An imperfect copy, lacking title-page, and all following f. cxxxvi, of an unidentified early sixteenth-century printed edition of the Latin Decretales of Gregory IX. The text ends at the beginning of c. 1, X, De fideiussoribus, III, 22. Preceding the Decretales are sixteen originally-blank paper leaves, and a vellum leaf containing a fragment of a medieval Latin text, in a XIII cent. hand, originally used as a front pastedown, now raised and left as a fly-leaf. The covers bear blind-tooled rolled decorations of Oldham's 'heads in medallions' type, similar to his HM. h (29), identified as a London production of 1533-44; see further J.B. Oldham, English Blind-Stamped Bindings (Cambridge, 1952), 54 & plate L.
The volume was owned at the end of the sixteenth or beginning of the seventeenth centuries by 'Lewis Johnes', who added his name on ff. 16, xlvv, xlvi and inside rear cover. He also added pen trials and Welsh poetry to the sixteen preliminary blank leaves. The poems include an early cywydd attributed to Siôn Tudur (c. 1522-1602) (ff. 9 verso-10), a text seemingly first attested in Cardiff MS 2.114 of 1564-5, see Enid Roberts, Gwaith Siôn Tudur (Caerdydd, 1980) I, 672; an incomplete cywydd, attributed elsewhere to Gruffudd ab Ieuan ap Llywelyn Fychan (c. 1485-1553) (f. 12); and a series of 37 englynion of gnomic type, each beginning with 'Eira mynydd ...' (ff. 5 verso-9). These englynion are not among those appearing in Oxford Jesus College MS 111 (Llyfr Coch Hergest), col. 1028-9 (see Kenneth Jackson, Early Welsh Gnomic Poems, Cardiff, 1935, 22-6), and their form and contents suggest that they are later-dating imitations of the genre, seemingly unattested. The name of Lewis Johnes (or Jones), again in a late sixteenth- or early seventeenth-century hand, also appears in the first part of NLW MS 5283B (pp. 7, 98, 119, 126, 161, 166 and 170), a collection of cywyddau, mostly written in his hand, which begins with the above-mentioned poem attributed to Siôn Tudur. Johnes' legal connection, exemplified by his ownership of the Decretales, may also be reflected in the legal script which he adopts when writing his name on pp. 98 & 126 of this manuscript, a volume which also bears the names of Evan Johnes (p. 166), Hughe Johnes (p. 55) and Harry Jones (pp. 13, 43, 88, 140), possibly kinsmen.

A miscellany of prose and verse begun by Robert Edmund, corvizer, Bala. It includes 'englynion' by David Thomas ('Dafydd Ddu Eryri') [1759-1822], 1784-1792, Rolan[t] Huw [1714-1802], Evan [Evans] 'Fardd ac Offeiriad' ['Ieuan Fardd' or 'Ieuan Brydydd Hir'] [1731-1788], Robert Lewis, Robert Edwards, Sion Brwynog 'o Edeyrnion' [d. ?1567], Evan Ellis (Llanfawr, 1791), John Williams (Dolgellau), W[illiam] Jones (Llangadfan) [1726-1795], Thomas Jones, J. Robert, Rice Jones, Rhobert Gwilym and Robert Edwards (Llandderfel); a hymn by Walter Davies ('Gwallter Mechain') [1761-1849], with a letter and 'penillion' by David Jones ('Dafydd Sion Siams'); 'cywyddau' by Evan Ellis, 1791-1793, Robert William [1744-1815], Maredudd ap Rhys [fl. 1440-1483], Tudur Aled [c. 1465-c. 1525], Edward ap Raff [fl. 1587], Hugh Hughes ['Huw ap Huw' or 'Y Bardd Coch o Fôn'] [1693-1776], John Prys (Cae'rddinen), John Roberts (Tydu, 1782-1787), Rhys Jones ('o'r Blaenau', 1789), William Jones (Llangadfan) and Walter Davies; 'awdlau' by Robert William, Pandy, 1793, John Williams alias Shon Cynwyd, 1792, Rowland Huw and Rhys Jones 'o'r Blaenau' [1713-1801]; a copy of the first twelve chapters of Rhetoreg ... by Henry Perry [1560?-1617]; copies of letters by John and Evan Robert, 1793-1794; correspondence concerning Llandderfel, 1843; an extract from the will of 'Mr. Meyrick' relating to a charity school at Bala.

