Described Thomas James 37; Stanley D. 6; Nasmith 182; James, Corpus 182; Wilkins, Middle English, pp. 11–12; Matheson, Brut, p. 197; Index of Images 62.

[1]

f. 1

Here begynneth a booke in englissh tonge called brute of englonde or the cronicles of englonde compilinge and treatynge of the saide lande howe hit was first wildernesse and forlete and nothing therinne but wilde bestis and foulis and afterwarde howe hit was inhabite by whom and in what maner and thanne of alle the kingis and grete lordis …

f. 1

The prloge of this booke declareth and tellith howe þis lande was furst callid albioun after the eldest doughter of the riolle kinge dioclisian [..] surre callid albyne the which albyne with her .xxxij. sustres …

f. 1

Sum tyme in the noble londe of surre ther was a noble & a worthy man called dioclisyan a grete conquerour and a mighty man so þat he conquered many londis aboute him in so moche that all the kingis of the world were to him attendaunt and contributours whos wyf was callid sabana | (f. 1v) his wyff hadde .xxxiij. doughters þe which …

f. 179v

… yerely to paie to him and to his successours for all maner custumes and fee ffermys and quaterumes .xx. dj marke and thanne the king enterid into the toun and restid him in the castell tylle the toun was sette in rule and goueraunse.

The Brut. Lower part of first page of text stained. Eleven missing folios (ff. 6–7, 9–14, 174–176) have been replaced by s. xvi copies. MS 174 appears to have served as exemplar for these. A fragment of the original f. 6 has been inserted after f. 60. In red crayon in Matthew Parker's hand on f. 151 (at the point recording the death of Edward III) is ‘hic terminatur unus liber’ (i.e. MS 174). In a later (s. xvi) hand below the text on f. 179v: ‘Explicit usque ad annum 7m henrici quinti’. Wells Rev. 8:2818 [10]. IPMEP 374. Ed. Brie (1906–08).