By the Rev. H. T. Kingdou. 67 



enough^ that which we should expect to be the finest — the Easter 

 ilhimiuation — is cut out of aa'older MS. and pasted in. The date 

 of the book is easily fixed at the earlier part of the fifteenth century, 

 not only by the dictum of experts, but by internal evidence. For 

 first of all, in the kalendar the entry at December 4th is certainly 

 later than the rest : which is learned from the following- consider- 

 ations. The red paint used is different from most of the red paint in. 

 the kalendar, as it has a gloss upon it. ; again new lines have been 

 here ruled to guide the writing ; thirdly, the new lines are narrower 

 than the old lines. But the entry is not much later, from the 

 similarity of the writing : it was probably the same hand that wrote 

 it. The entry in question is " Depositio Sti. Osmundi Epi. et 

 Confessoris. ix lectionum.^^ Now S. Osmundj to the great satis- 

 faction of the diocese of Sarum, was canonized in 1456. The book 

 therefore dates before that year. This is also seen in the Sanctorale, 

 where the service for S. Osmund's Day is at the end out of its 

 proper order, and is succeeded by the service for the Transfigura- 

 tion, which was ordained to be commemorated in 1457. The date 

 of the book itself is about 1440. In the middle, dividing as usual 

 the Temporale from the Sanctorale, comes the kalendar. This 

 naturally begins on the right-hand page, and the preceding left- 

 hand page is blank, as it was to spare. In the first column of this 

 page the aspersio has been written. The MS. has been shown to 

 many authorities, including the most renowned at London, Oxford, 

 Cambridge, and Durham : and they are pretty well agreed that the 

 date is about 1470^; it cannot be later than 1490, nor earlier 

 than 1450. If this be right, it was written about the year in 

 which Bishop Latimer was born : he therefore could not be the 

 author. I may mention that when I was in the British Museum 

 with the MS., a Roman Catholic priest was present, who was very 



• Mr. Maskell {Monumenta Hitualia, vol. i., p. cciii.) has printed the aspersio 

 with the following remark : " On a blank leaf of a most magnificent MS. breviary 

 ad usum Sarum upon vellum in the library of the Lord Bishop of Sali.sburj is 

 the following. It is noted ; and the doxology is the earliest I remember to have 

 seen in English with the notation. The writing is later than the rest of the 

 volume, being about 1470." 



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