Manuscripts of the West Midlands Catalogue

London, British Library, Egerton 2891

Country:	England
Settlement:	London
Repository:�	British Library
Idno:	Egerton 2891
AltName:

Date and Language

Date:	s. xivin
Language:�	English
Dialect:	Scribal dialect: Gloucestershire. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: 408 205, LP 6970 (McIntosh, Samuels and Benskin, p. 196).

Contents

An early fourteenth-century copy of the South English Legendary. The text is written in one hand with a scribal dialect of Gloucestershire.

Item: 1

Locus:	f. 1r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Agnes (IMEV 2850)
Incipit:	'Herkne� ?oure false godes for hi nabbe� �er non'.
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 181-184.

Item: 2

Locus:	f. 1v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Vincent(IMEV 3067)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 3

Locus:	f. 4r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Julian the Confessor (IMEV 2949)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 255-256.

Item: 4

Locus:	f. 4v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Julian Hosteler (IMEV 2950)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 256-260.

Item: 5

Locus:	f. 6v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Bridget (IMEV 2872)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Longer version.
Bibliography:

Item: 6

Locus:	f. 9v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Blase (IMEV 2866)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 7

Locus:	f. 12v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Agatha (IMEV 2839)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 193-197.

Item: 8

Locus:	f. 14r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Scholastica (IMEV 3052)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 197-199.

Item: 9

Locus:	f. 15r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Valentine (IMEV 3066)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 10

Locus:	f. 15v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Juliana (IMEV 2951)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Cockayne 1872, pp. 81-87.

Item: 11

Locus:	f. 18r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Matthias (IMEV 3026)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 389-390.

Item: 12

Locus:	f. 18v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Oswald the Bishop (IMEV 3035)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 13

Locus:	f. 21v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Chad (IMEV 2874)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 14

Locus:	f. 22v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Gregory (IMEV 2910)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 355-359.

Item: 15

Locus:	f. 24r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Longinus (IMEV 2960)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 16

Locus:	f. 24v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Patrick (IMEV 3037)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1875, pp. 151-210.

Item: 17

Locus:	f. 33v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Edward the Elder (IMEV 2889)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 18

Locus:	f. 36v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Cuthbert (IMEV 2880)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1875, pp. 359-62.

Item: 19

Locus:	f. 38r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Benedict (IMEV 2860)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:

Item: 20

Locus:	f. 39r
Title:	South English Legendary: Lent (IMEV 1859)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Imperfect at beginning.
Bibliography:

Item: 21

Locus:	f. 40r
Title:	South English Legendary: The Southern Passion (IMEV 483)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 22

Locus:	f. 49r
Title:	South English Legendary: Resurrection (IMEV 1546)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 23

Locus:	f. 49v
Title:	'In festo Pasche' (Not listed in IMEV)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 24

Locus:	f. 50r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance to the Maries (IMEV 2105)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 25

Locus:	f. 51r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance to Mary Magdalene (IMEV 2106)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 26

Locus:	f. 51r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance to Peter (IMEV 2120)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 27

Locus:	f. 53r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance on the road to Emmaus (IMEV 2647)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 28

Locus:	f. 54r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance to ten disciples (IMEV 273)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 29

Locus:	f. 54v
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance by the Sea of Tybre (IMEV 578)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 30

Locus:	f. 55r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance at Mt. Tabor (IMEV 719)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 31

Locus:	f. 55r
Title:	South English Legendary: Appearance to Thomas (IMEV 3664)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 32

Locus:	f. 56r
Title:	South English Legendary: Charge to Peter (IMEV 3766)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 33

Locus:	f. 56v
Title:	South English Legendary: Concerning Peter and John (IMEV 3767)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 34

Locus:	f. 57r
Title:	South English Legendary: Choosing of Matthias (IMEV 409)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part of the Southern Passion.
Bibliography:

Item: 35

Locus:	f. 57v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of Judas (IMEV 1809)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 36

Locus:	f. 59v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of Pilate (IMEV 2755)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 37

Locus:	f. 62v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Mary of Egypt (IMEV 2990)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 260-71.

Item: 38

Locus:	f. 67r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Alphege (IMEV 2844)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Imperfect. Wanting a leaf after f. 67.
Bibliography:

Item: 39

Locus:	f. 68v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. George (IMEV 2905)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 294-296.

Item: 40

Locus:	f. 70r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Mark (IMEV 3004)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 362-363.

Item: 41

Locus:	f. 70v
Title:	South English Legendary: Litany (IMEV 1911)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 42

Locus:	f. 71
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Peres (IMEV 3042)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 43

Locus:	f. 71v
Title:	South English Legendary: Lives of Saints Philip and James (IMEV 3048)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 364-6.

Item: 44

Locus:	f. 73r
Title:	South English Legendary: Early History of the Cross (IMEV 3389)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Morris 1871, pp. 18-35.

