Title from incipit (leaf 1/2r): Here begynneth the boke Intituled Eracles / and also of Godefrey of Boloyne / the whiche speketh of the Conqueste of the holy londe of Iherusalem.
Colophon (leaf 17/5v-6r): Thns [sic] endeth this book Intitled the laste siege and conquest of Iherusalem with many other historyes therin comprysed / Fyrst of Eracles, and of the seseases of the cristen men in the holy londe, And of their releef [and] conquest of Iherusalem, and how Godeffroy of boloyne was first kyng of the latyns in that royamme [and] of his deth. translated [and] reduced out of ffreusshe [sic] in to englysshe [leaf 6r] by me symple persone Wylliam Caxton... Which book I presente unto the mooste Cristen kynge. kynge Edward the fourth. humbly besechyng his hyenes to take no displesyr at me so presumyng. whiche book I began in marche the xii daye and fynysshyd the vii day of Juyn, the yere of our lord .M.CCCC.lxxxi [and] the xxi yere of the regne of our sayd saverayn lord kyng Edward teh fourth. [and] in this maner sette in forme [and] enprynted the xx day of novembre tehyere of forsayd in thabbay of Westmester by the sayd Wylliam Caxton.
Printed in Caxton's type 4:95B.
Collation: a⁶ b⁴; 1-16⁸ 17⁶: 144 leaves, leaves a1 and 1/1 blank.
Paper format: Chancery folio
A translation of excerpts from a French version of William of Tyre's Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum by William Caxton between 12 March and 7 June 1481..
PML copy leaf dimensions: 28.2 x 20 cm.
Eracles
Hand decoration: Rubricated, red lombards, paragraph marks (C-type with extended top curl), and underlining in chapter list. Annotations: No notations in text. Multiple inscriptions, pen trials, and sketches on fly leaves/former pastedowns, sixteenth/seventeenth century: Cironomon mensis lectis, assistit aliptes... (Anglo-Saxon Metrical Vocabulary); Ante deo veniens, e vel o liquida mediante (Alexander of Villa Dei, Doctrinale, ch. V); Munera pauca sine puero des autem mulieri, hic moritur puer immemor est et femina mutat (proverb, see Rigg, Glastonbury Miscellany, pp. 88-89); Hast thou done wel today, quoth Robyn; Ihesu that dyed on the rode and syne he rose fro dethe to lyve; In nomine Ihesu and Mary.