DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14721#0015
4
REGAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
The author gives this account of his picture :
Seynt Edwarde, par la grace Deu, vist le jour de paske al manger les vii dormanz turner lur
destre costez sur lur senestre en gre. E cet jour Godwyne Conte de Kent morust a la table, estrangle
de un morsel. Mult grant myracles fut deu par luy en sa vie e apres.1
Le an del incarnacion nostre Seignur M.LXVI. e de soen reaume xxiiii. devant sa mort devisa
seynt Edwarde le reaume de Engeltere a William Bastarde soen nevou a dunke duke de Normundye.
E puis mourt seynt Edwarde, e gyst enferter [sic in orig.] a Westmuster.
Which is in English as follows :
" As saint Edward (by the grace of God) was sitting at meat on Easter day, the Seven Sleepers
turned from their right side to the left of their own accord. And that very day Godwyne earl of
Kent died at the table, strangled by a morsel of meat. Many great miracles did God work by him (that
is king Edward) in his life-time and afterwards
"The year of the incarnation of our Lord 1066, and of his reign the 24th, saint Edward, before
his death, gave the kingdom of England to William the Bastard, his nephew, at that time duke of
Normandy. After this died saint Edward, and lies buried at Westminster."
The popular story of the Seven Sleepers is often alluded to in ancient books,
but so imperfectly, that all which I can gather concerning them is, that they
were seven travellers, who being weary, laid themselves down in a cave to
sleep, and by some supernatural means they continued sleeping for an amazing
space of time.
The ten illuminations copied from this MS. are very simple in point of colour-
ing, being scarcely more than three, or four colours at most. All the garments
are either dark, or light browns f the crowns, sceptres, and other ornaments, are
gold; the faces, linen, and inside of the cloaks, are expressed by the vellum
itself, slightly shaded, and left clear for the lights. The light back grounds are
gold ; and the dark ones blue, with gold3 stars.
1 [The words in Italics are now broken out of the vellum.—Ed.]
2 [On the contrary, they are nearly all either red, blue, or green, as may be seen by our illumi-
nated copies.—Ed.]
3 [The stars are white, and shew no marks of having ever been gilt.—Ed.]
REGAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
The author gives this account of his picture :
Seynt Edwarde, par la grace Deu, vist le jour de paske al manger les vii dormanz turner lur
destre costez sur lur senestre en gre. E cet jour Godwyne Conte de Kent morust a la table, estrangle
de un morsel. Mult grant myracles fut deu par luy en sa vie e apres.1
Le an del incarnacion nostre Seignur M.LXVI. e de soen reaume xxiiii. devant sa mort devisa
seynt Edwarde le reaume de Engeltere a William Bastarde soen nevou a dunke duke de Normundye.
E puis mourt seynt Edwarde, e gyst enferter [sic in orig.] a Westmuster.
Which is in English as follows :
" As saint Edward (by the grace of God) was sitting at meat on Easter day, the Seven Sleepers
turned from their right side to the left of their own accord. And that very day Godwyne earl of
Kent died at the table, strangled by a morsel of meat. Many great miracles did God work by him (that
is king Edward) in his life-time and afterwards
"The year of the incarnation of our Lord 1066, and of his reign the 24th, saint Edward, before
his death, gave the kingdom of England to William the Bastard, his nephew, at that time duke of
Normandy. After this died saint Edward, and lies buried at Westminster."
The popular story of the Seven Sleepers is often alluded to in ancient books,
but so imperfectly, that all which I can gather concerning them is, that they
were seven travellers, who being weary, laid themselves down in a cave to
sleep, and by some supernatural means they continued sleeping for an amazing
space of time.
The ten illuminations copied from this MS. are very simple in point of colour-
ing, being scarcely more than three, or four colours at most. All the garments
are either dark, or light browns f the crowns, sceptres, and other ornaments, are
gold; the faces, linen, and inside of the cloaks, are expressed by the vellum
itself, slightly shaded, and left clear for the lights. The light back grounds are
gold ; and the dark ones blue, with gold3 stars.
1 [The words in Italics are now broken out of the vellum.—Ed.]
2 [On the contrary, they are nearly all either red, blue, or green, as may be seen by our illumi-
nated copies.—Ed.]
3 [The stars are white, and shew no marks of having ever been gilt.—Ed.]