CUL/Dd.10.50
NAME
Dd.10.50.
DESCRIPTION
Paper; iii + 158 + ii; 220 x 145; fifteenth century (mid).
CONTENTS
f. iii recto: Ownership inscription; f. iii verso: Latin material; ff. 1r–158v: Group A version of John Mirk's Festial (IPMEP 734), beginning with the Prayer and Prologue and ending imperfectly towards the beginning of the feast of Sts Simon and Jude, equating with Erbe 1905:263/23.
PARALLEL TRADITIONS
See BL/Claudius A.ii.
COMMENTS
There is occasional annotation of the manuscript in a different fifteenth-century hand, for example, on ff. 35v, 36r, and 66v. The ownership inscription is that of John Worthington, fellow of Peterhouse, and dated 1688. LALME:I, 66 localises the first hand (ff. 1r–12v) and the third hand (ff. 15r–125v) in Leicestershire and Derbyshire respectively.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CUL Catalogue:I, 437; Powell (forthcoming).
Sermon Description: BL/Claudius A.ii/023
AUTHOR
John Mirk.
OCCASION
Annunciation (25 March).
HEADING/TITLE
De annunciacione beate Marie uirginis.
LENGTH
50v–52r.
INCIPIT
Suche a day 3e schul haue an hygh feste in holy chirche žat is callud že annunciacion of oure lady, že evon of že whyche whosoeure hath avowed or is ioynyd he mote faste. 3e schul know žat žis is kalled že annunciacion, for že fadur of heuen send hys holy angel Gabriel doun oute of heuen into že cyte of Nazareth to oure lady, žat was new weddud be že byddyng of God and reuelacion of že Holy Gost to ane olde man žat was callyd Ioseph. And os scheo was in hur chambur in hure preyeres, že angel Gabriel com to hure and grette hur wyth mylde chere, and sayde, 'Hayle be žu ful of grace! God is wyth že! Blessyd be žu of alle wommen!'
EXPLICIT
And whan hys throte was so grete iswollon žat he mythe vnnethe drawen brethe, oure lady come to hym and sayde, 'Fylberte, my servawnte, hit were euel idone žat žin throtte schulde lengar suffur žis penaunce žat hath so ofte gladud me wyth my v ioyes', and žarwyth toke oute hur swete pappe and mylkyd on hys throte, and so 3ode hur way. And anone žerwyth he was hole asse fysche and žankud oure lady heghly, and taute alle other to do so že same. And at hys ende he hadde blysse of heven, to wyche blysse God bryng vs alle to. Amen.
SUMMARY
[An account of the annunciation is given in English, paraphrased from Lc 1:26–38.] Mary was afraid when Gabriel appeared to her because there was at that time a man disguising himself as an angel [51r] to prey upon women. In conceiving Christ, Mary can be compared to an onyx, the precious stone which opens up to receive a drop of dew when the sun shines on it. After nine months it opens again and another onyx falls out, leaving the original stone unchanged. After the angel's message, Mary went to stay with her cousin Elizabeth until John the Baptist was born, acting as Elizabeth's midwife. On her return to Nazareth, Joseph wondered at her pregnancy, knowing it was not his child. [51v] God ordered him to wed Mary, though at first he was unwilling, thinking himself unworthy. Ambrose gives four reasons why Mary married Joseph: so that she would not be stoned for adultery; to avoid shame; so that Joseph could bear witness to her virginity; and so that Joseph could help Mary at the birth and the flight into Egypt. It also helped to prevent the devil from identifying Christ.
Some ask why a wine-jar and a lily stand between Mary and Gabriel at the annunciation. [An exemplum is given which explains the significance of the lily and the wine-jar.] [Ex 1] Those who fast on the five vigils of Mary in worship of her five joys know that this is the first joy. The second was at Christ's birth, [52r] the third at his resurrection, the fourth at his ascension, and the fifth at her assumption. All those who greet her daily with these five joys will not feel the sorrows of hell. [An exemplum is given concerning a virgin who recited the five joys of Mary daily.] [Ex 2] [An exemplum is given concerning Mary's healing of St Filbert.] [Ex 3]
BIBLICAL CITATIONS
cf. Lc 1:40–41; cf. Lc 1:26–38.
PROPER NAMES
Mary; Gabriel; St Joseph; St Elizabeth; St John the Baptist; St Filbert.
PLACE NAMES
Nazareth; Bethlehem; Egypt.
CONCEPTS
Annunciation; Five Joys of Mary.
EXEMPLA
[Ex 1] In conversation with a Jew about Christ's conception, a Christian said that as a lily produces a green stalk and then brings forth a white flower without any human agency, so Mary conceived of the Holy Spirit and brought forth Christ. The Jew said he would not believe until he saw a lily grow out of a nearby wine-jar. A lily did spring out of the jar and the Jew was converted.
[Ex 2] A devout maiden greeted Mary daily with the five joys. When she became sick, she worried about where she would go after her death. Mary appeared to her and told her that she would join her in everlasting joy.
[Ex 3] St Filbert was unable to breathe because his throat was swollen. Mary had pity on him because he had so often recited her five joys. She expressed milk from her breast onto his throat and he recovered and was 'hole asse fysche'.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Erbe 1905:106–10.
