ILLUSTRATIONS OF PRUDENTIUS.
MIL A R LY iUuminated manuscripts of
the - Psychomachia of Prudentius occur
| 'in several collections. The British Museum
possesses 'One:: another is found
I, in the library of Archbishpp Tenison, in
I the .parish^of;;!3t. Martin in the Fields;
f and we belieye that there is one in each
I of / the ’ Univprsitiel? They are all of
about «the* same date. The accompany
ing/ pMe-'Tepresents three of the draw
ings which illustrate the copy in the
British »-Museum (MS. Gottorn Cleopat.
Fi^AVIII.), which‘appears to'^be a manu-
[ script of ahojit the ninth century. They
1 are good illustrations of the civil and
["military costume of that period. It may
be observed 'that,’ as far as we can judge
by the Rhiminations which have come
f 'dovm to us, the dress of our ancestors
did not vary much during the Anglo-Saxon' period.
Prudentius’ (a^Ghristian'nbfet^ M i wrote ffiffl the' beginning of the fifth oen-‘
tury) -was a favourite author among the Anglo-Saxons,' and " their love of allegorical
writing made them prefer, abo^e' the -rest cjf poems, his Psychomachia,
in which is* described an imaginary battle/between the Virtues and the
Vices, the combatants being - all, .dcxhe'd inhuman attributes; In the course
of'the engagement, Patience is attacked'*$y Anger, . whom she defeats , by the
resistance of herJ impenetrable armour:—,.
“ Provida nam Virtus conserto adamante trilio.em
-induerat thoraca humeria, squamosaque ferri
Testa per intortoa eommiserat nwfc fcerv o s.
Inde quveta ipanet Patientia, fortis'ad omn.es
4<j. lelorumnimbos, et non pcrtetrabile durans.".
AftCn -{the.' defeat of Anger, Patience marches unhurt through the hostile