Details

Subject(s)

• Literature, Medieval—Early works to 1800 [Browse]
• Kings and rulers—Poetry—Early works to 1800 [Browse]
• Manuscripts, English (Middle)—New Jersey—Princeton [Browse]

Donor

• Garrett, Robert, 1875-1961 [Browse]

Related name

• Princeton University. Library. Manuscript. Garrett MS. 139 [Browse]

Getty AAT genre

• Illuminated manuscripts—Country of origin—century [Browse]

Related work(s)

• Laurent, de Premierfait, -1418. Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes. [Browse]
• Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375. De casibus virorum illustrium. [Browse]

Summary note

A poem in 9 books by John Lydgate, who adapted Laurent de Premierfait's translation of Giovanni Boccaccio's 'De casibus virorum illustrium'.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
• Title from printed catalog.
• Script: Anglicana, by at least two scribes who were working concurrently.
• Decoration: Red initials with green penwork and red highlights.

Binding note

Bound in England in the early 19th century in brown calf over pasteboards, gilt and blind stamped along perimeter and gilt along board edges and along turn-ins; sewn on five raised bands; endbands with secondary sewing of white, yellow, and dark and light green; paste-downs and flyleaves of vermillion marbled paper; gilt edges; a blue silk bookmark; spine rebacked. Spine title (gilt): “The Fall of princes by Lydgate.”

Language note

In Middle English.

Provenance

Early provenance unknown. In the mid-16th century, the manuscript was owned by Richard Reeds, whose ownership inscription on p. 45 noted that the manuscript had cost him 50 shillings: “huius libri est possessor Rychard reeds Precium est xxxxx s.” Intermediate provenance is unknown. Later the manuscript was in the collection of the British bibliophile Richard Heber (1777-1833) until being sold on 11 February 1836 by the London bookseller and auctioneer Robert Harding Evans (1778-1857). Purchased by Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872), of Middle Hill, Worcestershire and sold at Sotheby's in London, at the Phillipps sale, 10-17 June 1896, where it was acquired by the antiquarian bookseller Bernard Quaritch. Robert Garrett (1875-1961), of Baltimore, Maryland, Class of 1897, purchased the manuscript from Quaritch on 1 October 1905 and donated it to Princeton University Library in 1942.

Source acquisition

Gift; of Robert Garrett, Princeton Class of 1897, 1942.

References

• Medieval & Renaissance manuscripts in the Princeton University Library, pages 320-321
• Ricci, S. de. Census of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada, volume 1, page 893

Cite as

Garrett MS. 139, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

In

Robert Garrett Collection

OCLC

1091907915

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