New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-23
THE ASHBURNHAM MANUSCRIPTS
A SALE OF EXCEPTIONAL TREASURES.

A portion Of the collection OF manuscripts
known as the Appendix" and formed by the
| late Earl Of Ashburnham. will be sold at Messrs.
Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodges on May l. NO
such collection has come up for sale since the
! Hamilton MSS were sold in 1899 and the auc-
| ton is likely to draw collectors from all parts
Of Europe and America Those who have fol-
| lowed at. all closely the market OF rare books
during the last few years do not need TO be told
| of the great strides which illuminated manu-
scripts have made in the favor OF collectors.
The prices which good specimens now realize
are many times more than they would have
sold for decade ago. In its somewhat limited
way, therefore, the sale fixed for May prom
| Uses to be the great event OF the season
| This portion Of what is known as the APP
pendix' Ashburnham MSS. comprises III lots.
of varying interest. The first lot is fourteenth
century "Legenda Sanctorum" or "Lyyes OK
Seyntis in Engysshe." 1t bears William Her
| berts autograph and date 1916. while the arms
Of Elias Ashmole are stamped in gold on the
! sides One Of the most interesting OF the early
| English MSS. is the volume known az the Troy
Book; or. the History of the Siege and Destruc-
| ton of Troy" in English verse by John Lyri-
gate. after the Latin of Guido Coionna: there are
362 leaves. but. unfortunately. the Ms. is IN
perfect at the beginning and end. the first Two
lines being: ""
"Doun from hevyn for allie his deyte
| he ravyShede thorough her bewte."
| Another MS Of exceptional interest to Eng
| shmen is that OF Sir Philip Sidneys Arcadia
dating from the sixteenth century, comprising
.S' leaves but. unfortunately. imperfect at the
| A
verse and prose. recipes. etc, Of the fourteenth
and sixteenth centuries. contains some extreme
! ~ curious things-a treatise on biood-lettng
| begins thus:
'Maystris that vthytA bIode Ietyng
and that wyth getheth your leyyng. rIoH
Here we may lere WISDOM full code =,
| In what place ye schulle let blode."
[ The Frossart. LES Chroniques de France ct
| d Angleterre." dating from the sixteenth cen
fury, is written in double columns with rubrics
/ and illuminated initials and the three volumes
! comprise over nine hundred leaves. There are
| two small volumes OF Lives Of saints in Eng
| lsh. the interesting being that of THE
! Life Of Saint Kateryne." which is taken from
| the Golden Legend" and is the same version
as that printed by CaXton in 1883 but some
what moderated. There are three fifteenth
century MSS OF The Chronicle Of Brute" and
| three WARDROBE books of Edward l. dating from
| 1899 to 1907; the earliest is especially in
teresting from the fact that il is more complete
| than that in the Society of Antiquaries. which
was printed by John Topham in lISI There -
also the Wardrobe-bcok OF Queen Eleanor nrst
consort OF Edward J. dating from l2S9 10 l29i.
There are no fewer than three fourteenth CEN
| fury manuscripts OF Chaucer's Canterbury
| Tales and one Of the succeeding century but
! only the later version is complete. Another
| very interesting Chaucer Tot comprises three
| volumes folio and one quarto OF collections Tor
the edition OF his works begun by John Orry
and finished by Timothy Thomas We hope that
| these volumes will be secured by the British
| Museum inasmuch as the Hareian MS. Os.,3
contains the draught of the preface to Urrys
thaucer AMI other matter IN THOMAS : WritiHSS
! which must originally have belonged to these
collections OF another early English poet Rob-
| ert Iangland, there are two MSS Of The Vision
| Of Piers Plowman' and two other volumes are
made up of poems. etc, OF Thomas HocclcVe.
| dating from the fourteenth to the fifteenth CEN
turtles
The collection is rich in old French rOmances
| One of these, lie Roman de Gauvain." OF the
thirteenth century. purchased at the sale
| of Louis PhpPe's books; another lie Roman
! de ParthenopeX de Blois appears 10 be the
| only perfect copy known of this rare romance
! II contains 1880 lines. while the edition pub
| lines derived from two imperfect MSS. OF
! cral others we need only mention Il thirteenth
century MS Of lie Roman de ElmOnt and
| d'Agolant" a fine MS. of the thirteenth
| fury written presumably in England, and ap-
parenty unpublished
OF Bibles books Of hours psalters and mis-
sails there are many of great interest. The sec
ond lot" IL a fine copy OF the Latin Bible (Psal-
| terio omisso) Jo3 leaves il dates from tlie
! fourteenth century. and the initials at the be-
| ginning Of each book finely illuminated IN
| miniature, as are also the initials to the pyo-
logues, There are two very choice ffeeath
century books Of hours. one in French beau
tifully Illuminated with Initials, borders and
miniatures. in colors and gold: and the other in
Latin every page having a rich border all
round: both are the work OF French artists
Finally, special mention may be made OF the
MS of the later version Of Wycffes Bible. With
which the sale closes: it comprises 40f leaves.
and the very exhaustive collation. Is from the
pen of the Rev. Professor Skeat. In 162O tins
MS was i'm the possession of William Daven-
porte. Of Bramha near Stockport. and the Ms.
vas sold by OF the heirs, and Is the last
NC Ia I,t. tael of AChh