Item: 45

Locus:	f. 75v
Title:	South English Legendary: The Invention of the Cross (IMEV 82)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Morris 1871, pp. 39-49.

Item: 46

Locus:	f. 77v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Quiriac (IMEV 3051)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Morris 1871, pp. 58-61

Item: 47

Locus:	f. 77v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Brandan (IMEV 2868)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Imperfect. Wanting a leaf after f. 83v.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 220-240.

Item: 48

Locus:	f. 86r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Dunstan (IMEV 2884)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Furnivall 1862, p. 34 and Horstmann 1887, pp. 19-24.

Item: 49

Locus:	f. 88v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Aldhelm (IMEV 2843)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 50

Locus:	f. 89v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Augustine (IMEV 2854)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 24-25.

Item: 51

Locus:	f. 91r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Barnabas (IMEV 2856)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 26-29.

Item: 52

Locus:	f. 92r
Title:	South English Legendary: St. Theophilus (IMEV 3266)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 288-93.

Item: 53

Locus:	94v
Title:	Miracles of the Virgin: The Jewish Boy (IMEV 50)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 54

Locus:	f. 95r
Title:	Miracles of the Virgin: The Devil in Service (IMEV 56)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 55

Locus:	f. 96r
Title:	Miracles of the Virgin: Virgin comes to the Devil instead of the Victim (IMEV 59)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 56

Locus:	97r
Title:	Miracles of the Virgin: The Oxford Scholar (IMEV 57)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 57

Locus:	97r
Title:	Miracles of the Virgin: Toledo (IMEV 1788)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 58

Locus:	f. 97v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Alban (IMEV 2842)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 67-70.

Item: 59

Locus:	f. 98v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. John the Baptist (IMEV 2945)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 29-33.

Item: 60

Locus:	f. 100v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Peter (IMEV 3046)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	End defective.
Bibliography:

Item: 61

Locus:	f. 107r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Margaret (IMEV 2987)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at beginning and end.
Bibliography:	Cf. Cockayne 1866, pp. 24-33.

Item: 62

Locus:	f. 108r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Mary Magdalene (IMEV 2994)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:

Item: 63

Locus:	f. 111v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Christina (IMEV 2876)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 64

Locus:	f. 116r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. James the Great (IMEV 2918)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 33-45.

Item: 65

Locus:	f. 121r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Christopher (IMEV 2878)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 271-278.

Item: 66

Locus:	f. 124r
Title:	South English Legendary: The Seven Sleepers (3091)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 67

Locus:	f. 126r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Martha (IMEV 2127)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 68

Locus:	f. 128r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Oswald the King (IMEV 3036)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 45-46.

Item: 69

Locus:	f. 129r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Lawrence (IMEV 2957)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 340-345.

Item: 70

Locus:	f. 131r
Title:	South English Legendary: The Assumption of Our Lady (IMEV 2991)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:

Item: 71

Locus:	f. 133r
Title:	South English Legendary: Exaltation of the Holy Cross (IMEV 3388)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at beginning.
Bibliography:	Morris 1871, pp. 48-57.

Item: 72

Locus:	f. 135r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Matthew (IMEV 3017)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 77-81.

Item: 73

Locus:	ff. 136r
Title:	South English Legendary: Legend of St. Michael (IMEV 3029)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at beginning.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 299-322.

Item: 74

Locus:	f. 140v
Title:	South English Legendary: Legend of St. Michael III/The Right Pit of Hell (IMEV 3453)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part III of the previous text. Loss of leaf after f. 142r.
Bibliography:

Item: 75

Locus:	f. 144v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Jerome (IMEV 2922)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 76

Locus:	f. 146v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Francis (IMEV 2899)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 53-67.

Item: 77

Locus:	f. 152r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Leger (IMEV 2958)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 81-83.

Item: 78

Locus:	f. 153r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Faith (IMEV 2897)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 83-86.

Item: 79

Locus:	f. 154v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Denis (IMEV 2882)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 80

Locus:	f. 156v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Luke (IMEV 2973)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 81

Locus:	f. 157v
Title:	South English Legendary: The Eleven Thousand Virgins (IMEV 721)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 86-92.

Item: 82

Locus:	f. 160r
Title:	South English Legendary: Lives of Saints Simon and Jude (IMEV 3055)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 83

Locus:	f. 162v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Quintin (IMEV 3050)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 84

Locus:	f. 164r
Title:	South English Legendary: All Souls' Day (IMEV 201)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 418-420.

Item: 85

Locus:	f. 165r
Title:	South English Legendary: All Saints' Day (IMEV 184)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at beginning.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 420-431.

Item: 86

Locus:	f. 166v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Katherine of Alexandria (IMEV 2954)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 92-101.

Item: 87

Locus:	f. 169r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Leonard (IMEV 2959)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 456-62.

Item: 88

Locus:	f. 171v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Martin (IMEV 3005)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 449-56.

