Harley Lyrics

Manuscript

Folio 67r of the Harley MS, which includes the second part of Mosti ryden by Rybbesdale, and the start of A wayle whyt as whalles bon.

The Harley Lyrics is the usual name for a collection of lyrics in Middle English, Anglo Norman (Middle French), and Latin found in Harley MS 2253, a manuscript dated ca. 1340 in the British Library's Harleian Collection. The lyrics contain "both religious and secular material, in prose and verse and in a wide variety of genres."[1] The manuscript is written in three recognisable hands: scribe A, scribe B or the Ludlow scribe, and scribe C.[2]

## The manuscript

[edit]

Harley MS 2253 contains 141 leaves of parchment or folios measuring 11 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches. It can be divided into two parts based on content: the first 48 leaves, booklets one (quires 1-2, folios 1-22) and two (quires 3-4, folios 23-48), contain religious poetry in the late-thirteenth century hand known as scribe A, whilst the remaining five booklets are written in the early-fourteenth century hand of the Ludlow scribe; apart from some pigment recipes at the beginning of booklet three (quires 5, folios 49-52) penned by scribe C.[3] Containing miscellaneous material, secular as well as religious, in prose and verse, this division is not, however, reflected in the quire division, since the division is found on folio 49, part of a quire running from folio 47 to 52; an earlier assumption that this division indicated two separate manuscripts bound together is therefore incorrect.[4]

## The Ludlow scribe

[edit]

Nothing is known about the identities of scribes A and C, however in discussing scribe B Fein informs us that "Much has been written about the Ludlow scribe, especially since Carter Revard’s landmark research that dates his hand as it appears in three manuscripts and forty-one legal writs."[5] The Ludlow scribe like a number of others is, because of the lack of evidence and the distance of time, somewhat anonymous yet their 'hands' (their characteristic writing style) makes them recognizable. "As the maker of a key manuscript, the Ludlow scribe is a leading figure among a growing company of copyists now recognized for the value of what they preserved."[5] There is evidence that this scribe "flourished as a professional legal scribe in the vicinity of Ludlow from 1314 to 1349."[5] Those aforementioned forty-one legal writs are dated from December 18, 1314, to April 13, 1349. Fein notes that "If he was in his twenties when he inscribed the first of these documents, then he was born in the last decade of the thirteenth century. He may have died during the Black Death, which swept through England from 1348 to 1350, so his dates can roughly be set from about 1290 to about 1350."[5]

## The metanarrative

[edit]

Revard explains that "...a savvy reader of the whole anthology can see that there is a metanarrative that unifies the anthology."[6] he further explains that a metanarrative works by, what has been called, "oppositional thematics".[6] That is to say that, each text in the collection is deliberately placed such that it opposes or speaks to the narrative or viewpoint of the preceding texts or texts. In booklet three though, we can see that there is not always a clear relationship and that a knowledge of the sources used by the scribe to set up such oppositions is required to fully grasp the inter-textual meaning. The two poems which precede scribe C's recipes, are ABC a femmes [7] and De l’Yver et de l’Esté,[8] both are Anglo-Norman or Middle French. They appear to have nothing in particular to say to each other. The former is a text that celebrates women, highlighting their decency, kindness and long suffering natures. Fein observes that the poem “…deftly equates the sexual pleasure women hold for men with the heavenly delight, healing, and salvation ushered in by Mary’s role in God’s incarnation.”[9] The writer asserts that any man who does not appreciate the worthiness of women is a base creature.[9] The latter however is a Debate poem "...a late medieval form that might have been inspired by and modeled on Virgil’s Eclogues."[10] It concerns an argument between the Summer and the Winter that seems to have almost pagan overtones. The actual relationship of these texts can only be guessed at.

