A series which is "a monumental achievement" (Review of English
Studies). In 1755 Richard Rawlinson bequeathed his vast collection
of books and manuscripts to the Bodleian Library. The manuscripts
alone numbered over 5,000, and the 167 of these which contain
Middle English prose are indexed in this Handlist. These are
divided fairly evenly between religious and secular texts:
Rawlinson does not seem to have been interested in any particular
genre; if a book was old and deemed to be of historical interest it
entered his collection, either as an acquisition or a contemporary
transcription. Scriptural and devotional writing is represented by
copies of the New Testament, three different works by Rolle and
three by Hilton, Love's Mirror, a Primer, Sacerdos Parochialis, The
Chastising of God's Children, The Mirror of Our Lady, The Mirror to
Lewd Men and Women, excerpts from the works of St Catherine of
Siena and St Bridget of Sweden, Mirk's Festial, other
sermons,Wycliffite treatises, the only English copy known of
William Thorpe's Testimony, prayers, several copies of Pore
Caitiff, and more. Secular and political writing includes versions
of Mandeville's Travels, John Fortescue's On the Governance of
England, translations of two works by Alain Chartier, and The
English Conquest of Ireland. There is a rich selection of
historical prose, with ten Bruts in whole or part, royal
genealogies, accounts of royal weddings and of the coronation of
Richard II, descriptions of court etiquette, the deposition of
Richard II, the challenge for the English throne of Henry IV and
his speech of acceptance. Scientific and utilitarian prose is
illustrated by Chaucer's Astrolabe, grammatical treatises,
alchemical writings by Lull and Ripley, medical treatises,
especially urologies, and, in a lighter vein, extracts from the
J.B. Treatiseon hunting and country life, as well as separate works
on hawking, angling and gardening. The abundance of recipes,
medical, culinary and veterinary, singly and in collection, have
been treated in this Handlist in particular detail. Sarah
Ogilvie-Thomson is a former lecturer in language and medieval
literature at St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
