Gospels written in Anglo-Saxon characters.

The Rev. F. Havergal thus describes it: "This MS. is written on stout
vellum, and measures about 9 x 7 inches. It consists of 135 leaves. Three
coloured titles remain, those to the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and
St. John. Two illuminated leaves are missing--those that would follow folio
1 and folio 59. With the exception of these two lacunae, the MS. contains
the whole of the Four Gospels.

No exact date can be assigned, but several eminent authorities agree that
it is the work of the eighth or ninth century.

It does not exactly accord with any of the other well-known MS. of that
period, having a peculiar character of its own.

From the evidence of the materials it would appear to have been written in
the country, probably in Mercia, and not at any of the great monasteries.

The text of this MS. is ante-Hieronymian, and offers a valuable example of
the Irish (or British) recension of the original African text. Thus it has
a large proportion of readings in common with the Cambridge Gospels, St.
Chad's Gospels, the Rushworth Gospels, and the Book of Deir.

On the concluding leaves of this volume there is an entry of a deed in
Anglo-Saxon made in the reign of Canute, of which the following is a
translation:--

"Note of a Shire-mote held at AEgelnoth's Stone in Herefordshire in the
reign of King Cnut, at which were present the Bishop Athelstan, the
Sheriff Bruning, and AEgelgeard of Frome, and Leofrine of Frome, and Godric
of Stoke, and all the thanes in Herefordshire. At which assembly Edwine,
son of Enneawne, complained against his mother concerning certain lands at
Welintone and Cyrdesley. The bishop asked who should answer for the
mother, which Thurcyl the White proffered to do if he knew the cause of
accusation.

"Then they chose three thanes and sent to the mother to ask her what the
cause of complaint was. Then she declared that she had no land that
pertained in ought to her son, and was very angry with him, and calling
Leofloeda, her relative, she, in presence of the thanes, bequeathed to her
after her own death all her lands, money, clothes, and property, and
desired them to inform the Shire-mote of her bequest, and desire them to
witness it. They did so; after which Thurcyl the White (who was husband of
Leofloeda) stood up, and requested the thanes to deliver free (or clean) to
his wife all the lands that had been bequeathed to her, and they so did.
And a