• Detail of a miniature in colours and gold showing Pliny writing in his study and a landscape with animals, rivers, the sea, sun and moon., Historia naturalis (index Natural history)

Detail of a miniature in colours and gold showing Pliny writing in his study and a landscape with animals, rivers, the sea, sun and moon. The miniature was painted by Andrea di Firenze, according to unpublished notes of A.

• Detail of a white vine initial 'M'., Historia naturalis (index Natural history)

Detail of a white vine initial 'M'. The miniature was painted by Andrea di Firenze, according to unpublished notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.Leaf signatures. Catchwords.Written by two scribes and decorated in different

• Detail of arms from the lower border of the folio., Historia naturalis (index Natural history)

Detail of arms from the lower border of the folio. The miniature was painted by Andrea di Firenze, according to unpublished notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.Leaf signatures. Catchwords.Written by two scribes and

• Detail of the drawing of a surgical instrument., Medical miscellany, including Bradmore's 'Philomena' in Middle English translation (ff. 6-184v)

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. Surgical instrument John Bradmore England

• Text pages with marginal commentary and illuminated initial 'S'(ic), at the beginning of Book VI: 'Sic factur lacrimans, classique immittit habenas'., Aeneis (index Aeneid) , with a verse preface (ff. 1-201); Extract from Servius on Aeneis 6 (f. 202)

Text pages with marginal commentary and illuminated initial 'S'(ic), at the beginning of Book VI: 'Sic factur lacrimans, classique immittit habenas'. f. I is a paper flyleaf.Marginal commentary (ff. 87v to 97). 18 large initials in gold on red

• Full-page miniature of Michael III of Wallachia on horseback. The text in the border reads: 'The figure is without soul, but it has the eyesight of a living person, and if anybody wants to know the effigy of this one, it is of the akoutsos (or famous) Master (Afthentis) Michalis of whom all Turks, both young and old, were scared'., Life of Michael III, Voivod of Wallachia (Mihai Viteazul)

Full-page miniature of Michael III of Wallachia on horseback. The text in the border reads: 'The figure is without soul, but it has the eyesight of a living person, and if anybody wants to know the effigy of this

• Headpiece and decorated initial., Life of Michael III, Voivod of Wallachia (Mihai Viteazul)

Headpiece and decorated initial. Spaces left for other miniatures.f. 1 is a paper fragment with notes by Covel pasted to f. [iiv] (see Wright 1972).For the text, see Emile Legrand, ~Bibliothèque grecque vulgaire~ (Paris: H. Welter, 1881), II, pp.

• Historiated initial 'Q'(uoniam) with a portrait of Bartholomaeus de S. Concordio and an illuminated initial 'A'(bbas)., Summa Pisana with an index (ff. 222v-226v) (index Summa de casibus conscientiae, Summa Pisanella)

Benedicti papae xii. Atque scriptum et finitum anno dom. MCCCCLV . xx die mensis Decembris, in civitate Cortoniensi' (f. 226v). John Gibson (fl. 1720-1726), dealer; sold to Edward Harley on 28 August 1724 (see ~Diary~ 1966; Wright 1972).The monastery of

• Miniature in colours and gold showing Pliny writing in his study and a landscape with animals, rivers, the sea, sun and moon; text with a decorative initial 'M', and decorated borders with a coat of arms., Historia naturalis (index Natural history)

Miniature in colours and gold showing Pliny writing in his study and a landscape with animals, rivers, the sea, sun and moon; text with a decorative initial 'M', and decorated borders with a coat of arms. The miniature was

• Decorated initial 'C'(um), and, in the lower margin, the initials 'R. R.' and arms of Roger Rotherham, azure, on a mount, three pointed, vert, a stag in full course or., Strategemata (index Strategematica, De re militari)

(possibly a fellow-commoner of Corpus Christi in 1544): his name inscribed (f. 1) (see Watson 1979).Unidentified shelfmark, '38' (f. 1). John Lumley, 1st baron Lumley (b. c. 1533, d. 1609), collector and conspirator: inscribed with his name (f. 1); listed

• Detail of the lower margin, with initials 'R. R.' and arms of Roger Rotherham, azure, on a mount, three pointed, vert, a stag in full course or., Strategemata (index Strategematica, De re militari)

(possibly a fellow-commoner of Corpus Christi in 1544): his name inscribed (f. 1) (see Watson 1979).Unidentified shelfmark, '38' (f. 1). John Lumley, 1st baron Lumley (b. c. 1533, d. 1609), collector and conspirator: inscribed with his name (f. 1); listed

