Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

A Myrour to lewde men and wymmen

Other related names

• Betham, William, Sir, 1779-1853, former owner
• Newcastle, Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham Clinton, Duke of, 1785-1851, former owner
• Newcastle, Henry Pelham-Clinton, Duke of, 1864-1928, former owner

Call number

Oversize Ms. Codex 198
(3420 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-6206., University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9924864283503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63613468
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/2486428

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Middle English, with some Latin notations

Origin

Date

between 1400 and 1450

Place

England

Summary

Prose version of the Speculum vitae, related to B. L. MS Harley 45 (according to E. V. Stover).

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title is taken from folio 1v, "...and may be cleped a myrour to lewed men and wymen in whiche þei may see God." Note regarding the title on [ii]v is in a later hand.
   
• Manuscript is fragile, with evidence of earlier repairs, in some places the ink has faded somewhat.
   

Extent

167 leaves : 261 x 183 (177 x 95) bound to 270 x 200 mm

Foliation

Parchment, iii (modern paper) + 167 + iii (modern paper); [1-167]; modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto; leaf between f. 136 and f. 137 has been cut out.

Support

Parchment

Binding

18th-century calf, with paper endleaves contemporary with the binding, three in front and three in back. Spine has been rebacked and boards reattached.

Layout

Written in 30 long lines; ruled in ink.

Decoration

Illuminated border on f. 1r in blue, magenta, green, and gold; with 91 illuminated initials in blue, gold, and magenta throughout text; also illustrated with 11 delicate pen-and-ink drawings in the margin, depicting seven eyes opposite the seven "cleer sightes" for attaining the virtue of equity (f. 48r-v), a moneybag for avarice (f. 62r), a fish being hooked (f. 95r), and a worm (f. 113r), among others. Latin words within the text and Latin marginal notations are in red.

Script

Written in an Anglicana script, in a single hand. Some additional marginal notes are in 17th- to 19th-century hands.

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Sir William Betham; sold at auction as part of his library by R. H. Evans in 1830, lot 441, to Thomas Thorpe.
   
• Appears in Thomas Thorpe's 1830 catalog, no. 13952, and 1832 catalog, no. 831.
   
• Probably purchased by Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham Clinton, fourth Duke of Newcastle, in the 19th century, for his library at Clumber in Worksop (preface to Sotheby's catalog of the first portion of the sale of the library of the seventh Duke of Newcastle); owned by the dukes of Newcastle through Henry Pelham-Clinton, seventh Duke of Newcastle.
   
• Sold at auction in the third portion of the Clumber library of the late seventh Duke of Newcastle at Sotheby's, 6 Dec. 1937, lot 957, to a representative for Chas. J. Sawyer Ltd. (inscription in Rosenbach copy of sale catalog).
   
• Sold by Chas. J. Sawyer Ltd. (London), 1949.
   

Subjects topical

• Christian ethics--History--Middle Ages, 600-1500
• Vices--Early works to 1800
• Virtues--Early works to 1800

Genres

• Codices
• Illuminations
• Manuscripts, English (Middle)--15th century
• Manuscripts, Medieval
• Manuscripts, Renaissance

Keywords

• 15th century
• Illumination
• Christian
• England

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Oversize Ms. Codex 198: A Myrour to lewde men and wymmen are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is © and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Decorations

