THE ORCHARD OF SYON.
Vellum, 11 x 7.75, ff. 173 + 1, double columns of 41 lines. 15th cent., well written.
Donor, T. C. S.
Collation: 1 flyleaf, 1 (five left) 28 - 178 (7 a fragment) 188 - 228 (quires marked a to y).
Contents:
Three leaves seem to be gone at the beginning. The book begins
in the capitula of the fourth part. After the capitula is the end of
the preface: Loo sustren I haue schewed {y}ow
-confortable recreacyoun. Amen.
Here begynneth {th}e boke of divyne doctryne {th}at is to sey of goddes
techynge {y}eue by the persone of god {th}e fader to {th}e intellecte of {th}e
gloryous virgyne Seynt Kateryn of Seene of {th}e ordre of seynte
Domynyk, whiche was write as sche endyted it in hir moder tonge
whan sche was in contemplacyoun inrapte of spirite and sche
herynge actuelly and in {th}e same tyme tellynge to fore many what
oure lorde god spake in hir . . . . . . . f. 3b
And heere folowith {th}e firste chapitre, etc.
Text. Initial cut out…soule {th}at is areysed (u)p wi{th} heuenly and
(g)oostly desires.
Part II, f. 20b; III, 35; IV 53 (initial cut out); V, 84 (initial cut
out); VI, 127; VII, 152b.
Ends f. 173b: worschep be to {th}e with outen ende. Amen.
Printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1519.
This MS was used for Phyllis Hodgson and Gabriel M. Liegey (eds), The Orcherd of Syon, 1, Early English Text Society, 258 (London, 1966).