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Manuscript Description
Nottingham, University of Nottingham Library, Mellish Collection, Me LM 1
 
MS Appellation:The Rushall [Staffs.] Psalter
Title:Miscellany including Chaucer's Truth and Gentillesse
Author:Various
Contents:Psalter beginning with a calendar on f14, continuing to end of book; f20 is an originally blank leaf after calendar and before psalter itself begins on f20v with verse intro to the book, psalter begins f21r; other contents include Lydgate's dietary and Kings in original formata script and decorated, other added texts after them in black ink of slightly later date (still 15th c); Truth, f2v; Gentilesse, f20.
Language:English
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Material:Parchment
No of Folios:2 heavy modern parchment + 4 old, ?original parchment flyleaves first of which stained by leather fold-over, blanks + 1-195 + 4 old ?original parchment flyleaves with stain of fold-over on verso of last + 2 heavy modern parchment flyleaves
Pagination:Modern pencil, beginning 1 on first medieval leaf, even though psalter doesn't begin until 14 for calendar.
Quiring:4 old flyleaves at front are a quire + ff1-4 a quire + 5 is only part of a leaf cut around the remaining text on f5ra + 4 leaves possibly a larger quire with some missing and may have had 5 as part of it + 2 heavy parchment blank leaves marking between booklets (?) now 9 and 10 + 11-13b originally (?) blank, with post-medieval writing on them + 14-20 a quire for calendar with texts added to originally blank leaf (20) at end of quire on which there was original illuminated and multi-coloured verse intro to volume on f20v.
Catchwords:None in these flyleaves / small booklets.
Page Size:c. 380 x 260
Frame:f2v is four verticals enclosing 2 columns and 4 horizontals enclosing top and bottom lines, ruled within columns not in space between; f20 is same.
Writing Space:In psalter itself 240 x 148 with only 25 huge lines per page; ff2v and 20 are ruled as follows: 235 x 198 in two columns, as for Lydgate's Kings which precedes on f1va-2va, 36 lines per column; and f20 is 273 x 188 in two columns 41 lines per column.
Incipits and Explicits:None related to these shorter works, the intro on f20v for psalter itself.
Marginal Headings:Truth is added below end of Kings in first column on f2v, heading by same hand in left margin, 'le bon councell de Chawcer
Gentillesse is on f20 at top of column A, with a heading by same hand and ink in the margin above it 'Lerne or be lewde'.
Borders:Full border on f21 with coat of arms in shield worked into the border.
Illuminated Initials:Psalter has large illuminated initials and full border on f21 with coat of arms in shield worked into the border.
Flourished Initials:Lydgate's Dietary and Kings have 3-line blue initials with red flourishing, as also the verse 'Whanne fredam of princes top f2vb; Chaucer's Truth added below on va, no coloured ink; Lydgate's 'deceit deceiveth' below on col. vb also no colours; prose history beginning f3ra is decorated blue with red flourished initials; f20 has no coloured ink.
Further Information:Nottingham Catalogue
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP