London, British Library, Harley 2398
| Shelfmark | Date and Language | Contents |
| Physical Description | History | Record History | Bibliography |

Shelfmark
Country:England
Settlement:London
Repository: British Library
Idno:Harley 2398
AltName:
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Date and Language
Date:
Language: English
Dialect:Scribal Dialect: Gloucestershire, located in the area of Mitcheldean. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: 365 218, LP 7200 (McIntosh, Samuels and Benskin 1986, p. 196).
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Contents
A manuscript containing religious tracts inluding the Memoriale Credencium, work by a follower of John Wyclif, and the Fifteen Oes among others.

Item: 1
Locus:ff. 1r-69r
Title:Memoriale Credencium (IPMEP 448)
Incipit:'žulke tyme žat moyses & aaron žurgh godes owne mouže were ysend to kyng pharao žat was'.
Explicit:'in že blysse of heuene. Amen'.
Rubric:'Man & woman žat wylnež to fle synne & lede clene lyf takež hede to žys lytel tretyse žat ys ywryte yn englysche tunge for lewede men žat connež nou?t vnderstonde latyn ne frensch and ys ydrawe out of holy wryt by techynge of holy doctours žat hauež yben byfore žis time'.
Bibliography:Kengen 1979.

Item: 2.1
Locus:ff. 69v-70v
Title:Story preceding Fifteen Oes
Incipit:'A woman recluse & solitarye coueitynge to knowen že number of že woundes of oure lord ihesu crist'.
Explicit:'& bryngen his soule into heuene biliue amen par charite'.
Bibliography:

Item: 2.2
Locus:ff. 70v-72v
Title:Fifteen Oes
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 3
Locus:ff. 73r-106r
Title:Ten Comaundementis (IPMEP 49)
Incipit:'Alle manner men scholde holde godes byddynges ffor wižoute holdyng of hem may no man beo saued'.
Explicit:'& blysse he ous graunte place to dwelle žat brou?te adam oute of boundes of helle. Amen'.
Rubric:'Bonus tractatus de decem mandatis'
Bibliography:

Item: 4
Locus:ff. 106v-127r
Title:Five Senses
Incipit:'As it is byfore seyd so muche diligence no so gret bysynesse dyde oure lord gode'.
Explicit:'žat žey hadde feled že fruyt of loue žat touchež where že holy gost techež and enspireth'.
Rubric:'Explicit bonus tractatus de quinque sensibus'.
Note:Text ends on the first two lines of f. 127r with the rest of the folio being blank as are the verso and f. 128r, which is not foliated, but does have the catchword for the next text.
Bibliography:

Item: 5
Locus:ff. 128r-140r
Title:
Incipit:'It byhouež specialy to euery man žat desyrež to loue our lord ihesu crist inwardly in herte fyue žynges'.
Explicit:'bot brynge ous to our heritage žat is euerlastyng blysse. Amen'.
Bibliography:

Item: 6
Locus:ff. 140r-153r
Title:Redde Racionem Villacacionis Tue (IPMEP 560)
Incipit:'My dere frendes ?e schullež vnderstonde žat crist ihesu auctor & doctor of treuže in his boke of gospel lyknynge že kyngdome of heuene to an housholder seyž'.
Explicit:'graunte žer of žis ioye parte. Amen'.
Rubric:'Sermo magistri thome wymyldone apud crucem in cimiterio sancti pauli london'.'Redde racionem vilicacionis tue in ilud lucae 16'.
Bibliography:Knight 1967.

Item: 7
Locus:ff. 153r-155v
Title:Pater Noster (IPMEP 604)
Incipit:'Eche cristen man owež to knowe whiche beth že seuen axynges of že lordes preyer žat dož awey alle yueles & procurež alle goedes'.
Explicit:'žerfore žou schalt wyte what žou schalt haue in že ioye of heuene. Amen'.
Rubric:'Here bygynnež že exposicion of že pater noster'.'Here endež že exposicioun of že pater noster as seynt edmund expounythe in his speculum'.
Note:A Wycliffite text.
Bibliography:Arnold 1871, vol. 2, pp. 98-110.

Item: 8
Locus:ff. 156r-160v
Title:How Men Should Visit Sick Men (IPMEP 460)
Incipit:'My dere sone or dou?ter in god it semež žat žou hyest že faste in že weye fro žis lyf to godward žer žou schalt ysee alle žy forin fadres apostles martires confessoris virgynes and alle men & wommen žat bež ysauyd'.
Explicit:'haž deserued resceyue it & helpe it for in žynne mercyful hondes iputte it. Amen'.
Rubric:'How men žat bež in hele scholde visite syke men' 'Explicit visitacio infirmorum'.
Bibliography:Maskell 1846, vol. 3, pp. 350-52.

