Art. 110, Contra inimicos si quos habes

by: Susanna Greer Fein (Editor)

from: The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 3  2015

136r]    2 3 4 5 6 7 8 136v] 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

N; T    N; T N N N N T T T T T N; T

¶ Contra inimicos si quos habes, lege hunc psalmum lxiii, “Exaudi Deus orationem meam cum deprecor.” Super has philatirias, et ligas eas in brachio tuo et vinces eos. ¶ Si quis factus fuerit egenus et pauper, dicat hunc psalmum cotidie, sepcies in die et sepcies in sero, et convertetur eius inopia in diviciis: “In te Domine speravi” im [Psalm 30], “Deus venerunt [gentes]” [Psalm 78]. ¶ Si quis timuerit temptationem, leget hunc psalmum, “Salvum me fac Deus” [Psalm      68], et fiet tranquillitas magna in terra et in mari, et saneberis in quo volueris. ¶ Scribe hunc psalmum in carta (et nomine infirmantis), | et suffumiga incenso in trivio, et quadrivio, et cotidie lege hunc psalmum, “Deus in adiutorium meum intende” [Psalm 69], et sanabitur. ¶ Si placitare debeas cum maiore vel potenciore, antequam exeas ad placitum, dic hunc psalmum: “In te Domine speravi” [Psalm 70]. ¶ Et contra adversarios et maliciosos, dic, “Deus laudem [meam ne tacueris]” [Psalm 108]. ¶ Scribe hunc psalmum in nomine cuius vis et nomine martiris eius, et liga in brachio tuo — “Deus iudicium tuum regi da” [Psalm 71] — et habebis dilectionem ab eo maximam. ¶ Scribe hunc psalmum, “Quam bonus Israel [Deus]” [Psalm 72], et suspende in brachio tuo, et dabitur tibi quod postularis a principe vel potestate. ¶ Scribe hunc salmum, “Ut quid Deus rep[p]ulisti” [Psalm 73], in nomine inimici tui simul, et nomen tuum, et has philatirias et mitte in ignem, et dispergentur statim. ¶ Quod non planget puer, scribe hunc psalmum totum et liga in brachio pueri, et non planget: “Nonne Deo subiecta [erit anima mea]” [Psalm 61]. ¶ Ad elevationem corporis Christi, dic hunc psalmum, “Te Deum laudamus.”

¶ Against enemies if you have them, read this Psalm 63, “Hear, O God, my prayer, when I make supplication to thee.” Concerning these phylacteries, you both tie them on your arm and bind them. ¶ If anyone becomes destitute and a pauper, let him say this psalm daily, seven times during the day and seven times in the evening, and his need will be turned into wealth: “In thee, O Lord, have I hoped” the first [Psalm 30], “O God, the heathens are come” [Psalm 78]. ¶ If anyone bears temptation, he will read this psalm, “Save me, O God” [Psalm 68], and a great calm will be made upon earth and sea, and you will be restored as you wish. ¶ Write this psalm on paper (and with the name of the person suffering debility), | and fumigate with incense at the meeting of three roads, and of four, and daily read this psalm, “O God, come to my assistance” [Psalm 69], and he will be restored. ¶ If you must make a plea with a greater or more powerful person, before you go forth to plea, say this psalm: “In thee, O Lord, I have hoped” [Psalm 70]. ¶ And against opponents and evildoers, say, “O God, be thou not silent in my praise” [Psalm 108]. ¶ Write this psalm in the name of whomever you will and in the name of his martyr saint, and bind it on your arm — “Give to the king thy judgment, O God” [Psalm 71] — and you will have the greatest delight from him. ¶ Write this psalm, “How good is God to Israel” [Psalm 72], and hang it on your arm, and what you demand of a prince or an authority will be granted to you. ¶ Write this psalm, “O God, why hast thou cast us off” [Psalm 73], in the name of your enemy, and [write] your name, and put these phylacteries into the fire, and they will be scattered immediately. ¶ So that a child will not whine, write this whole psalm and bind it on the child’s arm, and he will not whine: “Shall not my soul be subject to God” [Psalm 61]. ¶ At the Levation of Christ’s body, say this hymn, “We praise you, God.”

