The Macclesfield Psalter

Prayers to Christ

Texts and Images

The first prayer is a request for protection against the temptations of the devil. The next one, which has a large initial containing a portrait of a young blond man, possibly the patron, consists of a plea for support at the hour of death so that the penitent can make a full confession and be saved. The subsequent prayer, marked by a foliate initials, is a request for remission of sins after death. The following two texts are brief prayers to be recited on waking. The manuscript ends with a prayer to be said on going to bed.

The initial, decorated with oak leaves and acorns, extends into a three-sided bar border with foliate motifs. A man-beast hybrid, wearing a white cap, crouches in the lower border.

Related content: The Macclesfield Psalter