Item: 9
Locus:ff. 160v-166v
Title:Married Men and Women and their Children (IPMEP 521)
Incipit:'Oure lord ihesu crist god almy?ty spekež in his law of tweye matrimonyes of wedloke'.
Explicit:
Rubric:'Of wedded men and wyues & here childrene also'.
Note:Wyclifite tract.
Bibliography:

Item: 10
Locus:ff. 166v-174r
Title:A discourse upon the Lord's Prayer
Incipit:'Syžže že pater noster is že beste prayer žat is'.
Explicit:'we may come to him in blysse & wonye wiž him in ioye wižoute eny ende amen'.
Bibliography:

Item: 11
Locus:ff. 174r-175v
Title:Short Tract
Incipit:'As witnessež holy writ & holy doctours žer bež two weyes contrarious žat ledež to two contrarious endes'.
Explicit:'so žat weye of synne seme it neuer so lusty ?it it is wonder hard and bitter'.
Bibliography:

Item: 12
Locus:ff. 175v-185r
Title:Sermon
Incipit:'Cristene children in god as ?e wyte wel on žis day ?e bež at že feste & že maungere of že kyng of heuene lord of alle lordes'.
Explicit:'& into blysse žat neuer schal haue ende to že whiche ioye & že whiche blisse crist brynge ?ow žat for ?ow schadde his blood. Amen'.
Rubric:'Sermo in die pasche ad populum'.'Ihesum queritis nazarenum crucifixum'.
Bibliography:

Item: 13
Locus:f. 185r
Title:Memorandum of the decease of Thomas Sarjeant
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:A memorandum of the decease of Thomas Sarjeant 25 August 1558, by John Sarjeant. In a different hand to the rest. A text added by a later owner. f. 185v blank.
Bibliography:

Item: 14
Locus:ff. 186r-188r
Title:A short discourse upon the words, 'Cum autem oraveris', in Matt. 6.
Incipit:'Whaune žou schapest že to praye or to haue eny deuocione fonde že to be in priuy place from al maner noyse & tyme of reste wižoute eny lettynge sytte žer or knele as is žy moste ese žanne be žou lord be žou lady'.
Explicit:'in payens of purgatorie abydyng žere žy mercy. Amen'.
Rubric:'Cum autem oraveris'.'Explicit excitacio optima ad orandum'.
Note:Same hand as first hand.
Bibliography:

Item: 15
Locus:ff. 188v-190v
Title:Rule of Life (IPMEP 203)
Incipit:'First whan žou rysest or fully wakest ženke on že goednesse of žy god'.
Explicit:'žat now despisen him & his lawe for že fals synynge of wycked cristene men et cetera'.
Rubric:'Here begynnež a schort reule of lyfe for eueryche man in general and for prestes & lordes and laboreres in special how eche schal be saued in his degre'.'Explicit regula cristiana'.
Bibliography:
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Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment. Wormholes in flyleaves and first quire. Wormholes in end quire.
Extent:190 x 125 mm
Collation: Each quire remounted, has stubbs of leaves between. Catchwords: ff. 8v; 16v; 24v; 32v; 40v; 48v; 56v; 64v; 72v; 80v; 88v; 96v; 104v; 112v; 120v; 127v; 136v; 143v; 151v; 159v; 167v; 175v; 183v.
Layout:Pricking: where visible, small round holes. Writing space of 130 x 80 mm with single columns and 31 lines. Frame ruled in lead (dark grey lines) and lines in drypoint.
Writing: One scribe writing in a small Anglicana script in black ink. Body height 1-2mm.
Decoration: Item 1: title in black with blue paraph before the M. Five-line blue initial M with red penwork extending along top and left margin. Blue and red paraphs. Two-line blue initials at beginning of text with red penwork surrounding and in margin. Item 2: no decoration apart from underlining of some words in red. Item 3: six-line initial A in blue and red with red penwork infill, looks like a tree and background shaded in red. Red penwork around initial and red and blue decoration extends along top margin to end of text terminating in red penwork that begins to go down right margin. Along left margin in red and blue decoration to bottom of text and then penwork at corner and penwork extending along bottom margin. Three-line blue initials with red penwork extending into border. Red and blue paraphs. Item 4: four/five-line initial A in blue as before. Red and blue paraphs. Two-line blue initials with red penwork. Item 5: fourteen-line initial I in blue with red penwork extending along left margin and along top. Two-line blue initial with red penwork. Blue and red paraphs. Running titles in red and names in red. Some lines underlined in red. Item 6: four-line blue initial M with red line penwork. Item 7: four-line initial E in blue with red penwork. Red and blue paraphs. Item 8: four-line blue initial M with red penwork. Item 9: three-line red initial, blue with red pen work. Blue and red paraphs. Item 10: two-line blue initial with red penwork. Item 11: two-line blue initial A with red penwork. Item 12: eight-line initial I. Item 14: six-line blue initial C with red penwork.
Binding: Not medieval. Size: 200 x 135 mm. Covered in black leather with gold stamp decoration of two angels holding a shield and the words 'VIRTUTE ET FIDE' in a banner at their feet. Five raised bands.
Foliation:2 'modern' paper plus 4 parchment flyleaves (first parchment just a stub)(wormholes) + 193 + 2 'modern' paper flyleaves.
Additions:Five lines on f. 192v in a c. sixteenth? century hand.
Condition:Wormholes in front flyleaves.
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History
Origin:Unknown
Provenance:Owned by the Mitcheldean men John Sarvant and in the mid 16th century. Owned by (1680-1734) in the seventeenth century (Wright 1972, p. 261; O'Mara 1987, p. 194). For later ownership see Kengen 1979.
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Record History
Catalogued and encoded: Rebecca Farnham, University of Birmingham, March 2004.
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Related Manuscripts and other documents Textual Some textual similarities in one of the sermons with a manuscript in St. Albans Cathedral (Owst 1926, p. 416 n.) Scribal Manuscripts of the Memoriale with similar scribal dialects: Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Tanner 201 (grid 350 240, central Herefordshire), London, British Library, MS Sloane 1009 (unmapped but south Herefordshire), and London, British Library, MS Harley 535 (see Hanna 1989, p. 903).
Bibliography
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