Published by Primary Source Microfilm

Series One: The Medieval Age, c.1150 -- c.1500

The so-called "Dark Ages" were in fact a period of great literary creativity. This rich resource illuminates the full scope of medieval literary endeavor, from prose and poetry to saints' lives, homilies and scriptural paraphrases.

The medieval period marks a particularly fascinating time in the history of English Literature, when patterns of language usage began to shift. The vernacular was becoming an increasingly popular medium for literary expression, challenging the traditional dominance of Latin and French. For example, John Gower wrote in all three languages: the "Speculum Meditantis" in French, the "Vox Clamantis" in Latin and the "Confessio Amantis" in English. This change is reflected in the materials selected for this collection; although most can correctly be described as "English literature," written in the English of the day, where appropriate, a number of works in Latin or French are included.

Principal works by major authors abound. Chaucer is represented by four varying texts of The Canterbury Tales (Dd IV 24, Gg IV 27, Ii III 26, and Mm II 5) and by minor works ranging from his Tractatus de Conclusionibus Astrolabii (Dd III 53) to the Lament of Jack Upland against Antichrist and His Disciples (Ff VI 2) and the Poem of the Cuckow and the Nightingale (Ff I 6).

The Vision Concerning Piers the Plowman by William Langland (c.1330-c.1400) appears in no less than six manuscripts. The C-text contained in Add. 4325 is of particular interest.

John Gower is represented by several versions of Confessio Amantis (eg. Dd VIII 19 and Mm II 21) and more than 70 works by Richard Rolle of Hampole appear in the collection. These include the Speculum Peccatoris or Myrour of Sinners and the Speculum Vitae or Myrour of Life. (Also included is the Stimulus Conscientiae, generally known as the Prick of Conscience, for many years attributed to Rolle.)

This collection also features works by the later Chaucerians -- Thomas Occleve and John Lydgate. There are two versions of Occleve's rhyme-royal English text of the Aegidus Latin treatise De Regimen Principum or The Rewle of Princes (Gg VI 17 and Hh IV 11).

Other significant authors include Walter Map or Mapes (c.1137?before 1209), Robert Grosseteste (d.1253), John de Trevi'sa (1326-1412), and John Wycliff (c.1320-1384). There is also a wealth of anonymous literature representing the range of vernacular poetry--religious, lyrical, and historical--together with pieces in Latin and French, such as a collection of sacred verse (Dd XI 78) and Le Roman de la Rose (Gg IV 6).

These examples hint at the richness and diversity of the collection as a whole, which opens up many new opportunities for students of medieval literary style, language use, changing tastes and popular culture. In addition, this material is an invaluable aid to historians and linguists researching the gradual evolution of a standardized form of English.

The collection is accompanied by a printed guide providing a list of reels and the volumes that appear on each reel.

Part One: Medieval Manuscripts Dd-Ff
17 reels

Part Two: Medieval Manuscripts Gg-Ii
17 reels

Part Three: Medieval Manuscripts Kk-Oo and Additional
15 reels

Series Two: The English Renaissance, c.1500-c.1700

The English Renaissance scholars reinvigorated every aspect of cultural life, from political and religious belief to literature and art. In doing so, they challenged many contemporary attitudes to society, culminating in a new vision of the individual's place in the universe.

Cambridge was at the center of this intellectual transformation. Many scholars of the English Renaissance studied there, in including Dean Colet, Roger Ascham, Sir Francis Bacon, Edmund Spencer, John Milton, Samuel Pepys and Thomas Campion. These figures exerted a profound influence on literary society. This collection illustrates the range of their literary work.

Scholars of Francis Bacon will find a copy of "a letter of advice to Queen Elizabeth" (L.I.iii.10); a volume of original letters (Dd.iii.73); and a copy of one of the three "letters of advice to the Earl of Rutland on his travels."

The archive also includes sermons by John Donne, and provides an invaluable resource from which to study the poetry of John Donne and some of his contemporaries.

Other highlights include a proof of Milton's Lycidas, Sir Kenelm Digby on Spenser, Francis Beaumont's Salamacis and Hermaphroditus, Sir Philip Sidney's The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia and a transcript of Sir Walter Raleigh's last speech.

This material is provided with a guide that includes a detailed listing of catalog entries taken from "A Catalogue of the Manuscripts Preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge Press" (1867, reprint 1950). The guide covers entries up to and including manuscript number (154) Adv.D.38.6. It also provides a brief explanatory note of the remainder of the manuscripts.

Part One: Manuscript from the "Double Letter" Series
22 reels

Part Two: Manuscript from the Additional series including the Sir Geoffrey Keynes Collection
13 reels

Complete collection: 84 reels