British Library MS Harley 913 is an early fourteenth-century trilingual manuscript whose paradoxically devotional and ribald contents display many distinct aspects of the Anglo-Irish sociopolitical reality of the day. However, several of its texts have, in the past, suffered from repeated scholarly misreadings, in part because scholars have not taken the time to seriously consider the manuscript's contents as a whole, and in part because fluctuations in the political, social, and religious climate between Ireland and England have prejudiced how some scholars have approached these works.
This book examines these texts, as well as their subsequent misinterpretations, in the order in which they occur in the manuscript and reveals the pattern of politicized discourse surrounding this important medieval Anglo-Irish cultural artefact that has hitherto obscured, rather than elucidated, the very personal interactions of some of the era's key figures. For the first time, this volume allows readers to visualize the manuscript in its entirety and complexity. Texts touching on the taboos of incest, regicide, and witchcraft, together with the clandestine manoeuvrings of the power-hungry and influential, reveal a surprisingly complicated interlacing of events across medieval Ireland, England, and the Continent.
Author(s): Deborah L. Moore
Series: Texts and Transitions, 8
Publisher: Brepols
Year: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 350
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Part I. Introduction and Analysis of BL MS Harley 913
Chapter 1. The Significance of London, British Library, MS Harley 913 3
Chapter 2. Definitions and Semantic Difficulties Posed by MS Harley 913 11
Chapter 3. Political, Social, and Religious Contexts 25
Chapter 4. The Genres and Thematic Descriptors of the Texts 37
Part II. The Contents of BL MS Harley 913
(1) 'Significance of the Letters of the Alphabet', fols 1v–2 r 59
(2) 'The Land of Cokaygne', fols 3 r–6 v 63
(3) 'Five Evil Things', fol. 6 v 71
(4) 'Satire on Sinful Townspeople', fols 7 r–8 v 73
(5) 'Song of Michael of Kildare', fols 9 r–10 r 79
(6) 'The Abbot of Gloucester's Feast', fols 10 r–12 r 81
(7) Hore Sompnolentium ('Hours for the Drowsy'), fols 12 r–13 r 85
(8) Missa de Potatoribus ('Mass for Drunkards'), fols 13 v–14 v 92
(9) 'Advice to Priests', fol. 14 v 99
(10) Monita Moralia ('Advice on Morals'), fol. 15 r 101
(11) Folie fet qe en force sa fie ('Foolish is the Man Who Puts his Trust in Brute Force'), fol. 15 v 106
(12) Soule su, simple, e saunz solas 'I am Alone, Solitary, and Without Solace', fol. 15 v 107
(13) 'Latin Proverb', fol. 15 v 113
(14) 'Latin Recipe', fol. 15 v 114
(15) 'Sarmun', fols 16 r–20 r 115
(16) 'Fifteen Signs before Judgement', fols 20 r–21v 120
(17) Narratio Theobaldi Episcopi Assisinatis ('The Narrative of Theobald, Archbishop of Assisi'), fols 24 v, 26 r–v 124
(18) 'Excerpt from the Testimony of Franciscus Bartholi', formerly known as Exordium ('Introduction') and Fragmentum de Daemone ('Fragment Concerning a Demon'), fols 25 r–v, 23 r–v 128
(19) 'Michael Bernardi's Narrative', Formerly Known as Fragmentum de Indulgentia ('Fragment Concerning the Indulgence'), fols 26 v, 27 r, 25 r 134
(20) 'Christ on the Cross', fols 28 r–29 r 137
(21) 'Fall and Passion', fols 29 v–31r 145
(22) 'Ten Commandments', fols 31v–32 r 152
(23) 'Lollai' and (52) Lolla (Latin version of 'Lollai') fols 32 r–32 v, 63 v 157
(24) Epistola Principis Regionis Gehennalis ('Letter from the Prince of the Region of Hell'), fols 32 v–33 v and (25) Responsio Dosithei ('Dositheus’s Response'), fols 33 v–39 r 161
(26) 'Hymn to Christ Crucified', fol. 39 r 172
(27) Troia ('Troy'), fol. 40 r–v 173
(28) 'List of Franciscan Custodies', fols 41r–43 r 176
(29) 'The Scourging of St Paul', fol. 43 r 178
(30) 'The Number of Years', fol. 43 r 181
(31) 'God's Response to the Blessed Francis', fol. 43 v 184
(32) 'On the City of Babylon', fols 43 v–44 r 186
(33) 'A Song on the Times', fols 44 v–47 v, 52 r– v 190
(34) 'Seven Sins', fols 48 r–v, 22 r–v 197
(35) 'Sins and Virtues', fols 49 r–v 201
(36) 'A Riddle on Incest', formerly De muliere, fol. 49 v 213
(37) 'Orchard Exemplum', fol. 49 v 217
(38) 'Alice, I Love You', formerly Versus nonnulli de Litteris quibusdam ('Several Verses on Certain Letters'), fol. 49 v 218
(39) Portia salutis ave ('Hail, Portal of Salvation'), fol. 49 v 223
(40) 'Pers of Bermingham', fols 50 r–51v 225
(41) 'On the Illumination of Books', fols 52 v–53 v 235
(42) 'Prophecy on the Rule of the British and the Scots', fol. 53 v 237
(43) 'Elde', fols 54 v, 62 r 240
(44) 'Against Monks', fol. 57 r 243
(45) 'Archbishop Pecham's 'Meditation on the Body of Christ'', fol. 57 v 247
(46) 'Repentance of Love', fol. 58 r 250
(47) Nego ('I Deny'), fol. 58 v 252
(48) 'On the Venality of Judges', fol. 59 r–v 255
(49) Passio unius Monachi secundum Bachum ('The Passion of a Monk According to Bacchus'), fol. 60 r–v 260
(50) Hospitalitas Monachorum et Salutacio in Claustro ('The Hospitality of Monks and the Greeting at the Monastery'), fol. 60 v 266
(51) 'Erþ', fols 62 r–63 r–v 269
(53) 'The Entrenchment of New Ross', fols 64 r–v, 61r–v, 55 r–56 v 272
Part III. The Works of BL MS Harley 913 Now Only Extant in BL MS Lansdowne 418
Litera Domini Ade de Briton militis ('The Letter of Sir Adam of Britain, a Knight'), fols 88 v–89 r 279
Celi reginam laudemus ('Let Us Praise the Queen of Heaven'), fol. 90 v 289
'The Twelve Tribes of Israel and their Symbols', fol. 90 v 290
'Yung Men of Waterford', fol. 92 r 294
Gloriose presul Thoma ('Glorious Bishop Thomas'), fol. 92 v 297
Conclusion 303
Bibliography 315
Index 329
