DEVOTIONAL TRACTS IN ENGLISH
Vellum, 8.875 x 5.75, ff. 152 + 1, 24 lines to a page. 15th cent., well written, in bold black hand.
Donor, T. C. S. Priced 20s.
Collation : 1 flyleaf, 18 – 198.
Contents :
1. Friar Sanal’s vision (of the city of paradise and the city of hell) f. 1
In a tyme y bi{th}ou{y}te me of {th}e state and rule of {th}is freel &
variable world.
Last section, f. 45 : Now preie {y}e alle {th}t schulen rede or speke
of {th}is vision for frere Sanal {th}at in {th}is wise ha{th} writen it…
{th}t graunte us {th}e fadir {th}e sone and {th}e holy goost. Amen. Expl.
2. Ihesu (ter) propter nomen tuum ihesus esto michi Ihesus Ueni
domine Ihesus. Fulcite me floribus, etc. . . . 45b
I grete in Ihesu Crist alle {th}o {th}t knowen and desiren to knowe
what verri loue is
-for to praise {y}ou loue {y}ou and serue {y}ou wi{th}outen eende.
Amen.
Rubric : Here eendi{th} {th}e’ tretiis of loue and it is so callid because,
etc. …lyue{th} and regni{th} euerlastingli bi al {th}e world of worldis.
Amen.
Expl. liber (A)moris.
3. Now here bigynne{th} {th}e passioun of oure lord . . 67
Alle creaturis {th}at haue undirstonding owte to enforce hem
Ends 112 : So {th}at {th}u wolt bi {th}i grace graunte us and {g}eue us
{th}e meede and {th}e ioie of heuene where {th}ou regnest eternali.
Amen. Deo gr.
4. Here bigynne{th} {th}e sermon of tribulatioun . . . 112b
Da nobis domine auxilium de tribulacione.
To {th}e soule lurid ei{th}er maad meke to temptaciouns and tribula-
ciouns of {th}is world is dressid {th}e doctrine of {th}is word.
Ends 152b : {th}an seie wt al {th}in herte to {th}i god. Da nobis domine
auxilium de tribulacione. Thus endi{th} {th}e sermon of tribula-
cioun.
Deo gracias.
This manuscript appears to be in the same hand as C.21.
For item 3 see:
C. Innes-Parker, '[Th]e Passioun of our Lord: a Middle English adaptation of Bonaventure's Lignum Vitae in St John's College, Cambridge, MS G.20', Forum for Modern Language Studies 43:3 (2007), 199-222.
For item 4 see:
P.S. Joliffe, Check-List of the Middle English Prose Writings of Spiritual Guidance (Toronto, 1974), p. 117.
H. Leith Spencer, English Preaching in the Late Middle Ages (Oxford, 1993) p. 371 n. 54.