discolouration of vellum in upper border, else fair and sound condition, modern red leather over pasteboards, red cloth slipcase

Provenance

provenance

1. Written in England in the early decades of the fifteenth century, most probably for a female patron (the prayer on fol.6r specifying "famulam tuam"). Adapted during the Reformation with the erasure of references to St. Thomas Becket (cf. fol.125r) and various popes. Some sixteenth-century scribbled inscriptions and pentrials; that on fol.97r, "To hys verie good persynne mr Josue fa".

2. Bergendal MS.62; bought by Joseph Pope in our rooms, 6 December 1983, lot 63: Bergendal catalogue no.63; Stoneman, 'Guide', pp.190-91.

Catalogue Note

text

This little pocket-book contains prayers to Christ and the Holy Cross (fol.1r; opening imperfectly), to be said at the time of the Elevation of the Host and to Christ's wounds. There are prayers to various saints, including SS. Bernard (fol.63v), Brendan (fol.69r), Veronica (fol.84r), John the Baptist (fol.115v), Peter and Paul (fol.121v) and the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (fol.120r). Those on fols.37r and 95v are attributed to Pope John XXII (d.1334) and offer 3000 years' indulgence, and another on fol.83v offers a further 770 days' indulgence. On fol.45v, there is a long rubric which tells of an anchoress who had a vision of Christ who revealed certain prayers to her with the offer that whosoever said them daily for a year would receive spiritual concessions including the release of fifteen souls of relatives from purgatory.