| Summary: | Description: GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH, Historia regum Britanniae, with the prologue 'Dum mecum multa' addressed to Robert, Earl of Gloucester (f. 1), the prologue to the Prophecies of Merlin (f. 68), and the epistle to Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln (ib.). Without title or division into books; the division into chapters marked by initials. Text beg. 'Brittannia insularum optima'. Colophon (f. 133), 'Explicit liber Britonum'. Bk. ix, chapter 20 and Bk. x, chapter 1 (edition San Marte, al. Schulz, 1854, pages 139) are omitted. See Ward, Cat. of Romances, i, pages 237. At the end, beginning on the reverse of the last leaf of Geoffrey's work, are added in 13th century hands:-(a) Two hymns in honour of the Virgin, the first (12 x 4) beg. 'Illustrata luce prima' (Chevalier, Repert. Hymnol. numbers 27917), the other (7 x 8) beg. Virgo parens gaudeat' (ib, numbers 21844). The latter with music. following 133 b, 134 b;-(b) Prophecy of Merlin Silvester, beg. 'A quodam phitonico (sc. pythonico) dudum in Cambria fuerat prophetatum quod catulus lintheus in lupum rapidum conuertetur' (Ward, opus cit. i, pages 315). Ends 'ad sidera conuolabit'. f. 135 b;-(c) Antiphon of S. Peter, beg. 'Cum sanctus Petrus venit in cruce'; with music. f. 136. In the bottom margins are inserted (early 14th century) drawings of towns (to which the names of Rome, London, York, Winchester, andc., are attached), and shields of arms, together with a few sentences in French. Vellum ; following 136. 71 /4 in. x 41 /2 inches Late XIII century Gatherings, i-x12, xi10, xii6 , with catchwords. Sec. folio 'et Umbri'. Flourished initials in red and blue. At the top of f. 1 is the name of 'Ponticus Virunius' or Lodovico da Ponte (d. about 1520), author of an abridgement of Geoffrey of Monmouth (compare Ward, pages237). Belonged to John Theyer (monogram, f. 133). Theyer sale-cat. numbers 245; CMA. 6606.
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