• Large initial with white vine decoration for the prologue to Matthew's Gospel., Bible, from Proverbs to Apocalypse (imperfect)

Large initial with white vine decoration for the prologue to Matthew's Gospel. Guide letters accompanied by numbers. Running titles in red. Catchwords. Pricking holes.Proverbs are imperfect, Judas is not included. The Catholic Epistles, Acts of the Apostles, Apocalypse, Pauline

• White vine initial 'S'(anctissimo) at the beginning of the Letters of Catherine of Siena., Lettere di Caterina da Siena (index Letters of St. Catherine of Siena; Epistulae S. Caterinae de Senis)

White vine initial 'S'(anctissimo) at the beginning of the Letters of Catherine of Siena. Begins: 'Incipiunt epistole gloriose virginis beatissime k[a]terine desenis recollecte per reverendum in christo p[at]rem do[mi]num stephanum de senis priore[m] monasterii sancte Marie de gratiis p[...]pe

• 'Champ' initial 'L'(ucius) with foliate ink tendrils at the beginning of the text., Epistulae morales ('Ad Lucilium')

red or blue. Capitals marked with a stroke of red. Line-filler in blue ink (f. 62). Epistulae morales ('Ad Lucilium') John Chamberlayne (b. 1666, d. 1723), son of Edward Chamberlayne (b. 1616, d. 1703): sale of his library conducted by

• Pen-flourished initials 'O'(bsecro), 'S'(it), 'R'(eligio), 'S'(iquis)., Various religious and philosophical texts, including Diaeta Salutis, Meditationes, and Saint Patrick's Purgatory (ff. 129-134v)

blue. Capitals marked in red. Various religious and philosophical texts, including Diaeta Salutis, Meditationes, and Saint Patrick's Purgatory (ff. 129-134v) John Tiptoft, earl of Worcester (d. 1470), administrator and humanist: inscribed with his name and the date 1470 (f. 1*v).Sir

• Challenge with partial border and heraldry., Westminster Tournament Challenge

Challenge with partial border and heraldry. Shows signs of folding. Partial border of a green plant with white and red roses and pomegranates, representing Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon with 2 royal badges of a portcullis (badly rubbed)

• Puzzle initial 'P'(ost) at the beginning of the prologue., Polychronicon (to 1377)

decoration. Coloured initials in blue or red (only in red from f. 81). Polychronicon (to 1377) The hospital of St. John the Baptist, Exeter (Devon), early 15th century: ownership inscription 'liber hospitalis sancti Johannis Exon' and press mark 'F 2'

• Decorated initial 'Q'(uid) at the beginning of Book 3., Disputationes tusculanae

Decorated initial 'Q'(uid) at the beginning of Book 3. Catchwords written vertically. 5 large initials in gold on a blue and pink or green and pink panel (ff. 1, 3v, 42, 64, 121v). 1 initial has been excised (f.

• Historiated initial 'O' (Tite) with the head of a man (?Cicero) and acanthus leaves extending into the margins., De senectute (ff. 90-106v), De amicitia (ff. 107-125v), Paradoxa stoicorum (ff. 126-135), Somnium Scipionis (ff. 135-139)

Historiated initial 'O' (Tite) with the head of a man (?Cicero) and acanthus leaves extending into the margins. Part 1: original foliation. Ends with a table of contents (ff. 87v-89) Historiated initial with the head of a bearded man,

• Historiated initial 'P'(ost) of an enthroned king, perhaps Richard II, at the beginning of the text., Polychronicon

Historiated initial 'P'(ost) of an enthroned king, perhaps Richard II, at the beginning of the text. Ranulph Higden (b. c. 1299, d. 1364), was a monk of the Benedictine abbey of St. Werburg, Chester. His 'Polychronicon' is a universal

• Historiated initial 'E(t si) with the head of a man (?Cicero), besants and acanthus leaves extending into the margins at the beginning of the text., Rhetorica ad Herennium (index De ratione dicendi ad Herennium)

Historiated initial 'E(t si) with the head of a man (?Cicero), besants and acanthus leaves extending into the margins at the beginning of the text. ff. 1* and 53 have been washed and reused as flyleaves for the present

