ment in excellent preservation. The writing, of which a fac-simile is given, is probably not much later than the date of the compilation; it is in two columns, and carefully executed, distinct, and remarkably uniform throughout. The leaves measure 93 inches in height by 62 in breadth. The first twelve are rubricated, the initial letter of each line being in red. The English words also are underlined with the same color. A few errors and omissions have been amended. Each quire of parchment has a check word at the lower corner of its last leaf, and the leaves are num.. bered, the signatures running from A i to r, Arabic numerals being used here and also throughout the MS. A small portion is deficient, by some accidental oversight, namely in the verbs between Clyvyn and Cracchyñ. This MS. was formerly in the possession of Sir Symonds D'Ewes, Bait. It is doubtless the same which is noticed by Bishop Tanner (Bibl. Brit. p. 305, published in 1748). On the reverse of the fly-leaf at the beginning of the MS. the following note is written, "This book belongs to Sir Symonds Dews Library, and is to be restored." I have been unable to ascertain whether this possessor of the volume was the distinguished statesman and antiquary of that name, compiler of the Journals of the Parliament in the reign of Elizabeth: he died in 1650. In the list of MSS. in the possession of his grandson, Sir Symonds D'Ewes, Bart. of Stow Langtoft Hall, Suffolk, who succeeded in 1685, I find "An ancient Latin-English Dictionary written about the year 1440," the volume probably now under consideration, but inadvertently described as LatinEnglish instead of English-Latin. There can, however, be little doubt that the valuable library at Stow Langtoft, of which this MS. formed part, had been collected by the eminent scholar, the friend of Selden, Spelman, and Cotton.

On the fly-leaf at the beginning of the Harl. MS. is pasted a slip of paper, with the name probably of a former owner,"liber hugonis barker."b

I may here repeat the observation previously made that this valuable MS., although as I believe from internal evidence only a transcript, has Catal. MSS. Angliæ, t. ii. p. 387.

On the leaf at the end are some medical receipts:-" M. Breuse hæc me docuit. Holsome herbes for the potte in tempore pestilencie, &c. A soverane medicynne for the swetynge sekenesse; secundum magistrum Walterum Hylle," &c.

See Advertisement, p. v. ante.

CAMD. SOC.

been selected for the groundwork of the present edition, as supplying the earliest, most ample, and most correct text among the MSS. of the work which have come under my observation. The original by the author's hand has not been brought to light, and there are numerous indications of alterations in spelling and other minutiæ by the transcriber. The age of the transcript, however, may entitle it to be considered as that which most faithfully represents the original text; it contains a much greater number of words than are found in any other MS. or in Pynson's and subsequent editions; in addition to this a synonym or explanatory phrase is frequently found in the Harl. MS., contributing to elucidate the signification of some archaism which in the other texts is comparatively obscure.

2. Fragment of a copy in Harl. MS. 2,274, from which a few various readings have been obtained; they are in each instance indicated by the number of the MS. It contains portions of the letters G. H. M. N. and R.; and more nearly resembles the text of Pynson's printed edition than of the other MSS. The termination of the verbs is written -ynge, as in Grawntynge, &c.

any

3. MS. preserved in the Library of King's College, Cambridge (class mark, No. 8); a thin volume containing 75 leaves of parchment; dimensions 12 inches by 8 inches. The writing is in double columns, in a good legible hand of the latter part of the fifteenth century, and very uniform throughout the book. The initials at the beginning of each letter in the alphabetical arrangement are painted with bright opaque blue, and have rubricated marginal flourishes, as shown in the facsimile. On the reverse of the last leaf the donor is thus recorded, "Dedit Collegio Regali Sam. Thom's ibidem Socius 1684." a The name, probably, of a previous possessor is written on a fly-leaf at the beginning, "Rob't london," and repeated on the last leaf, in the same hand, "Rob't london nuper de Aldeby in Com. Norff. ar.' ." The names, "Thomas Wyndham," "Joh'es Buckenham," and "John Bayspoole," occur also in the volume.

a Samuel Thomas, possibly the donor of this book, was appointed prebendary of Wells, Aug. 3, 1681. His successor in the stall (Compton Bishop) was appointed in 1691. Le Neve, edit. Hardy.

b The family of this name lived, according to Blomefield (Hist. Norf. vol. viii. p. 4) at Aldby or Aldeburgh, and had a lease of the priory manor. He mentions three persons,

in successive generations, living there about the sixteenth century and subsequently, each of whom bore the name of Robert London.

In the present edition all various readings and additions obtained by collation of this MS. are indicated by the letter (K).

4. MS. in the Chapter Library, Winchester Cathedral; on paper, consisting of 114 leaves; dimensions 13 inches by 10 inches. The writing is in double columns, in a bold clear hand without any rubrication. The text resembles that of Harl. MS. 221, but it is by no means identical; some words which occur in the other MSS. or in the edition printed by Pynson, but are not in the Harl. MS., being here found. The verbs from CLYVYN or ryvyn to CowRYN, inclusive, accidentally omitted in the Harl. MS., occur here, and they have been supplied in the present edition chiefly from this MS. The errors of the scribe are few and of slight importance; a few words are omitted, and some transposed. In regard to certain peculiarities in spelling, I noticed woke for oke, wold for old, &c.; awynsweryn, byyndyn, chawynce, dawynce, fesawynt, grawyntyn, parchemyyn, plyawynt, &c.; rygthe, myth, nygthe, wygthe; also hwy for why, hwat for what; an happel, hirkyn for irk, and the like. The p is often but not invariably used, and many words are written with th. This fine relic of the ancient conventual library contains the "Liber Catonis " with other tracts, and after the "Explicit of several of these is written-" Q' M. W. Grene." It was in the possession of Thomas Sylkestede, Prior of Winchester about 1498, a liberal benefactor to the fabric of the Cathedral, the friend of Bishop Fox, to whom he rendered assistance in founding Corpus Christi College, Oxford; he died in 1524. On a leaf of parchment at the beginning of the volume is written-" Liber T. Sylkestede, prec. xiij s. iiij d.," and lower on the page in a smaller hand-" Anno domini M.CCCC. iiij xiiij” (1494). On the reverse of one of the fly leaves at the end is written" Constat Thome Sylksted," to which is added in different ink "Supprioris," the book having possibly belonged to him previously to his election to that office. Also-"Iste liber est de domo Sancti Swythini Wynton. Qui eum alienaverit Anathema sit." On a second fly-leaf the record of its having belonged to the monastery of Winchester is repeated; also the date M.CCCC. iiijv. (1485) the Anathema,

This fine volume is in perfect preservation, in the original oak boards covered with leather. The contents, besides the Promptorium, are-Liber Catonis, Liber Equivocorum, Parvum Doctrinale, or Liber de Parabolis Philosophiæ, Liber Theodoli, and Liber Aniani, the last consisting of fables in hexameter and pentameter verse.