• Detail of a miniature of Raymond de Peñafort presenting the Decretales to Gregory IX, with an illuminated initial 'G'(regorius), at the beginning of Gregory IX letter to the university of Bologna., Decretales, with the glossa ordinaria

inscribed 'Lib[er] Caroli Theyer' (f. 296v).Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: perhaps included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, made in 1678 by William Beveridge and William Jane, Royal Appendix, 70, no. 289.Charles

• Illuminated initials 'N'(unc) and 'I'(ncipit), with foliate extensions., Compendium litterale totius Scripture

61, Bibliothèque Nationale, lat. 1196, Longleat House 24, and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodl. Auct. F. inf. 1. 1, associated with John Whetehamstede, abbot of St. Albans.Catchwords and bifolium signatures. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of the author preaching, with

• Illuminated initial 'D' in colours and gold with foliate decoration including acanthus leaves, ivy, and foliate feathering extending into the margins to form a partial border, including a male figure., Confessio amantis, imperfect

£10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Illuminated initial John Gower London England, S. E. (?London)

• Detail of a miniature of Petrus Aureoli, Archbishop of Aix, preaching from the pulpit inscribed on the front with words 'quis ascendit in montem', with Christ enthroned on the mountain above him, at the beginning of the text., Compendium litterale totius Scripture

61, Bibliothèque Nationale, lat. 1196, Longleat House 24, and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodl. Auct. F. inf. 1. 1, associated with John Whetehamstede, abbot of St. Albans.Catchwords and bifolium signatures. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of the author preaching, with

• Zoomorphic initial 'IN' (primis) formed of a winged biped, at the beginning of the 'Oratio sancti Hugbaldi abbatis'., Prayer book (the 'Royal Prayer Book'), including the apocryphal letter of Christ to Abgar, and Gospel readings

Manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Wigorniensis, Made in 1622-1623~, ed. by Ivor Atkins and N. Ker (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1944), no. 309. John Theyer (bap. 1598, d. 1673), antiquary: inscribed with his name 'Ioannes Theyer', with a dated note of 1649 (f.

• Miniature of Petrus Aureoli, Archbishop of Aix, preaching from the pulpit inscribed on the front with words 'quis ascendit in montem', with Christ enthroned on the mountain above him, with a full border and a shield with cross, crown of thorns, and crossed lance and sponge, at the beginning of the text., Compendium litterale totius Scripture

61, Bibliothèque Nationale, lat. 1196, Longleat House 24, and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodl. Auct. F. inf. 1. 1, associated with John Whetehamstede, abbot of St. Albans.Catchwords and bifolium signatures. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of the author preaching, with

• Calendar page for February with tinted drawings of a man with a shovel (the labour of the month), two fish (Pisces), saint Brigida, a fleur-de-lis (for the feast of the purification), and saints Blaise, Agatha, Valetine, Peter in cathedra [in Antiocha], and Matthew., Almanac with an astrological miscellany

Edward II in 1327 '84 [years ago]' (Watson, 1979).English saints in the calendar include Chad, Cuthbert (x 2), Dunstan, Guthlac, John of Beverley, Oswald, Swithin, William of York, Wilfrid, and others.A tinted drawing of a saint on f. 7v has

• Calendar page for April with tinted drawings of a man with a flower (the labour of the month), a bull (Taurus), saints Mary of Egypt, Ambrose, Guthlac's scourge, and saints Tiburtius and Valerianus, George, Wilfrid, and Mark., Almanac with an astrological miscellany

Edward II in 1327 '84 [years ago]' (Watson, 1979).English saints in the calendar include Chad, Cuthbert (x 2), Dunstan, Guthlac, John of Beverley, Oswald, Swithin, William of York, Wilfrid, and others.A tinted drawing of a saint on f. 7v has

• Decorated initial 'W'(e), and a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower: 'Forasmutche as you have desired so simple a woman to wrighte in so worthye a booke (good) mayster lieutenaunte therefore I shall as a frende desyre you and as a christian require you to call uppon god to encline youre harte to his lawes to quicken you in his waye and not [on the next page] to take the worde of trewthe utterlye oute of youre mouthe...', Lady Jane Grey's Prayer book

the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower: 'Forasmutche as you have desired so simple a woman to wrighte in so worthye a booke (good) mayster lieutenaunte therefore I shall as a frende desyre

• Puzzle initial 'P'(rimi) with pen-flourishing forming a partial border., Miscellaneous texts including Liber exceptionum (ff. 1-47v)

–126: Author unknown, de Decem Mandatisff. 127r-v: Johannis de Theramo, Tabula super Consolatione Paeccatorumff. 128-132v: John Chrisostom, Numerus et Ordo Omeliarum in Imperfectoff. 132v-167: John Chrisostom, Sententiae Notabiles from the Homilies and Opere Imperfecto Numerous large and smaller puzzle initials

