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Detail from BL Harley 2278, f. 87v

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Detail from BL Harley 2278, f. 87v

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Summary

Miniature of Fremund praying. Image taken from f. 87v of Metrical lives of Saints Edmund and Fremund, in the presentation copy for Henry VI, including the prologue (ff. 1v-5). Written in English and Latin.

The "BL Harley Manuscript" refers to a collection of medieval manuscripts held in the British Library in London. The Harley Manuscripts are part of the larger collection known as the Harley Collection, which was assembled by Robert Harley (1661–1724) and his son Edward Harley (1689–1741). Robert Harley was a prominent English statesman and bibliophile, and he began amassing a vast collection of books and manuscripts in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

The Harley Manuscripts are known for their diversity and include a wide range of texts, including historical chronicles, illuminated manuscripts, legal documents, literary works, and scientific treatises. The collection contains over 7,000 manuscripts, and it is considered one of the most important manuscript collections in the British Library.

The Harley Manuscripts are numbered with the prefix "Harley," followed by a specific manuscript number. Each manuscript in the collection has its own unique content and history, and they cover a broad spectrum of topics and time periods. Some of the manuscripts in the collection are beautifully illuminated, with intricate illustrations and decorations.

Fremund was the son of a pagan king who reigned in England, named Offa. Offa was baptized, performed many miracles, converted his parents, and resigned his kingdom to his son. Danes, Hinguar and his brother, Hubba ravage England and put King Edmund to death. Offa sends twenty nobles to seek his son, and, finding him, they implore his aid, and he assents in consequence of a vision in which it is revealed that each of his companions shall appear a thousand to his enemies. He attacks and defeats 40,000 of the enemy with the twenty who have come to seek him, in addition to his two companions. In a great battle at Radford Semele, while he is prostrate in thanksgiving for the victory, Oswi, formerly one of Offa's commanders who had apostatized and joined the pagans, cuts off his head. Blood spurts over Oswi, who implores absolution and forgiveness, which the head pronounces. Fremund rises and carries his head some distance, when, a spring bursting forth, he washes his wound, falls prostrate and expires.

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Date

1434 - 1439
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Source

British Library
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Public Domain

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