• Decorated initials: 'I'(tem), 'D'(ialectica), 'G'(ustus), 'I'(tem), 'I'(tem), and 'O'(lfactus)., Tracts on various subjects, including rhetoric and mathematics, and Alan of Lille's De planctu naturae (ff. 17-32v)

1-17).Robert Talbot (b. c. 1505, d. 1558), antiquary and scholar of Winchester college, fellow of New College, Oxford, friend of John Leland, prebendary and canon of Norwich from 1547 to 1558: his ownership inscription (f. 1).Edward Stillingfleet (b. 1635, d.

• White vine initial 'T'(erentii), Vita Terentii (ff. 1-3v); Comoediae (index Comedies) (ff. 3v-169)

White vine initial 'T'(erentii) 7 white vine initials in colours and gold (ff. 1, 5, 32v, 61v, 89, 116v, 141). Alternating red or blue initials. Rubrics and abbreviations of protagonists' names in red. Vita Terentii (ff. 1-3v); Comoediae (index

• Decorated initials'H'(eredes), 'M'(ulier), and 'C'(irca)., Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus Regni Angliae

Plain initials in red or blue. Rubrics and paraphs in red, now faded. Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus Regni Angliae John Anstis the elder (b. 1669, d. 1744), herald and antiquary, gift to Robert Harley (prior to 1724) together with

• Puzzle initial 'H'(enricus)., Various statutes from the reign of king Henry III to the reign of king Edward I, with a table of contents (ff. 1-4v) (index Statuta Antiqua)

Puzzle initial 'H'(enricus). For a detailed list of the contents, see the Harley Catalogue.A parchment fragment inscribed in English is pasted onto f. [iv]. Marginal drawings in brown ink of animals (ff. 148v, 152v). Drawings in brown ink and

• Illuminated initial 'S'(eynt poul)., An exposition on the Apocalypse and two Lollard tracts on verses in the Gospel of Matthew

nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Illuminated initial John Wycliffe (attributed to) England

• Diagram representing the genealogy of Jupiter., Genealogy of the gods (ff. 1-4), Names of rivers (f. 4v), Commentary on Aeneis (f. 5), Aeneis (index Aeneid) with marginal gloss (ff. 5v-168v)

Diagram representing the genealogy of Jupiter. Watermark in the shape of a flower.ff. 5-7v are blank.Leaf signatures. Catchwords written horizontally. 14 large puzzle initials in red and blue (ff. 5v (x2), 6 (x2), 31v, 43, 83v, 84, 97, 109,

• White vine initial 'P'(re multis) with a butterfly at the beginning of Demosthenes' Orationes., Various works including Demosthenes' Orationes (index Orations), Aeschines' Orationes, Oratio pro Ctesiphonte, and other orations

White vine initial 'P'(re multis) with a butterfly at the beginning of Demosthenes' Orationes. Catchwords written horizontally.Includes formulae addressing various persons beginning with Pope Martin V (dedication) and ending with the nobles and aldermen of London (ff. 177-184). 9

• Decorated initial 'F'(yve) at the beginning of the general prologue to the Old Testament., General prologue to the Old Testament

to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Decorated initial John Purvey England

• Coloured initial 'A'(nd)., Miscellany of religious texts, beginning with the Lord's Prayer, the Ave Maria, the Apostle's Creed, and the Ten Commandments (both of the latter with exposition), followed by treatises

Coloured initial 'A'(nd). For a detailed description of the contents, see the Harley Catalogue.ff. 1*, 2* are parchment flyleaves. Initials in red, some large, some small. Paraphs in red. Miscellany of religious texts, beginning with the Lord's Prayer, the

• Historiated initial 'U'(t) with the author Petrus Isolellae in profile and acanthus leaves extending into the margins to form a full border; female figure in the lower margin and kneeling man in the outer margin., Summa grammaticae (index De arte grammatica)

Historiated initial 'U'(t) with the author Petrus Isolellae in profile and acanthus leaves extending into the margins to form a full border; female figure in the lower margin and kneeling man in the outer margin. Catchwords written horizontally. Large