The old service-books of the English Church . and the Psalter often contain thenames of previous owners, and both these books fre-quently contain notes (generally entered in the calendar)respecting members of the family of the owner. Bothbooks, too, as would naturally follow from the fact thatthey belonged to lay-people, remain in immeasurablylarger numbers than any other class of are at times, though rarely, bound up together,as, for instance, the Brit. Mus. MS., Harl., 3,000. Prymers are of almost all sizes. MS. Brit. Mus.,Harl., 2,862, is little more than an inch in height
The old service-books of the English Church . and the Psalter often contain thenames of previous owners, and both these books fre-quently contain notes (generally entered in the calendar)respecting members of the family of the owner. Bothbooks, too, as would naturally follow from the fact thatthey belonged to lay-people, remain in immeasurablylarger numbers than any other class of are at times, though rarely, bound up together,as, for instance, the Brit. Mus. MS., Harl., 3,000. Prymers are of almost all sizes. MS. Brit. Mus.,Harl., 2,862, is little more than an inch in height, whilstMS. Brit. Mus., 2. B. XV., is considerably more thana foot. Though the Prymer is often found with no ornamentwhatever, and in the plainest and cheapest form, as inthe Brit. Mus. MS., 17,011, other examples in theabundance of their ornamentation surpass every service-book. This is easily to be accounted for by the fact thatthe book, in some form or other, was in the possession ofall classes, and the more wealthy would very reasonably. AN EXAMPLE OF THE COMMON PICTURE PRECEDING THECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DYING IN THE PRYMER FROM THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 1KYMERBrit. Mus. MS. Slo. 2,471, leafing BOOKS USED BY LAY-FOLK : THE PRYMER 253 be disposed to expend considerable sums on a book ofsuch a nature. The ornamentation of the Prymer may take the formof elaborate borders, fine initial letters, or very beautifullyexecuted little When the book is ornamented with pictures, thoseplaced before certain sections of the book generally takecertain specific forms. The Hours of the Blessed Virginwill be preceded by a picture of the the Office for the Dead will be a representationof a funeral service, and before the Commendations willbe a representation of three little nude figures beingcarried up in a white sheet towards the Almighty depictedabove. The relation of this last picture to the text of thelittle service before which it is placed is apparent. Theservic
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Keywords: ., book, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectchurchofengland
