• Decorated initial., Confessio amantis (begins imperfectly)

Catherine Burghe [widow of William de Burgh, Lord Burgh], to whom it descended from her mother, Elizabeth [daughter of Sir John Blount, mistress of Henry VIII] wife, successively, of [Gilbert Talboys] Lord Talboys, and [Edward Clinton] Lord Clinton, afterwards Earl

• Decorated initial., Confessio amantis (begins imperfectly)

Catherine Burghe [widow of William de Burgh, Lord Burgh], to whom it descended from her mother, Elizabeth [daughter of Sir John Blount, mistress of Henry VIII] wife, successively, of [Gilbert Talboys] Lord Talboys, and [Edward Clinton] Lord Clinton, afterwards Earl

• Drawing of a knight on horseback., The romance poem 'Roberte the Devyll'

Drawing of a knight on horseback. ff. i and ii are book-plates affixed to the inside upper cover; f. iii is a note by Francis Douce on paper about the manuscript affixed to a paper flyleaf; f. iv is

• Detail of an illuminated initial 'S'(aepe) at the beginning of Tacitus' Dialogus de oratoribus., De grammaticis et rhetoribus (ff. 2-14v); Dialogus de oratoribus (ff. 15-42v)

in the other colour. De grammaticis et rhetoribus (ff. 2-14v); Dialogus de oratoribus (ff. 15-42v) Written by John Free, probably in Padua, for John Tiptoft, earl of Worcester (b. 1427, d. 1470), administrator and humanist: his arms and crest (f.

• Miniature of John writing, assisted by his evangelist symbol, the eagle, with an angel looking upon from an open window, with an illuminated initial 'I'(n) and a full foliate border., Book of Hours, Use of Troyes

of John writing, assisted by his evangelist symbol, the eagle, with an angel looking upon from an open window, with an illuminated initial 'I'(n) and a full foliate border. Quaternion with the Gospel Lessons misbound, in the unusual order of

• Miniature of a bloodletting man., Physician's folding almanac, including Somer's 'Calendar' (ff. B-E, i.e. 9-6), diagrams of solar and lunar eclipses from 1398 to 1462 (ff. G-I, i.e. 4-2), and Grosseteste's 'De prognosticatione aeri', abridged (f. K, i.e. 1)

a bloodletting man. John Somer's calendar provides lunar conjunctions of the 19-year Metonic cycle beginning on 1387, 1406, 1425, 1444. The saints in the calendar correspond to those in calendars for the use of Sarum produced in Southern England.One of

• Miniature of Zodiac man., Physician's folding almanac, including Somer's 'Calendar' (ff. B-E, i.e. 9-6), diagrams of solar and lunar eclipses from 1398 to 1462 (ff. G-I, i.e. 4-2), and Grosseteste's 'De prognosticatione aeri', abridged (f. K, i.e. 1)

Zodiac man. John Somer's calendar provides lunar conjunctions of the 19-year Metonic cycle beginning on 1387, 1406, 1425, 1444. The saints in the calendar correspond to those in calendars for the use of Sarum produced in Southern England.One of 29

• Decorated initial O(paca) in blue, magenta, and green with floral sprays and bezants. Marginal hand and text hand by Gunthorpe., Tragoediae (index Tragedies)

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. Initial John Gunthorpe John Gunthorpe Lucius Annaeus Seneca Ferrara Ferrara, Italy

• Decorated initial 'A'(lvredus) with pen-flourishing at the beginning of book 6., Polychronicon (to the 25th year in the reign of Henry VI, i.e. 1445), including 2 extracts from the Latin Brut Chronicle of England (ff. 227-228v) (imperfect)

Includes a genealogy and chronological diagrams at the end including a diagram (ff. 235v-236) listing the archbishops of Canterbury to John Stafford (archbishop from 1443, d. 1452) and the popes to Pius II (elected 1458, d. 1464) (ff. 229v-236).Added index

• Decorated initial 'T'(his) at the beginning of the text., The Prose Brut Chronicle of England (abbreviated version to 1419)

hands (ff. 105v-107v).'R. Br.', 16th century: inscription recording his gift of the manuscript to John Maylard 'John Maylard ex don. R: Br: Ric. Browne' (f. 1*v). John Maylard, 16th century: inscription, as above (f. 1*v). Johannes ?Vezchand, 15th century: inscription

