Manuscript

London, British Library, MS Harley 2253

Date of originc.1330-40
Place of originWest Midlands (probably Herefordshire)
MaterialParchment
DimensionsWidth: 188mm | Height: 293mm
Notes

Manuscript edition:

Fein, Susanna, David Raybin and Jan Ziolkowski, eds, The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript (Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 2014-15). Available online.
 

Contents

Folio Content item IMEV Details
1r-21v

Vitas patrum (The Lives of the Fathers)

French.

ff. 21v-22r

The Story of Thais

French verse.

23r-33v

Herman de Valenciennes, 'The Passion of Our Lord'

French prose.

33v-39r

The Gospel of Nicodemus

French prose.

39r

The Letter of Pilate to Tiberias

French prose.

39v-41v

The Letter of Pilate to Emperor Claudius

French prose.

41v-43v

De S. Iohan le ewanel (On St. John the Evangelist)

French prose.

43v-45v

De S. Iohan le baptist (On St. John the Baptist)

French prose.

45v-47v

De S. bartholomeu (On St. Bartholomew)

French prose.

47v-48v

Passioun seint piere (The Passion of St. Peter)

French prose.

49r-50v

ABC a femmes (ABC for women)

French verse.

51r-52v

De l'Yver et de l'Esté (On Winter and Summer)

French verse.

52v

Chemical recipes

Prose.

53r-54v

Vita Sancti Ethelberti (Life of St. Ethelbert)

Latin prose.

54v

Prayer

Latin verse.

55r-v

A Goliard’s Feast

French verse written as prose.

55v-56v

Harrowing of Hell

185
57r-58v

Debate between Body and Soul

1461
58v-59r

The Battles of Lewes

3155
59r-v

Lament for Simon de Montfort

French.

59v

Charnel amour est folie

French.

59v

Earth upon Earth

3939
59v-61v

The execution of Sir Simon Fraser

1889
61v

On the follies of fashion

1974
61v-62v

Lesson for True Lovers

French verse.

62v

The three foes of man

2166
63r-v

Annot and John

1394
63v

Alysoun

515
63v

The Lover's Complaint

4194
64r

Song of the husbandman

1320.5
64v-65v

St. Marina

1104
66r

The poet's repentance

3874
66v

The fair maid of Ribblesdale

2207
66v

The meeting in the wood

1449
67r

A wayle whyt ase whalles bon (A whale as white as whalebone)

105
67v-68r

Gilote et Johane

French verse.

68v-70r

Pilgrimages to the Holy Land

French prose.

70r-v

Itinerary of churches in which to receive pardons in Acre

French prose.

70v-71r

Satire on the Consistory Courts

2287
70v-71r

The labourers in the vineyard

2604
71v

Spring

1861
71v-72r

Advice to women

1504
72r-v

An old man's prayer

1216
72v-73r

Blow, northerne wynd

1395
73r-v

The death of Edward I

205
73v-74v

The Flemish insurrection

1894
75r

Poème sur les joies de Notre-Dame (On the joys of the Virgin Mary)

French verse.

75r-v

Suete Iesu, king of blysse

3236
75v

A winter song

4177
76r

A Spring song on the Passion

3963
76r

I pray to God and St. Thomas

French verse.

76r

While you play in flowers

694.5

Latin, French and English verse.

76v-77r

Song on Jesus's precious blood

French verse.

77v

Marie mer al salueour

French verse.

77v-78v

Dulcis iesu memoria

1747
78v-79r

Sermon on God's sacrifice and judgement

French verse.

79r-79v

Dialogue between the Virgin and Christ on the cross

3211
79v

Iesu for þi muchele miht

1705
80r

Song on the Passion

1365
80r

An autumn song in praise of the Blessed Virgin

2359
80v

De clerico et puella

2236
80v-81r

When the nightingale sings

4037
81r-v

Verse on the Virgin Mary

1407
82r-83r

Maximian

1117
83r

A prayer for deliverance

2039

English and French.

83r-92v King Horn 166
92v-105r

Ludlow scribe, stories from the Old Testament

Latin prose.

105v

Names of the books in the Bible

Latin prose.

106r

God, þat al þis myhtes may

968
106r-107r

The Sayings of St. Bernard: Man's Three Foes

3310
107v-109v

The Jongleur of Ely and the King of England

French verse.

110r-110v

Les trois dames qui troverunt un vit (The Three Ladies Who Found a Prick)

French.

110v-111r

Le dit des femmes (The song of women)

French.

111r-111v

Le blasme des femmes (The Blame of Women)

French.

112r

De la femme et de la pie (Of the woman and the magpie)

French.

112r-113v

Urbain the Courteous

French verse.

113v-114v

Trailbaston

French.

114v-115r

The Man in the Moon

2066

Verse written as prose.

115v-117r

Du chevalier a la corbeille (The knight and the basket)

French.

117r-118r

De conjuge non ducenda (Against marriage)

French.

118r-v

Le dit de la gageure (The song of the Wager)

French verse.

119r-121r

A bok of sweuenyng (A book of dreaming)

1196
121r-122v

Ordre de la bel ayse (The order of fair ease)

French verse.

122v-124r

Le chevaler qui fist les cons parler (The knight who made vaginas talk)

French verse.

124v-125r

Satire on the retinues of the great

2649
125r-127r

Proverbs of Hending

2078
127r-v

The prophesies Thomas of Erceldoune

French and English prose.

127v

Cest la distinccioun de la estature iesu crist nostre seigneur (Distinguishing features of Christ)

French prose.

128r

The way of Christ's love

1922
128r

The way of woman's love

1921
128v-129r

 Enseignements de saint Lewis a Philip soun fitz (The teachings of St. Lewis to his son Philip)

French prose.

129v-130v

L’enqueste que le patriarche de Jerusalem fist (The Land of the Saracens)

French prose.

131r

Les armes des roys (Heraldic Arms of Kings)

131v-132r

Scriptum quod peregrini deferunt (Letter for Pilgrims on the Relics at Oviedo)

Latin prose.

132r-133r

Legenda de Sancto Etfrido presbitero de Leominstria

Latin prose.

133v

Prayer for protection

French and Latin prose.

134r

Angels to be thought of on various occasions

French prose.

134r

Psalms to be said on various occasions

French prose.

134v

Gloria in excelsis deo en fraunceis

French.

134v

A prayer to God the Son

Latin prose.

134v

The Five Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary

French prose.

135r

A prayer before confession

Latin prose.

135r

Reasons for fasting on Friday

French prose.

135r

Directions for weekly masses to be said in time of trouble

French prose.

135v

Lists of seven masses in honour of God and St Giles

French prose.

135v

A prayer to the Three Kings

French prose.

135v-136r

All the world's a chessboard

Latin prose.

136r

The efficacy of Veni creator spiritus, Qui paraclitus, Gloria in excelsis and De profundis

French prose.

136r-v

Lists of psalms and the special occasions for which each of them is suitable

Latin prose then French prose.

137r

The magical properties of heliotrope and celandine

Latin prose.

137r-v

Doctrine of Anselm

Latin prose.

137v-138r

Against the King's taxes

French and Latin verse.

138v-140r

Contemplation of the Passion

French prose.

140v-142v

De Martirio sancti Wistani

Latin prose.