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Manuscript Description
London, British Library MS Harley 4826
 
Title:Regiment of Princes
Author:Hoccleve, Lydgate and De Burgh
Contents:Lydgate, Lives of Saints Edmund and Fremund; Lydgate's and de Burgh's Secrets of the Philosophers; Hoccleve's De Regimine Principum
Language:English
Date Range:1440-1465; main texts and illustrations 15th century; additions [late 16th?], 17th century.
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Dialect:
Material:Parchment with some added 17th century paper folios.
No of Folios:4 new paper + 4 old paper and a smaller-sized paper now mounted in frame with picture of Lydgate presenting book to Earl of Salisbury + ff 4-146 parchment with occasional newer paper leaves with 17th-c writing + 1 old paper + 4 new paper.
Pagination:Modern upper right hand corner foliation in pencil, arabic numeration.
Quiring:8s
Signatures:Signatures sometimes survive, lower case letter plus roman numerals i to iiij in first half of quires; sometimes with letter above the numbers as on ff44-47, with 'e' above numbers 'i' through 'iiij' or ff30-31 with 'c' above 'iij' and 'iiij
sometimes with letter on same line as numbers as 'l iiij' on f70.
Catchwords:Usually, by the scribe, in black scroll, usual place below writing centred on right margin of frame.
Page Size:298 x 215
Frame:4 x horizontal with writing inside the two inner ones and the other two ca. 4 mm away on either side; 5 x vertical enclosing top and bottom lines and one for bottom line of running titles (which are often not there); ruled within with fine grey lines; pricking visible in most margins.
Writing Space:ca. 200 x 90 ruled for 204 x 107 mm
Marginal Headings:In rubric by the scribe in margins beside beginnings of texts, as 'Vita Sie Edmund' on f4; rubric headings by scribe in margins in 'De regimine' marking sections of text, preceded by rubric paraphs, eg 'Thanne folowith aftir the thrydde seson callyd Autumpne' on f67v.
Table of Contents:Added by 17th-century hand in purple ink: table of contents on f1 and extensive marginal notes, especially in Edmund and Fremund, and on newer paper pages added between texts.
Miniatures:Many miniatures
Other Names (not owners):Following Lydgate & de Burgh's Secrees of the Philosophers, a verse epitaph of Sir William Doury of Hansted in Suffolk; f1* (smaller framed between f1 and f2) is illustration of Lydgate presenting to Earl of Salisburye (as it says at top on f1v) and lower margin of f1v has full name of 'Thomas Montacute Earlle of Salisburye'.
Miscellaneous Info:Throughout, note punctuation added by a later hand, including quotation marks and question marks. Note illustratrion of Chaucer on f139 cut out very early, as per 16th-century rhyme at bottom of what's left of f139 written in 16th-century hand: Off worthy Chawcer / here the pickture stood / That much did wryght / and all to doo vs good / Summe ffuryous ffoole / have Cutt the same in twayne / His deed doo shewe / He bare a barren brayne.
Further Information:Catalogue of the Harleian Collection, 3.208-9. Scott, Kathleen. ‘Lydgate’s Lives of Saints Edmund and Fremund: A Newly-Located Manuscript in Arundel Castle’, VIATOR 13 (1982): 337-366
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP