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Description: | Bury St. Edmunds was the burial place of St. Edmund, a Saxon King of East Anglia, martyred in 869 by Viking invaders who had also martyred St. Fremund in 866. John Lydgate (probably from Lidgate, 10 miles from Bury), a monk of the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds and one of the most prolific writers of Middle English, translated this work from Latin into English to be presented to the 12-year-old King Henry VI, to commemorate his stay at Bury from Christmas 1433 to Easter 1434. It is likely that this manuscript was made at Bury under Lydgate's supervision for presentation to the king.
The image in the margin probably alludes to the Old Testament King David (who killed a lion with his bare hands), as a model of strength and courage: the adjacent text refers to the courage and prowess of St. Edmund's royal father. | License: | http://www.bl.uk/services/copy/permission.html | Rights holder: | British Library | Source: | Collect Britain | Identifier: | http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personal... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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