Item: 89

Locus:	f. 174v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Brice (IMEV 2870)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 90

Locus:	f. 175v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Edmund the Bishop (IMEV 2886)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 431-439.

Item: 91

Locus:	f. 182r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Clement (IMEV 2875)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Imperfect at beginning.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 322-340.

Item: 92

Locus:	ff. 186v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Katherine of Alexandria (IMEV 2954)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 92-101.

Item: 93

Locus:	f. 190r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Andrew (IMEV 2848)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Defective at end.
Bibliography:	Cf. Furnivall 1862, pp. 98-101.

Item: 94

Locus:	f. 193r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Nicholas (IMEV 3033)
Incipit:
Explicit:	'...�is godeman hy stode in grete...'.
Note:	Defective at beginning and end.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 240-255.

Physical Description

Form:	Codex
Support:�	Parchment
Extent:	305 x 185 mm
Collation:	Difficult to ascertain but catchwords on ff. 16v, 28v, 49v, 61v, 72v, 95v, 107v, 116v, 128v, 154v, 165v, 177v, 184v.
Layout:	Pricking, where visible, small horizontal slits. Writing space of 240 x 130mm. Single columns with 40 lines. Frame and lines ruled in drypoint, not really visible.
Writing:	One scribe writing in brown ink in an early fourteenth-century Anglicana hand. Body height: 2 mm.
Decoration:	Two-line blue initials with red penwork flourishing - swirls rather than foliate. Two-line red and blue paraphs.
Binding:	Not medieval. Size: 310 x 190 mm. Covered in dark brown/black leather with gold stamped 'arabesque' design in a 'diamond' shape on front and back. Five raised bands across the spine.
Foliation:	ff. ii + 194 + ii. The flyleaves are modern parchment.
Additions:
Condition:	Many leaves missing at beginning and end: 3 leaves after f. 38, 12 after f. 106, 2 after f. 107, 8 after f. 132, 5 after f. 181, and single leaves after ff. 67, 83, 96, 135, 142, 164, 192.

History

Origin:

Unknown

Provenance:

Fifteenth/sixteenth century: - f. 21, 61v, 106v - John (Ihon, Yon, Yan) Barns. Nineteenth century: - f. 1r 'From the library of Robert Higgins, who lived at Eastnor [co. Hereford] in the time of Charles the 1st and Cromwell'. Ff. 14r, 21v, 31r - name of Samuel Higgins. F. 77r names of Samuel Higgins, Anne and Mary Higgins, probably children of , Rector of Eastnor, d. 1847, and descendants of Robert Higgins fo Eastnor, d. 1678 (C. J. Robinson, Mansions of Herefordshire, 1873, pp. 110, 1ll). Twentieth Century:Willoughby Baskerville Mynors, of Bosbury House, Herefordshire (Sotheby's sale-cat., 19th July, 1911, lot 687).

Record History

Catalogued and encoded: Rebecca Farnham, University of Birmingham, August 2003.

Related Manuscripts and other documents Scribal G�orlach notes that this manuscript was 'most certainly written in the same scriptorium as' Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 145 and Leicester, Leicester City Museum, MS 18 D 59 (1974, p. 92).

Bibliography

http://searcharchives.bl.uk.

British Museum. 1925. Catalogue of Additions to the Manuscripts in the British Museum in the Years 1911-1915, London: printed for the Trustees 1925, revised by Julius P. Gilson, pp. 403-405.

Brown, B. D. 1927 for 1925. The Southern Passion edited from Pepsian MS 2344 in the library of Magdalene College Cambridge with introduction, notes and glossary, EETS, os, 169, London: Oxford University Press, pp. xix-xx.

Cockayne, O., ed. 1872. Liflade of S. Juliana, EETS, os, 51, London: Tr�bner.

Furnivall, F. 1862, rpt. 1974. Early English Poems and Lives of Saints, Berlin: Published for the Philological Society by A. Asher. rpt. New York: AMS Press.

G�rlach, M. 1974. The Textual Tradition of the South English Legendary, Leeds Texts and Monographs, ns, 6, Leeds: University of Leeds School of English, pp. 92-93.

G�rlach, M. 1998. Studies in Middle English Saints’ Legends, Heidelberg: Carl Winter.

Horstmann, C., ed, 1875. Altenglische Legenden. Kindheit Jesu. Barlaam und Josaphat. St. Patrik’s Fegefeuer. Aus den verschiedenen Mss. zum ersten Male herausgegeben, Paderborn: Ferdinand Schoningh

Horstmann, C., ed, 1887. The Early South English Legendary or Lives of Saints, EETS, os, 87, London: Tr�bner.

McIntosh, A., Samuels, M. L. and Benskin, M. 1986. A Linguistic Atlas of Late Medieval English: County Dictionary, 4 vols, Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 4.

Morris, R., ed, 1871. Legends of the Holy Rood; Symbols of the Passion and Cross Poems In Old English of the Eleventh, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, EETS, os, 46, London: Tr�bner.