• Text page from Alexander Nequam's De naturis rerum; in the lower right corner are a leaf mark ('tiiij') and the later medieval foliation ('147') in crayon., De naturis rerum

see ~English Benedictine Libraries: The Shorter Catalogues~, ed. by R. Sharpe and others, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 4 (London: British Library, 1996), pp. 542-43. List of chapters added by a later 13th- or early 14th-century hand (f. 1v).

• Coloured initials at the beginning of an encapsulated world history called the 'Six Ages of the World'. The large letter 'B' halfway down the page begins a section on the origins of the British and Irish, together with a geographical description. It begins, 'The island of Britain is so called from one Brutus, a Roman consul.' Brutus was the fabled first king of Britain or Albion and, in later medieval romance literature, he became the basis of Layamon's 'Brut'., Epitome rei militaris (see Notes for a list of contents)

C. E. Wright, ~Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum~ (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 436, 242).f. 39v contains a pasted-on strip of parchment with 19th-century ? painted insects and

• Text page of the end of 'The Cities of Britain' , including Leicester and ending with Wall-by-Lichfield, and the beginning of 'The Wonders of Britain'., Epitome rei militaris (see Notes for a list of contents)

C. E. Wright, ~Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum~ (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 436, 242).f. 39v contains a pasted-on strip of parchment with 19th-century ? painted insects and

• Text page from a section in the Historia Britonum on the life of Patrick, a Christian Briton taken to pagan Ireland as a slave, to work as a swineherd. Patrick returned to Britain and embarked upon an intensive program of Bible study. The first full paragraph tells of Patrick's being sent to convert the Irish., Epitome rei militaris (see Notes for a list of contents)

C. E. Wright, ~Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum~ (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 436, 242).f. 39v contains a pasted-on strip of parchment with 19th-century ? painted insects and

• Text page in three narrow columns, with one line for each year (abbreviated 'an' for 'annum'), most remaining blank. This is the first page of the annals, starting with the year 447. The first entry reads 'Days as dark as night,' followed by the alteration of the date of Easter by Pope Leo, the birth of Brigit and death of Patrick. In the third column, the long entry for 516 tells of Arthur's victory at the Battle of Badon, in which he 'carried the cross of Christ upon his shoulders for three days', meaning his shield bore a cross., Epitome rei militaris (see Notes for a list of contents)

C. E. Wright, ~Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum~ (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 436, 242).f. 39v contains a pasted-on strip of parchment with 19th-century ? painted insects and

• Text page., Epitome rei militaris (see Notes for a list of contents)

C. E. Wright, ~Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum~ (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 436, 242).f. 39v contains a pasted-on strip of parchment with 19th-century ? painted insects and

• Text page of the battles of King Arthur., Epitome rei militaris (see Notes for a list of contents)

C. E. Wright, ~Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum~ (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 436, 242).f. 39v contains a pasted-on strip of parchment with 19th-century ? painted insects and

• Decorated initial 'H'., Life of Bede

see Gameson.? Richard Bancroft, archbishop of Canterbury in 1604, former treasurer of St Paul's, canon of Westminster, and bishop of London: inscribed 'for Dr Bancroft' (f. 57v) (see discussion Barlow 1992 p. lxxix). [part 3].Sir Simonds d'Ewes (b.1602, d. 1650),

• Initial 'P'(ater) with penwork decoration., Theological works (imperfect), including Soliloquia, De immortalitate animae, De XII abusivis saeculi, De gratia et libero arbitrio and Sermons

patron of the arts: the Harley family seat Brampton Bryan (see ~Diary~ 1966, I, pp. xlii-xliii) and then brought to London after Robert's death in 1724, received in the library on 16 October 1725, inscribed by the librarian Humfrey Wanley

• Historiated initial 'D'(ominus) with king David pointing at his eyes at the beginning of Psalm 26., Psalter, imperfect, beginning in Psalm 16

and in Latin (ff. 276v-277).Added prayer, post-medieval (f. 284).?Christopher Bateman (fl. 1698, d. c. 1730), bookseller and book auctioneer in London (see Wright 1972).The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer,

