The Index of Middle English Prose Handlist II: Manuscripts in the John Rylands & Chetham’s Libraries, Manchester

The John Rylands and Chetham’s Libraries, Manchester, were both founded by charitable local magnates and in the course of time have become well known in many parts of the world. Housed in their striking original premises, they both contain major collections of manuscripts which in each case include important texts in Middle English prose. In particular, the Rylands collection, which is the larger, has fifteen copies of the Wycliffite Bible, six of the prose ‘Brut’, three of Nicholas Love’s ‘Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesu Christ<’, two of ‘Pore Caitif’, as well as single copies of numerous other works. Chetham’s has a Wycliffite Bible, a ‘Mandeville’s Travels’, a ‘Polychronicon’ translation by Trevisa, lives of Christ and of the saints, and an important series of scientific and medical texts. The ‘Handlist’ of these manuscripts describes each text and gives concise bibliographical information on each, in the same style as the previously published ‘Handlist I’ covering the Huntington Library.