The texts in booklet four however are more clearly related. By virtue of the number of texts it contains, it represents far more complex contextual patterns and references. However it begins with Hagiography, a Saint's Life. Incipit vita sancti Ethelberti,[11] tells the story of St Ethelbert, who begins as a King but ends as martyr, he is killed as a consequence of his honourable and virtuous behaviour in spite of a vision which shows his future murder. Further into the booklet we meet another apparently honourable and virtuous figure in the earliest surviving English serventes, "...that is, a poem made to mock a beaten enemy."[12] Sitteth alle stille ant herkneth to me[13] also called A Song of Lewes, tells the story of the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, a hero of the Second Barons' War and how he achieved a great victory against the forces of the King at the Battle of Lewes on 14 May 1264. The text which follows, Chaunter m’estoit,[14] describes his death at the Battle of Evesham, August 4, 1265 where he was killed and dismembered. In this Anglo Norman text de Montfort is eulogised as a martyr and compared favourably to Thomas Becket. Fein tells us that this last text was an expression of a desire by some to see Simon de Montfort canonised, a desire that never bore fruit.[15] The relationship between these three texts is interesting, as is their relationship to the text which follows three short texts concerned with the brevity of life. Fein writes "Looking beyond the praise of Montfort, one senses, too, how the scribe wishes to issue a warning on earthly pride:"[15] In Lystneth, lordynges! A newe song Ichulle bigynne,[16] Sir Simon Fraser, who has also opposed his King along with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce has been captured and is sent to London to be hanged, then drawn and quartered. "The tone of the piece is vigorously nationalistic and anti-Scots."[17] The parallels are clear, as Fein illustrates "The scribe’s interesting arrangement of material conveys many messages in itself. The trilingual meditation on mortality (arts. 24a, 24a*, 24b) points forward to this poem of public execution as well as backward to the death in battle of Simon de Montfort, who was also dismembered."[17] Thus the French Simon de Montfort is compared to another traitor the Scottish Sir Simon Fraser and to a true martyr and saint, the Anglo Saxon Ethelbert; thus creating the metanarrative of booklet four.

## Modern transcriptions

[edit]

G. L. Brook is considered an authority on this manuscript. He first published The Harley Lyrics: The Middle English Lyrics of MS. Harley 2253 in 1948 and released a second edition containing "minor corrections and revised bibliography" in 1956. His edition includes a detailed introduction including information on the physicality and orthography of the manuscript, context on secular, courtly love, and religious lyrics, the metre of lyrics, and a brief discussion on the lyrics as literature. His edition includes thirty-two of the original lyric verses included in Harley MS 2253.

## Table of Contents - Harley Manuscript 2253

[edit]

BOOKLET 1 (quires 1–2, Scribe A) | [1][2][3][4]

|

Text  | Folios  | Language  | Original Title  | English Title
1\.

1a.

| 1ra-21vb

21vb-22ra

| AN Verse

AN Verse

| Vitas patrum

Thais

| The Lives of the Fathers

The Story of Thais

BOOKLET 2 (quires 3–4, Scribe A) |
2\.

3\.

3a.

3b.

4\.

5\.

6\.

7\.

| 23ra–33va

33va–39rb

39rb

39va–41va

41va–43vb

43vb–45vb

45vb–47vb

47vb–48vb

| AN verse

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

| Herman de Valenciennes, La Passioun Nostre Seignour

De la Passioun Jhesu [L’Évangile de Nicodème]

Epistle a Tiberie

Epistle a Claudie l’emperour

De seint Johan le Ewangeliste

De seint Johan le Baptist

De seint Bartholomeu

Passioun seint Piere

| Herman de Valenciennes, The Passion of Our Lord

The Gospel of Nicodemus

The Letter of Pilate to Tiberias

The Letter of Pilate to Emperor Claudius

The Life of Saint John the Evangelist

The Life of Saint John the Baptist

The Life of Saint Bartholomew

The Passion of Saint Peter

BOOKLET 3 (quire 5, Scribes B and C) |
8\.

9\.

10\.

11\.

12\.

13\.

14\.

15\.

16\.

17\.

| 49r–50v

51ra–52va

52va

52va

52vb

52vb

52vb

52vb

52vb

52vb

| AN verse

AN verse

ME prose

ME prose

ME prose

ME prose

ME prose

ME prose

ME prose

ME prose

| ABC a femmes

De l’Yver et de l’Esté

Vorte make cynople

Vorte temprene asure

Vorte make gras-grene

Vorte maken another maner grene

Yet for gaude-grene

Vorte couche selverfoyl

Vorte maken iren as hart as stel

Vorte maken blankplum

| ABC of Women

Debate between Winter and Summer

How to Make Red Vermilion

How to Temper Azure

How to Make Grass-Green

How to Make Another Kind of Green

Another for Yellow-Green

How to Apply Silverfoil

How to Make Iron as Hard as Steel

How to Make White Lead

BOOKLET 4 (quire 6, Scribe B) |
18\.

19\.

20\.

21\.

22\.

23\.

24\.

24a.

24a*.

24b.

25\.

25a.

26\.

27\.

| 53ra–54vb

54vb

55ra–b

55va–56vb

57r–58v

58v–59r

59r–v

59v

59v

59v

59v–61v

61v

61v–62v

62v

| L prose

L verse

AN verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

AN verse

AN verse

L verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

AN verse

ME verse

| Incipit vita sancti Ethelberti

Anima christi, sanctifica me

Quant voy la revenue d’yver

Alle herkneth to me nou

In a thestri stude Y stod

Sitteth alle stille ant herkneth to me

Chaunter m’estoit

Charnel amour est folie

Momentaneum est quod delectat

Erthe toc of erthe

Lystneth, lordynges! A newe song Ichulle bigynne

Lord that lenest us lyf

Enseignement sur les amis

Middelerd for mon wes mad

| The Life of Saint Ethelbert

Soul of Christ, Sanctify Me

A Goliard’s Feast

Harrowing of Hell

Debate between Body and Soul

A Song of Lewes

Lament for Simon de Montfort

Carnal Love Is Folly

What Allures Is Momentary

Earth upon Earth

The Execution of Sir Simon Fraser

On the Follies of Fashion

Lesson for True Lovers

The Three Foes of Man

BOOKLET 5 (quires 7–11, Scribe B) |
28\.

29\.

30\.

31\.

32\.

33\.

34\.

35\.

36\.

37\.

38\.

39\.

40\.

41\.

43\.

44\.

45\.

46\.

47\.

48\.

49\.

50\.

51\.

52\.

53\.

54\.

55\.

56\.

57\.

58\.

59\.

60\.

61\.

62\.

63\.

64\.

65\.

66\.

67\.

68\.

69\.

70\.

71\.

72\.

| 63r–v

63v

63v

64r

64va–65vb

66r

66v

66v–67r

67r

67va–68va

68va–70rb

70rb–v

70va/71ra/71va

70vb/71rb

71va

71vb–72ra

72ra–va

72va–73rb

73r–v

73v–74v

75ra–b

75rb–va

75va–b

75vb

76r

76r

76r

76v–77r

77va

77vb–78va

78vb–79rb

79rb–vb

79vb

80ra

80rb

80v

80v–81r

81r–v

81va–b

82ra–83r

83r

83r–92v

92v–105r

105va–b

| ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

AN verse

AN prose

AN prose

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

AN verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

AN verse

Trilingual verse

AN verse

AN verse

ME verse

AN verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME verse

AN & ME verse

ME verse

AN prose

L prose

| Ichot a burde in a bour ase beryl so bryht / Annot and John

Bytuene Mersh ant Averil / Alysoun

With longyng Y am lad

Ich herde men upo mold

Herketh hideward ant beoth stille

Weping haveth myn wonges wet

Most I ryden by Rybbesdale

In a fryht as Y con fare fremede

A wayle whyt ase whalles bon

Gilote e Johane

Les pelrinages communes que crestiensfountenaSeinteTerre

Les pardouns de Acres

Ne mai no lewed lued libben in londe

Of a mon Matheu thohte

Lenten ys come with love to toune

In May hit murgeth when hit dawes

Heye Louerd, thou here my bone

Ichot a burde in boure bryht

Alle that beoth of huerte trewe

Lustneth, lordinges, bothe yonge ant olde

Marie, pur toun enfaunt

Suete Jesu, king of blysse

Jesu Crist, heovene kyng

Wynter wakeneth al my care

When Y se blosmes springe

Ferroy chaunsoun

Dum ludis floribus

Quant fu en ma juvente

Marie, mere al Salveour

Dulcis Jesu memoria

Une petite parole

Stond wel, moder, under rode

Jesu, for thi muchele miht

I syke when Y singe

Nou skrinketh rose ant lylie-flour

My deth Y love, my lyf Ich hate

When the nyhtegale singes

Blessed be thou, Levedy

Ase Y me rod this ender day

Herkne to my ron

Mayden, moder milde

The Geste of Kyng Horn

Ludlow Scribe, Estoyres de la Bible

Nomina librorum bibliotece

| Annot and John

Alysoun

The Lover’s Complaint

Song of the Husbandman

The Life of Saint Marina

The Poet’s Repentance

The Fair Maid of Ribblesdale

The Meeting in the Wood

A Beauty White as Whale Bone

Gilote and Johane

Pilgrimages in the Holy Land

The Pardons of Acre

Satire on the Consistory Court

The Laborers in the Vineyard

Spring

Advice to Women

An Old Man’s Prayer

Blow, Northern Wind

The Death of Edward I

The Flemish Insurrection

The Joys of Our Lady

Sweet Jesus, King of Bliss

Jesus Christ, Heaven’s King

A Winter Song

A Spring Song on the Passion

I Pray to God and Saint Thomas

While You Play in Flowers

Song on Jesus’ Precious Blood

Mary, Mother of the Savior

Jesus, Sweet Is the Love of You

Sermon on God’s Sacrifice and Judgment

Stand Well, Mother, under Rood

Jesus, by Your Great Might

I Sigh When I Sing

An Autumn Song

The Clerk and the Girl

When the Nightingale Sings

Blessed Are You, Lady

The Five Joys of the Virgin

Maximian

Maiden, Mother Mild

King Horn

Ludlow Scribe, Old Testament Stories

Names of the Books of the Bible

BOOKLET 6 (quires 12–14, Scribe B) |

75a.