• Text page with note on Johannes de Grenborough, purchaser and compiler of this manuscript., Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae~, 3 vols. (Oxford: Sheldonian, '1697', but 1698?), II, no. 6594.Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, appraised in 1678 by William Beveridge and

• Puzzle initial 'A' at the beginning of the Compendium, initials and inscriptions., Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae~, 3 vols. (Oxford: Sheldonian, '1697', but 1698?), II, no. 6594.Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, appraised in 1678 by William Beveridge and

• Astrological tables concerning the moon and a diagram of four wheels, Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae~, 3 vols. (Oxford: Sheldonian, '1697', but 1698?), II, no. 6594.Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, appraised in 1678 by William Beveridge and

• Text page with recipes in English compiled by Ricardus, prior of Coventry., Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae~, 3 vols. (Oxford: Sheldonian, '1697', but 1698?), II, no. 6594.Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, appraised in 1678 by William Beveridge and

• Coloured initials in a text page of the chronicle., Chronicle, AD 1-1135 (ff. 34-61), with additions up to 1266 (ff. 61v-73)

14th century (ff. 15-26v);Life of Saint Robert of Knaresborough, prose version attributed to Richard Studley, 15th century (?) (ff. 74-77);A London chronicle, c. 1429-1430 (ff. 78-99);St Albans's Annals, datable to 1428-1431 (ff. 100-120);St Albans's register of burials (ff. 129r–137r);Genesis in

• Decorated initial 'P'(rimo)., Commentary on the Song of Songs, followed by other texts (ff. 2-104v); Commentary on Acts of the Apostles (ff. 105-152v); Commentary on Catholic Epistles (ff. 153-222); Homiliae (ff. 223-251); Commentary on Tobit (ff. 252-258)

this type of inscription see Richard Sharpe, ~English Benedictine Libraries: The Shorter Catalogues~, Corpus of British Medieva Library Catalogues, 4 (London: The British Library, 1996), p. 327. Gotham's name is inscribed twice more in same hand (f. 258v). Inscribed apparently

• Decorated initial 'S'(e) with grotesques and foliate motif at the beginning of Cicero's 'De inventione'; next to it the St Alban's press-mark 'D.II.5.l'., De inventione (index Rhetorica)(ff. 1-47v); Rhetorica ad Herennium (index De ratione dicendi ad Herennium)(ff. 47v-85)

see ~English Benedictine Librarires: The Shorter Catalogues~, ed. by R. Sharpe and others, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 4 (London: British Library, 1996), pp. 542-543). A 15th-century hand added 'Hatfeld' and notes on Medea and Aegisthus (f. 1v). Press-marks

• Decorated initial 'M'(undus) with reserved designs and penwork decoration, at the beginning of the 7th tract of Augustine's 'In epistulam Johannis ad Parthos tractatus X'., Enchiridion (ff. 2-47); In epistulam Johannis ad Parthos tractatus X (ff. 47-121v)

1468, 1464 and 1466 (ff. 122r-122v). Added penwork decoration, ?16th century (to initial on f. 47v). Nicholas Waryng, Salter of London, 16th century; given by him to Richard Pytt of Bath: inscribed, 16th century 'liber Ricardi pytt bathm Ex dono

• Detail of marginal drawing of a woman., Commentary on Cicero's De inventione (index Rhetorica), ending imperfect

Society in 1667.The Royal Society, London (its ink stamp: 'Soc. Reg. Lond / ex dono HENR. HOWARD / Norfolciensis.', f. 1; its book-plate, inside upper cover).Purchased by the British Museum from the Royal Society of London together with 549 other

• Interlace initial., Epistula de reliquiis S. Pantaleonis, fragment

Royal Society, London: its ink stamp: 'Soc. Reg. Lond / ex dono HENR. HOWARD / Norfolciensis.' (f. 2); its book-plate (f. [ii] verso), with the pencil inscription: 'XIII.2.8'.Purchased by the British Museum from the Royal Society of London together with