Described James, Corpus 357; F.M. Salter and H.L.R. Edwards, The Bibliotheca Historica of Diodorus Siculus Translated by John Skelton, EETS 233 and 239 (London, 1956 for 1950 and 1957 for 1954), vol. 1, pp. ix–xv, and plates on leaf facing title page (of ff. 73 and 247); Nancy H. Owen, ‘Thomas Wimbledon's Sermon: “Redde racionem villicacionis tue” ‘, Mediaeval Studies 28 (1966), pp. 176–177; Ione Kemp Knight, Wimbledon's Sermon ‘Redde rationem villicationis tue’: A Middle English Sermon of the Fourteenth Century, Duquesne Studies, Philological Series 9 (Pittsburgh, Pa., 1967), pp. 4–5; Repertorium, vol. 1, pp. 54–55; Index of Images 93 (Pt. 1 of MS).

[1]

f. 1

﹛M﹜ost reuerent holy fader ther ne hath be wryter of maters in tyme of seasons passid were he neuer so famous a scribe that so desyrous hath ben vnto ony prynce his werke to arette as i haue coueyted …

f. 2v

… in rewardyng my studyous labour wyl saye graunt mercy with thankis immortal but from hensforth lete diodorus hymself haue the langage thus endeth the prohemye of poggius.

John Skelton's English translation of the Proheme of Poggio Bracciolini to his Latin translation of Diodorus Siculus's History of the World, or Historical Library, the Bibliotheca Historica. At head of page ‘Interpretatio Skeltoni poetæ laureati’ in a hand which Alexander Dyce in The Poetical Works of John Skelton, vol. 1 (London 1843), p. cii, suggests is Matthew Parker’s, but this appears not to be the case (William Hale, pers. comm.). Edited by Salter and Edwards, EETS 233, pp. 1–4. IPMEP 457.

Other texts: No other MS of this text appears to exist.

[2]

f. 3

﹛M﹜en ar hyghly bounde of a congruence vnto these wrytars of maters & histories that by their laborious estudye haue pourchaced hye enprowmentes vnto the lyf of man …

f. 7

… and those thyngis whiche by vnconnyng ar not remembrid alle others mennes wysedom of theym shall haue the correction.