• Decorated initial 'E'(t) at the beginning of Petrus Comestor's Sermones. In the lower margin, ownership inscription recording that the manuscript once belonged to the monastery of St. John the Evangelist in Haughmond., Sermones

margin, ownership inscription recording that the manuscript once belonged to the monastery of St. John the Evangelist in Haughmond. For a more detailed list of contents, see ~Catalogue~ 1808.ff. 1-2 is a bifolium with later inscription.f. 1 is a fragment.Petrus

• Text page with a decorated initial 'W'(e praise), with coloured initials and line-fillers, and a portion of a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower: 'Forasmutche as you have desired so simple a weman to wrighte in so worthye a booke (good) Mayster Leaftaunte [Lieutenant] therefore I shall…' (continued on f. 75)., Lady Jane Grey's Prayer book

a portion of a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower: 'Forasmutche as you have desired so simple a weman to wrighte in so worthye a booke (good) Mayster Leaftaunte

• Text page with coloured initials and line-fillers, and a portion of a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower (continued from f. 75): '… to take the worde of trewethe utterlye oute of youre mouthe howe styll to dye that by deathe you maye purchase eternall life and remembre…' (continued on f. 76)., Lady Jane Grey's Prayer book

a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower (continued from f. 75): '… to take the worde of trewethe utterlye oute of youre mouthe howe styll to dye that by

• Text page with coloured initials and line-fillers, and a portion of a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower (continued from f. 76): '… Precher sayethe there is a tyme to be borne and a tyme to dye and the daye of deathe is better than the daye of oure birthe…' (continued on f. 77)., Lady Jane Grey's Prayer book

a message written in the margin by Lady Jane Grey to Sir John Bridges, Lieutenant of the Tower (continued from f. 76): '… Precher sayethe there is a tyme to be borne and a tyme to dye and the daye

• Initial 'P'(atri) with a full penwork border, at the beginning at the dedication letter of Petrus de Harentals to Arkel., Collectarius super librum Psalmorum

Petrus de Harentals to Arkel. Contains an alphabetical index (ff. 1-10v) and the dedication to John de Arkel, bishop of Utrecht and Liège (d. 1378) (ff. 11-13).Numerous pointing hands (maniculae) and human heads in profile highlighted in yellow with notabilia

• Detail of a drawing of an author portrait of Aldhelm., De laudibus virginitatis; letter of Aldhelm to Ehfridus

laudibus virginitatis; letter of Aldhelm to Ehfridus Added fragment of an ecclesiastical writ dated in 540, 16th century (f. 1). John Lumley, 1st baron Lumley (b. c. 1533, d. 1609), collector and conspirator: inscribed with his name (f. 1); listed

• Historiated initial 'B' of God in Majesty above four saints, including two Franciscans, measuring 90 x 95 mm (upper centre)., Cuttings from liturgical manuscripts

these cuttings in the Manuscripts Reading Room order Add. 18196, ff. 2-90. 11 historiated initials in colours and gold, of John the Baptist (f. 46), a Benedictine monk (f. 47), God (ff. 48, 52), seated men (ff. 53, 62, 64),

• Illuminated initial 'H'(ic) with yellow filigree decoration, set against a ground of green and purple., Vocabulary of Maestro Goro d'Arezzo (index Gorus de Aretio) with additions by Jacopo Paltonio (index Jacopus Paltonius), including a table of contents (f. 4v)

Illuminated initial 'H'(ic) with yellow filigree decoration, set against a ground of green and purple. The text is a vocabulary in Italian vernacular glossing Latin authors.This manuscript is bound together with Harley 1742. Initial in gold set against a

• Detail of inscription at the end of the main text in which the scribe, Brother Thomas Grene, has written his name in red. Four lines lower down, a later hand has written 'Grenewich', which suggests that the manuscript may have belonged to the Franciscan convent at Greenwich., Collection of Franciscan texts, including the life of Francis

minister Thomas to Roger at Wynde and Isabella, and is dated 1467 (ff. 1v-2); the second is from Thomas to John Baly and Katherine, and dated 145-. (ff. 76v-77).The Franciscan convent at Southampton: inscription 'Ad usum fratrum minore In Suythamptona'

• Puzzle initial., Travels (index Itinerarium)

by the British Museum from Baynes, 29 May 1838 (note on f. 1* verso), using the Bridgewater fund (£12,000 bequeathed in 1829 by Francis Henry Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater (b. 1756, d. 1829). Puzzle initial Sir John Mandeville England