Ms 571 fol.1 'The Somme the king' (vellum)

Teaching the first commandment of the Church; page from the educational treatise on morality and religion written in 1279 by his Confessor, the Dominican monk Frere Laurent, for Philippe III le Hardi (1245-85), king of France from 1270-85; because of its royal commission, this manual of moral and religious instruction was called 'The King's Summary'; very popular in the middle ages and translated into Provencal, Flemish, Catalan, Spanish and Italian; over 100 copies are extant; also known as 'Somme des vices et des vertus'; 'Summary of vices and virtues';