• Puzzle initial 'T'(his) with pen-flourishing extending into the margins at the beginning of the prologue. Added 16th-century marginal decoration., The Poor Caitif (index The poor wretch; Poor Caitiff)

century: his common-profit book made from the proceeds of his estate: inscribed 'This book was maad of the goodis of John gamalin for a comy[n] p[ro]fite [th]at [tha]t p[er]soone [tha]t ha[th] [th]is book co[m]mittid to hi[m] of [th]e p[er]soone [tha]t

• Decorated initial 'G'(audeamus)with acanthus leaves and foliate feathering., Masses

brown ink in the margin of f. 1. Capitals marked in yellow. Masses ff. 1-8vMade for Alicia Ligh, widow of John Ligh, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, 15th century: inscribed 'Alicia Ligh nuper coniunx Johannis ligh De Chipnam, hunc librum scribi ac

• Decorated initial 'I'(n principio) with interlace patterns at the beginning of John., Gospels (ff. 1-139) and capitulare evangeliorum (ff. 139v-150)

interlace patterns at the beginning of John. Some neumes in the genealogies of Matthew (ff.10v-11) and Luke (?f. 76) (see Benoit-Castelli and Huglo, p. 174). Coloured canon tables with arches and pillars with capitals and bases in varying shapes, decorated

• Foliate initial 'I'(n), mostly excised, at the beginning of Livy's Ab urbe condita., Ab urbe condita (third, first, and fourth decades)

4 March 1793, lot 1201, bought by Egerton for £4 14s. 6d.John Egerton, ~Catalogue of Books, including the Library of John Smeaton … and Many Other Collections~, 1794, item 1506, priced £12 12s.Charles Burney (b. 1757, d. 1817), D.D., classical

• null, Ab urbe condita (third, first, and fourth decades)

4 March 1793, lot 1201, bought by Egerton for £4 14s. 6d.John Egerton, ~Catalogue of Books, including the Library of John Smeaton … and Many Other Collections~, 1794, item 1506, priced £12 12s.Charles Burney (b. 1757, d. 1817), D.D., classical

• Detail of an historiated initial 'E'(dwardus) of Edward III enthroned giving a charter to the kneeling Black Prince, at the beginning of a collection of documents relating to Black Prince's principality of Aquitaine., Collection of treaties

documents relating to the Peace of Brétigny in the name of John the Good, king of France, all bearing the date 24 October 1360, with the ratification by king John of the treaty in London in 1362, followed by the

• Miniature of Medea killing her children., The Fall of Princes (index De casibus virorum et feminarum illustrium), abridged

abridged Numerous medieval and post-medieval added inscriptions in Greek, English and Latin (ff. 1*v, 2*v, 265v, 266). John Bentley: inscribed in 1587 'John Bentley aetatis sue xxxiiii, fe. viii 1587 Anno eliza xxx' (f. 4v).Thomas Cotton, 16th century: inscribed with

• Miniature with two hanging men., The Fall of Princes (index De casibus virorum et feminarum illustrium), abridged

abridged Numerous medieval and post-medieval added inscriptions in Greek, English and Latin (ff. 1*v, 2*v, 265v, 266). John Bentley: inscribed in 1587 'John Bentley aetatis sue xxxiiii, fe. viii 1587 Anno eliza xxx' (f. 4v).Thomas Cotton, 16th century: inscribed with

• Historiated initial 'D'(ixi) of David before God, pointing to his mouth, at the beginning of Psalm 38., Psalter (index Old Testament, Bible)

both John and Genevieve (3rd January, f. 1), and the litany includes Fara, Honorine (f. 175; translated to Conflans Ste. Honorine, near Pontoise, in 1250), and a special listing of widows (f. 175).Added prayer to the Virgin and John for

• Detail of an historiated initial 'D'(ixit) of David and a fool, at the beginning of Psalm 52., Psalter (index Old Testament, Bible)

both John and Genevieve (3rd January, f. 1), and the litany includes Fara, Honorine (f. 175; translated to Conflans Ste. Honorine, near Pontoise, in 1250), and a special listing of widows (f. 175).Added prayer to the Virgin and John for