• fol. 1r — Illuminated initial, Initial F, f. 1r
• fol. 1r — Illuminated border, f. 1r
• fol. 2r — Illuminated initial, Initial F, f. 2r
• fol. 2v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 2v
• fol. 3v — Illuminated initial, Initial B, f. 3v
• fol. 4r — Illuminated initial, Initial Z, f. 4r
• fol. 4v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 4v
• fol. 5r — Cross out, f. 5r
• fol. 5v — Illuminated initial, Initial I, f. 5v
• fol. 7r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 7r
• fol. 8r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 8r
• fol. 9r — Illuminated initial, Initial F, f. 9r
• fol. 11v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 11v
• fol. 14v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 14v
• fol. 15v — Illuminated initial, Initial B, f. 15v
• fol. 16v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 16v
• fol. 19r — Drawing, Building corners, f. 19r
• fol. 21v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 21v
• fol. 22v — Illuminated initial, Initial N, f. 22v
• fol. 23r — Illuminated initial, Initial F, f. 23r
• fol. 24r — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 24r
• fol. 25v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 25v
• fol. 26r — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 26r
• fol. 26r — Drawing, f. 26r
• fol. 28r — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 28r
• fol. 30v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 30v
• fol. 32r — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 32r
• fol. 32v — Illuminated initial, Initial N, f. 32v
• fol. 33r — Illuminated initial, Initial Z, f. 33r
• fol. 34v — Illuminated initial, Initial B, f. 34v
• fol. 36r — Illuminated initial, Initial P, f. 36r
• fol. 39r — Illuminated initial, Initial M, f. 39r
• fol. 39v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 39v
• fol. 42r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 42r
• fol. 43v — Cross out, f. 43v
• fol. 44v — Illuminated initial, Initial F, f. 44v
• fol. 46v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 46v
• fol. 46v — Illuminated initial, Initial I, f. 46v
• fol. 47v — Illuminated initial, Initial E, f. 47v
• fol. 48r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 48r
• fol. 48r — Drawing, Eyes, f. 48r
• fol. 48v — Drawing, Eyes, f. 48v
• fol. 49v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 49v
• fol. 50r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 50r
• fol. 51r — Illuminated initial, Initial O, f. 51r
• fol. 52r — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 52r
• fol. 53r — Illuminated initial, Initial P, f. 53r
• fol. 54r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 54r
• fol. 56r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 56r
• fol. 56r — Drawing, Heart, f. 56r
• fol. 56v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 56v
• fol. 56v — Drawing, Mouth, f. 56v
• fol. 57r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 57r
• fol. 58r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 58r
• fol. 59r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 59r
• fol. 59v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 59v
• fol. 60r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 60r
• fol. 60v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 60v
• fol. 61r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 61r
• fol. 61v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 61v
• fol. 62r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 62r
• fol. 62r — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 62r
• fol. 62r — Illustration, Money purse, f. 62r
• fol. 62v — Illuminated initial, Initial O, f. 62v
• fol. 64r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 64r
• fol. 65r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 65r
• fol. 66r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 66r
• fol. 67v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 67v
• fol. 68v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 68v
• fol. 69v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 69v
• fol. 70r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 70r
• fol. 71r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 71r
• fol. 72r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 72r
• fol. 73r — Illuminated initial, Initial M, f. 73r
• fol. 76r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 76r
• fol. 81v — Illuminated initial, Initial I, f. 81v
• fol. 85v — Drawing, Tree, f. 85v
• fol. 88r — Illuminated initial, Initial B, f. 88r
• fol. 94v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 94v
• fol. 94v — Illuminated initial, Initial L, f. 94v
• fol. 95r — Drawing, Caught fish, f. 95r
• fol. 95v — Illuminated initial, Initial I, f. 95v
• fol. 96v — Illuminated initial, Initial L, f. 96v
• fol. 99v — Illuminated initial, Initial C, f. 99v
• fol. 100r — Illustration, Water pitcher, f. 100r
• fol. 105r — Illustration, Pillar, f. 105r
• fol. 105v — Illustration, Pillar, f. 105v
• fol. 108r — Illustration, Pillar, f. 108r
• fol. 110r — Illuminated initial, Initial B, f. 110r
• fol. 113r — Illustration, Worm, f. 113r
• fol. 114r — Illustration, Pillar, f. 114r
• fol. 116v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 116v
• fol. 118r — Cross out, f. 118r
• fol. 120v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 120v
• fol. 120v — Drawing, Woman, f. 120v
• fol. 122r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 122r
• fol. 129r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 129r
• fol. 131r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 131r
• fol. 143r — Illuminated initial, Initial N, f. 143r
• fol. 153r — Illuminated initial, Initial S, f. 153r
• fol. 158v — Illuminated initial, Initial S, f. 158v
• fol. 159r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 159r
• fol. 159v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 159v
• fol. 160v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 160v
• fol. 162r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 162r
• fol. 163r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 163r
• fol. 164r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 164r
• fol. 164v — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 164v
• fol. 165r — Illuminated initial, Initial T, f. 165r
• fol. 166v — Illuminated initial, Initial A, f. 166v