Go To Art. 111, Seint Hillere archevesque de Peyters ordina ces salmes, introduction
Go To Art. 111, Seint Hillere archevesque de Peyters ordina ces salmes, text

Footnotes

ART. 110, CONTRA INIMICOS SI QUOS HABES: EXPLANATORY NOTES

Abbreviations: AND: Anglo-Norman Dictionary; ANL: Anglo-Norman Literature: A Guide to Texts and Manuscripts (R. Dean and Boulton); BL: British Library (London); Bodl.: Bodleian Library (Oxford); CT: Chaucer, Canterbury Tales; CUL: Cambridge University Library (Cambridge); DOML: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library; FDT: French Devotional Texts of the Middle Ages (Sinclair 1979); FDT-1: French Devotional Texts of the Middle Ages, . . . First Supplement (Sinclair 1982); IMEV: The Index of Middle English Verse (Brown and Robbins); MED: Middle English Dictionary; MWME: A Manual of the Writings in Middle English, 1050–1500 (Severs et al.); NIMEV: A New Index of Middle English Verse (Boffey and Edwards); NLS: National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh).

1–2 Psalm 63. See also Occasions for Psalms in French (art. 101), lines 11–12; and Occasions for Psalms Ordained by Saint Hilary of Poitiers (art. 111), lines 20–21. The scribe, writing lxiiij, misnumbers the psalm

5–6 Psalm 30. See also Occasions for Psalms in French (art. 101), lines 3, 5; and Occasions for Psalms Ordained by Saint Hilary of Poitiers (art. 111), lines 8–9. This psalm is written in the bottom margin and inserted with a caret. It is identified as “the first” to distinguish it from Psalm 70 (as it is in art. 111).

6 Psalm 78. See also Occasions for Psalms in French (art. 101), line 22. Along with Psalm 30, this psalm is written in the bottom margin and inserted with a caret. The addition of a second psalm to this item may be an afterthought.

7–8 Psalm 68. See also Occasions for Psalms in French (art. 101), line 18–19; and Occasions for Psalms Ordained by Saint Hilary of Poitiers (art. 111), lines 47–48.

10–11 Psalm 69. See also Occasions for Psalms in French (art. 101), lines 20–21.

13 Psalm 70. See also art. Occasions for Psalms Ordained by Saint Hilary of Poitiers 111, line 40.

26 “Te Deum laudamus.” An early Christian hymn of praise, also known as the Ambrosian hymn, which remains in regular use in the Catholic Church. By tradition, its authors are Saints Ambrose and Augustine, who composed it for the occasion of Augustine’s baptism in 387. Another tradition ascribes it to Saint Hilary of Poitiers, to whom authorship of the next item in MS Harley 2253 is ascribed (see art. 111). The same hymn also closes art. 111.

ART. 110, CONTRA INIMICOS SI QUOS HABES: TEXTUAL NOTES

ABBREVIATIONS: As: Aspin; Bö: Böddeker; Br: Brook; BS: Bennett and Smithers; BZ: Brandl and Zippel; B13: Brown 1937; Dea: J. M. Dean; Do: Dove 1969; Fl: Flood; Fö: Förster; Fu: Furnivall; HB: Hunt and Bliss; Kem: Kemble; Ken: Kennedy; Mi: Millett; Mo: Morris and Skeat; MS: MS Harley 2253; Mu¹: H. J. R. Murray; Mu²: J. A. H. Murray; NB: Noomen and van den Boogard; Pa: Patterson; Rev: Revard 2005a; Ri: Ritson 1877; Ro: Robbins 1959; SP: Short and Pearcy; Si: Silverstein; St: Stemmler 1970; Tu: Turville-Petre 1989; Ul: Ulrich; W¹: Wright 1839; W²: Wright 1841; W³: Wright 1842; WH: Wright and Halliwell.

1 lxiii. MS: lxiiij.

5–6 In te Domine speravi, i^m, Deus venerunt. MS written in lower margin and inserted with a caret.

14 Deus laudem [meam ne tacueris]. MS: Deus laudem.

16 martiris. MS: mris (an abbreviation for either martiris or matris).

19 Quam bonus Israel [Deus]. MS: Quam bonus Israel.

21 Ut quid Deus rep[p]ulisti. MS: Vt quid Deus repulisti.

25 Nonne Deo subiecta [erit anima mea]. MS: Nonne Deo subiecta.

26 dic. MS: dice (e abbreviated).