79\.

80\.

81\.

82\.

83\.

84\.

85\.

86\.

87\.

88\.

89\.

90\.

91\.

92\.

93\.

94\.

95\.

96\.

97\.

98\.

99\.

| 106r

106ra–107rb

107va–109vb

110ra–va

110vb–111rb

111rb–vb

112ra–b

112rc–113vc

113vb–114v

114v–115r

115va–117ra

117ra–118rb

118rb–vb

119ra–121ra

121ra–122va

122vb–124va

124va–125r

125ra–127ra

127rb–va

127va–b

128r

128r–v

128v–129v

129v–130v

131r

131v–132r

132r–133r

133v

| ME verse

ME verse

AN verse

AN verse

AN verse

AN verse

AN verse

AN verse

AN verse

ME verse

AN verse

AN verse

AN verse

ME verse

AN verse

AN verse

ME verse

ME verse

ME prose

AN prose

ME verse

ME verse

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

L prose

L prose

AN & L prose

| God that al this myhtes may

Lustneth, alle, a lutel throwe

Le jongleur d’Ely e le roi d’Angleterre

Les trois dames qui troverunt un vit

Le dit des femmes

Le blasme des femmes

Nicholas Bozon, Femmes a la pye

Un sage honme de grant valour / Urbain the Courteous

Talent me prent de rymer e de geste fere / Trailbaston

Mon in the mone stond ant strit

Le chevaler e la corbaylle

De mal mariage

La gagure, ou L’esquier e la chaunbrere

A bok of swevenyng

Ordre de bel ayse

Le chevaler qui fist les cons parler

Of rybauds Y ryme ant red o my rolle

Mon that wol of wysdam heren

When man as mad a kyng of a capped man

La destinccioun de la estature Jesu Crist Nostre Seigneur

Lutel wot hit any mon hou love hym haveth ybounde

Lutel wot hit any mon hou derne love may stonde

Enseignements de saint Lewis a Philip soun fitz

L’enqueste que le patriarche de Jerusalem fist

Les armes des roys

Scriptum quod peregrini deferunt

Legenda de sancto Etfrido, presbitero de Leoministria

Quy chescun jour de bon cuer cest oreisoun dirra

| God Who Wields All This Might

The Sayings of Saint Bernard

The Jongleur of Ely and the King of England

The Three Ladies Who Found a Prick

The Song on Women

The Blame of Women

Nicholas Bozon, Women and Magpies

Urbain the Courteous

Trailbaston

The Man in the Moon

The Knight and the Basket

Against Marriage

The Wager, or The Squire and the Chambermaid

A Book of Dreaming

The Order of Fair Ease

The Knight Who Made Vaginas Talk

Satire on the Retinues of the Great

Hending

The Prophecy of Thomas of Erceldoune

Distinguishing Features of the Bodily Form of Jesus Christ Our Lord

The Way of Christ’s Love

The Way of Woman’s Love

The Teachings of Saint Louis to His Son Philip

The Land of the Saracens

Heraldic Arms of Kings

Letter for Pilgrims on the Relics at Oviedo

The Legend of Saint Etfrid, Priest of Leominster

Prayer for Protection

BOOKLET 7 (quire 15, Scribe B) |
100\.

101\.

102\.

103\.

104\.

105\.

106\.

107\.

108\.

108a.

109\.

109a.

110\.

111\.

112\.

113\.

114\.

115\.

116\.

| 134r

134r

134v

134v

134v–135r

135r

135r

135r

135v

135v

135v–136r

136r

136r–v

136v–137r

137r

137r–v

137v–138v

138v–140r

140v

| AN prose

AN prose

AN verse

L prose

AN verse & prose

L prose

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

AN prose

L prose

AN prose

L prose

AN prose

L prose

L prose

AN & L verse

AN prose

L prose

| Quant vous levez le matyn

Quy velt que Dieu sovyegne de ly

Gloria in excelsis Deo en fraunceis

Confiteor tibi, Deus, omnia peccata mea

Gloriouse Dame

Rex seculorum et Domine dominator

Um doit plus volentiers juner le vendredy

Quy est en tristour

Cely que fra ces messes chaunter

Je vous requer, Jaspar, Melchior, e Baltazar

Mundus iste totus quoddam scaccarium est

Quy chescun jour denz seissaunte jours

Contra inimicos si quos habes

Seint Hillere archevesque de Peyters ordina ces salmes

Eulotropia et celidonia

De interrogandi moribundis beati Anselmi

Dieu, roy de magesté

Contemplacioun de la passioun Jesu Crist

De martirio sancti Wistani

| Occasions for Angels

Occasions for Psalms in AN

Glory to God in the Highest in AN

Prayer of Confession

Prayer on the Five Joys of Our Lady

Prayer for Contrition

Reasons for Fasting on Friday

Seven Masses to Be Said in Misfortune

Seven Masses in Honor of God and Saint Giles

Prayer to the Three Kings

All the World’s a Chess Board

Three Prayers That Never Fail

Occasions for Psalms in L

Occasions for Psalms Ordained by Saint Hilary of Poitiers

Heliotrope and Celandine

Saint Anselm’s Questions to the Dying

Against the King’s Taxes

Seven Hours of the Passion of Jesus Christ

The Martyrdom of Saint Wistan

L = Latin AN = Anglo Norman (Middle French) ME = Middle English

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Harley Lyrics: introduction". University of Southampton. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
2. ^ "Fein, Susanna, ed. and trans., with David Raybin and Jan Ziolkowski. The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 2: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
3. ^ "Fein, Susanna, ed. and trans., with David Raybin and Jan Ziolkowski.The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 2: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
4. ^ Brook, George Leslie (1948). The Harley lyrics: the Middle English lyrics of ms. Harley 2253, Issue 25. Manchester UP., page 1.
5. ^ a b c d "The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 2: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
6. ^ a b Revard, Carter (2005). ""Four Fabliaux from London, British Library MS Harley 2253, Translated into English Verse."". The Chaucer Review (40.2): 111.
7. ^ "Art. 8, ABC a femmes | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
8. ^ "Art. 9, De l'Yver et de l'Esté | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
9. ^ a b "Art. 8, ABC a femmes: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
10. ^ "Art. 9, De l'Yver et de l'Esté: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
11. ^ "Art. 18, Incipit vita sancti Ethelberti | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
12. ^ "Art. 23, Sitteth alle stille ant herkneth to me: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
13. ^ "Art. 23, Sitteth alle stille ant herkneth to me | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
14. ^ "Art. 24, Chaunter m'estoit | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
15. ^ a b "Art. 24, Chaunter m'estoit: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
16. ^ "Art. 25, Lystneth, Lordynges! A newe song Ichulle bigynne | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
17. ^ a b "Art. 25, Lystneth, lordynges! A newe song Ichulle bigynne: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-05.

## External links

[edit]

* Entry for Harley 2253, from British Library
* Seminar reading on Harley 2253, from Lancaster University
* The Harley Lyrics, Wessex Parallel WebTexts
* [5], Medieval English Dictionary

FURTHER READING

* Fein, Susanna, ed. and trans., with David Raybin and Jan Ziolkowski. The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 1. TEAMS Middle English Texts Series, Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute, 2015, x, 508 pp. Edition and translation of fols. 1-48. ISBN 978-1580442053. Also published online: Robbins Library Digital Projects, University of Rochester, http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/fein-harley2253-volume-1
* Fein, Susanna, ed. and trans., with David Raybin and Jan Ziolkowski. The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 2. TEAMS Middle English Texts Series, Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute, 2014. x, 521 pp. Edition and translation of fols. 49-92. ISBN 978-1580441988. Also published online: Robbins Library Digital Projects, University of Rochester, http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/fein-harley2253-volume-2
* Fein, Susanna, ed. and trans., with David Raybin and Jan Ziolkowski. The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 3. TEAMS Middle English Texts Series, Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute, 2015. x, 420 pp. Edition and translation of fols. 93-120. ISBN 978-1580441995. Also published online: Robbins Library Digital Projects, University of Rochester, http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/fein-harley2253-volume-3
* Fein, Susanna, ed. Studies in the Harley Manuscript: The Scribes, Contents, and Social Contexts of British Library MS Harley 2253. Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 2000.
* Ker, N. R., intro. Facsimile of British Museum MS. Harley 2253. EETS o.s. 255. London: Oxford University Press, 1965.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany