The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

Shelfmark R.3.16
Manuscript Title

The Sidney Psalms

Alternative Title

Sir Philip Sidney's Metrical Version of the Psalms.

James Number 596
Date 16th century
Century 16th
Physical Description

About 24 lines on a page. Well written. The page is surrounded with red lines.

Provenance

Given by W. Lynnett, S.T.B., Fellow, in 1664. His name is on the binding (W. Lynnet, T.C.).

Donor Lynnet, William (c.1622-1700), Fellow Of Trinity (1647)
Size (cm) 28 x 20
Folio 302 ff.
Material Paper
Language English
IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/R.3.16/manifest.json
Online Since 23/06/2017

Contents

Title-page.
The / Psalmes of David / metaphrased with sundry / kindes of verse /
By the noble and famous gent / Sir Philip Sidney / knight.
The first page of the text has an ornament at top in pen and ink.
Psalme .i. Beatus vir
He blessed is who neither loosely treades
the straieng stepps, as wicked councell leades.
Ps. 150 ends on p.301.
Conclud by all, that aire or life enfould:
Let high Jehoua, highly be extould.
Finis. / Sir Ph. Sydney kt (added).
On p.302 is this note in a contemporary hand.
I have perused this metaphrase of the Psalmes by that Worthy, whose happy Meditations may yield others content, and a precedent worthy imitation.
Which I desire may be published in Print.
John Langley.
Below, an erasure of two words.

Bibliography

The Sidney Psalms and Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, Library Blog (2019)

Kinnamon, N., 'The Sidney Psalms: the Penshurst and Tixall manuscripts', English Manuscript Studies 1100-1700, 2 (1990), 139-61

Brennan, M. G., 'Licensing the Sidney Psalms for the press in the 1640s', Notes and queries, 31 (1984), 304-5

This work is copyright the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License