Digital Index of Middle English Verse: No. 4535

DIMEV 4535

IMEV 2843

NIMEV 2843

Saint Aldhelm the confessor was a man of noble life

Life of St. Aldhelm in the South English Legendary — couplets

Title(s): South English Legendary

Subjects: Aldhelm, saint, life of; saints’ lives

Versification: — two-line — aa

Manuscript Witnesses:

1.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Ashmole 43 (SC 6924), ff. 83-84

First Lines:

SEyn Aldelm þe confessour was man of noble lyue
Ibore he was in engelond þe kynges broþer sone Iue…

Last Lines:

…Nou bidde we ȝerne seynt aldelm þat he our erande bere so
þat we mote to þe Ioie come þat he is on ido

Attributed Title: synt Aldelm (f. 83)

2.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Bodley 779 (SC 2567), ff. 87v-88v

First Lines:

Seint aldelme þe confessour was man of noble lyue
I bore he was in ingelond þe kynges broþir sone yue…

Last Lines:

…Now bidde we ȝerne syre aldelme oure erande to bere so
Þat we mote to þe ioye come þer he is in I do

Attributed Title: Seynt aldelme þe confessour (f. 87v)

3.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Bodley 779 (SC 2567), ff. 204-204v

First Lines:

Seint aldhelme þe confessour was man of noble lyue
I bore he was in ingelonde þe kingis broþer sone yue…

Last Lines:

…Now bidde we ȝerne seint aldelme þat he oure erande bere so
þat we moot to þe opye come þat he is in Ido

Note: Second occurrence in MS.

Attributed Title: Seint aldelme þe confessour (f. 204)

4.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Eng. poet. a.1 (SC 3938) [Vernon MS], ff. 31rb-31va

First Lines:

Seint Aldelm þe Confessour was mon of goode lyue
I boren he was in Engelond þe kyngus broþur sone yue…

Last Lines:

…Nou bidde we God and seint Aldelm vr erende þat heo do so
Þat we mote to þe Ioye come þat he is Inne i do. A.M.E.N.

Facsimiles:

Doyle, I. A., ed. The Vernon Manuscript. A Facsimile of Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Eng. poet.a.1, with an introduction by A. I. Doyle. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1987.

Scase, Wendy, and Nick Kennedy, eds. A facsimile edition of the Vernon manuscript: Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Eng. Poet. A. 1. Oxford: The Bodleian Library, 2011.

5.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Laud misc. 463 (SC 1596), ff. 51va-52rb

First Lines:

SEint Aldelm þe confessour was man of noble liue
y bore he was in engelond þe kinges broþer Iue…

Last Lines:

…Nou bidde we Yerne seint Aldelm oure erand bere so
þat we mote to þe ioye come þat he is inne y do

Note: Two columns per page, one full-line, the other half-line.

6.Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library Tanner 17 (SC 9837), ff. 110-111

First Lines:

SEint aldelin þe confessour was a man of noble lyue
Bore he was in Ingelond þe kingis broþeris sone yue…

Last Lines:

…Bidde we ȝerne seint aldlin oure arende to bere so
þat we mote come to þe ioye þat he is Inne I do

7.Source: Oxford, Trinity College 57, f. 48

First Lines:

Seint Aldelme þe Confessour was man of noble lyue
I bore he was in Engelond þe kynges broþer yue…

Last Lines:

…Now bidde we ȝerne seint aldelm oure erande bere so
Þat we mote to þe ioye come þat he ys ynne y do

Attributed Title: vita sancti aldelmi (f. 48, to left, rubric, by scribe)

8.Source: Cambridge UK, Corpus Christi College 145, ff. 79v-80v

First Lines:

Seint Aldelm þe confessour was man of noble liue
Ibore he was in engelond þe kinges broþer sone yue…

Last Lines:

…Ich rede þat king & bissop þer of take gode sone
Nou bidde we Yeorne seint aldelm oure erende bere so
Þat we mote to þe ioie come þat he is on ido

Editions:

D’Evelyn, Charlotte, and A. J. Mill, eds. The South English Legendary: Corpus Christi College Cambridge MS. 145 and British Museum MS. Harley 2277, with variants from Bodley MS. Ashmole 43 and British Museum MS. Cotton Julius D.ix. EETS o.s. 235 (1959), 236 (1956); repr. 1967: 1.211-14.

9.Source: Cambridge UK, King’s College 13, Part II, ff. 46v-47v

First Lines:

SEint Aldelme þe confessour was man of good line
I bore he was in Engelonde in þe kinges tyme yne…

Last Lines:

…Now bidde we ȝerne seint Aldhelm oure erande to bere so
Þat we mote to þe ioie come þat he is on i do

10.Source: Cambridge UK, Magdalene College Pepys 2344, pp. 293-295

First Lines:

Seint Aldelm þe confessour was man of goede lyue
ybore he was in Engelonde in þe kynges tyme yue…

Last Lines:

…Now bidde we ȝeome Seint Audelm oure erande to bere so
Þat we more come to þe ioye þat he is ynne ydo

Attributed Title: Aldelmus (RT)

11.Source: Cambridge UK, Trinity College R.3.25 (605), ff. 65v-66v

First Lines:

SEint aldelme þe confessoure was man of goud lyf
bore he was in englonde þe kinges broþer sone yue…

Last Lines:

…Now bydde we seint aldelm oure erand bere so
Þat we mot to þe Ioie come þat he is on ydo

Attributed Title: Aldelme (RT)

12.Source: London, British Library Addit. 10301, ff. 93-96

First Lines:

SEint Aldelm þe confessor was man of noble lyne
I bore he was in engelond þe kynges broþer sone yne

Last Lines:

…Now pray we ȝerne Seint Austin þat to cristendom vs broȝte
þat we to þe Ioye come to wan oure lorde vs boȝte

Attributed Title: De sancto Aldelme (f. 93, by scribe in margin beside first line); Aldelmo (RT)

13.Source: London, British Library Cotton Julius D.IX, f. 86v

14.Source: London, British Library Egerton 1993, f. 155v

15.Source: London, British Library Egerton 2810 [olim Allan of Darlington], f. 63

16.Source: London, British Library Egerton 2891, f. 88v

17.Source: London, British Library Harley 2277, f. 54

18.Source: New Haven, Yale University, Beinecke Library, Takamiya Deposit 54 [olim Weld, sold Sotheby’s, lot 57, June 24, 1980], ff. 84v-85v

First Lines:

Seynt Aldeyne þe confessour was man of noble lyve
Ibore he was in Engelond þe kynggis broþer sone yve…

Last Lines:

…Now prey we fast seint Aldelyn þat he our eraunde bere so
That we mowe to þe Ioie come þat he is in ydo. Amen