'Llyfr Ystrad Alun', containing (a) items in prose, (b) a very large number of 'cywyddau', 'awdlau', 'englynion', and 'carolau' or 'cerddi', and (c) some poems in English. --
(a) The prose items are 'Araith Wgan', 'Addysg rhifyddiaeth, yr hon ddengys rhifedi or ddaiar hyd y lleuad, or lleuad hyd yr haul, or haul hyd y Nefoedd, or nefoedd hyd vffern a lled a thewdwr y ddaear i bob ffordd', 'Dyna fal i mae y saith blaened yn Raenio yn gyntaf Satarnus, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercurius a Luna...', and 'Breuddwyd Gronwy ddu'. -- (b) Among the poets represented are Sion Phylip, Raff ap Robert, Morgan ap Hughe Lewis, Edmwnd Prys, Wiliam Cynwal, Wiliam Phylip, Thomas Llywelyn, Dafydd Llwyd, Sion Cent, Sion Tudur, Hwmffre Dafydd ab Ieuan, Gruffudd Gryg, Thomas Prys, Dafydd Vaughan (alias Dafydd ab Ieuan), Huw Llwyd Cynfal, Huw Morus, Sion Ifan Clywedog, Maredudd ap Rhys, Hywel Swrdwal, Sion Brwynog, Dafydd Nanmor, Iolo Goch, Owain Gwynedd, Ieuan Brydydd Hir, Gruffudd ab Ieuan ap Llewelyn Fychan, Huw Arwystli, Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch, Ieuan ap Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd, Robin Clidro, Harri Hywel, Taliesin, Dafydd ab Edmwnd, Guto'r Glyn, Rhys Goch Eryri, Gruffudd ap Dafydd Fychan, Tudur Aled, Bedo Brwynllys, Wiliam Llyn, Rhys Cain, Gutun Owain, Dafydd Gorlech, Dafydd Llwyd ap Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Llywelyn ab Owain, Robin Ddu, Hywel Rheinallt, Ieuan Dyfi, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Gwerful vch Hywel Fychan, Rhys ap Harri, Mathew Owain, Dafydd Humphreys, J. Jones, Gruffydd James, Syr Hughe Heiward, Hopcyn Thomas ('O Llanelli'), Thomas Rowland, Wil Watkin Ju., Han Edward Morus, Wiliam Siencyn, Ifan ap Sion, Lewis Dwnn, Robin Dyfi, Ifan ap Cadwaladr, Sion Morgan, Lewis Gwynne, Tomos ab Han Sion, Sion Scrifen, Wiliam Dafydd, Rees Prees, Owen Edward, Oliver Rogers, Dafydd Manuel, Richard Abram, Rowland Vaughan, James Dwnn, Robert Lloyd, etc. -- (c) The English items include 'A Christmas Carol' by D. H., 'Agony of or Saviors birth' by J. Jones, 'A Confession of a sinner', 'The prayer of a sinner at the hour of death', 'An effectuall prayer for grace, mercy and forgiveness of sins', 'The dying teares of a penitent sinner', 'Queene Elizabeths delight', 'The Horny booke' by John Scriven, 'A lover departure' by D. ff. Two poems by Dafydd Vaughan, 'Gwir gariad' and ['Camgymeriad'], have stanzas in English and Welsh alternately, the Welsh following the English. -- As so many of the poems in the manuscript are by Dafydd Vaughan he may possibly have been the scribe. The volume has annotations by Walter Davies ('Gwallter Mechain') who has designated it 'Llyfr Ystrad Alun' and who transcribed some poems from it - see NLW MS 1658.