• Detail of the arms of Ludovicus Petronius, of Siena, in the lower border., Leonardo Bruni Aretino, De bello italico adversus Gotos (ff. 1-54); Elegies and funeral tributes to Leonardo Bruni by various authors (ff. 54v-74v)

Detail of the arms of Ludovicus Petronius, of Siena, in the lower border. Catchwords in the bottom left corner. Pricking holes.The same scribe wrote Harley 4883 in 1451-2. 2 large white vine initials in gold and colours, with the

• White vine initials 'R'(em) and 'L'(eonardus) at the beginning of the prefatory texts, with the arms of Ludovicus Petronius, of Siena, in the lower border., Leonardo Bruni Aretino, De bello italico adversus Gotos (ff. 1-54); Elegies and funeral tributes to Leonardo Bruni by various authors (ff. 54v-74v)

White vine initials 'R'(em) and 'L'(eonardus) at the beginning of the prefatory texts, with the arms of Ludovicus Petronius, of Siena, in the lower border. Catchwords in the bottom left corner. Pricking holes.The same scribe wrote Harley 4883 in

• Coloured initial and musical notations on 4-line staves., Life of Thomas Becket (index Vie de Thomas Becket), in Anglo-Norman verse, followed by an Anglo-Norman crusade noted song ‘S’onques nus hom pour dure’ (ff. 14-14v); Anglo-Norman romance Guy of Warwick (index Gui de Warewic) (ff. 15-26)

Coloured initial and musical notations on 4-line staves. The life of Thomas Becket in verse was composed c. 1184. It is based on one by Robert of Cricklade (d. c. 1174), prior of St. Frideswide's, Oxford, now lost. It

• Text page with added notes., Life of Thomas Becket (index Vie de Thomas Becket), in Anglo-Norman verse, followed by an Anglo-Norman crusade noted song ‘S’onques nus hom pour dure’ (ff. 14-14v); Anglo-Norman romance Guy of Warwick (index Gui de Warewic) (ff. 15-26)

Text page with added notes. The life of Thomas Becket in verse was composed c. 1184. It is based on one by Robert of Cricklade (d. c. 1174), prior of St. Frideswide's, Oxford, now lost. It can also be

• Detail of a text page of St Albans's Annals, datable to 1428-1431 (ff. 100-120)., Chronicle, AD 1-1135 (ff. 34-61), with additions up to 1266 (ff. 61v-73)

Detail of a text page of St Albans's Annals, datable to 1428-1431 (ff. 100-120). The life of Thomas Becket in verse was composed c. 1184. It is based on one by Robert of Cricklade (d. c. 1174), prior of

• Coloured drawing of an English king in armour and tabard (King John), presenting a plaque with verses. Unfinished., Anonymous verses on the kings of England, to Henry VI, unfinished (manuscript also known as Sir Thomas Holme's Book of Arms) (index Heraldry)

king in armour and tabard (King John), presenting a plaque with verses. Unfinished. This manuscript, together with two other manuscripts (London, British Library, Add. 45133 and London, Guildhall Library, Print Room (s.n.)) is known as 'Sir Thomas Holme's Book' because

• White vine initial 'I(nter) at the beginning of Aristotle's Politica., Politica (ff. 1-122v), Economica (ff. 123-130v), various letters by Leonardus Brunus Aretinus, etc.

White vine initial 'I(nter) at the beginning of Aristotle's Politica. Catchwords written horizontally. The whole manuscript is in the same hand, with the exception of f. 75 which appears to be a singleton (possibly added in the late 15th

• Detail of a white-vine initial 'Q'(uot igitur)., Politica (ff. 1-122v), Economica (ff. 123-130v), various letters by Leonardus Brunus Aretinus, etc.

Detail of a white-vine initial 'Q'(uot igitur). Catchwords written horizontally. The whole manuscript is in the same hand, with the exception of f. 75 which appears to be a singleton (possibly added in the late 15th century to replace

• Illuminated initial 'P' and border., New Testament, in the later Wycliffe version (index Bible), with prologues, table of lessons, and a table of arguments of the various books

the various books John Harefinch, in 1708: inscriptions 'John Harefinch His Booke 1708', twice, and 'John Harefinch' (f. 274v); 'John Harefinch His Book' (ff. 19v, 20, 47); 'John Harefinch is owner of this book' (f. 74); John Harefinch is the