Augustine, Homilies on John

Title

Augustine, Homilies on John

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 1

Place of origin

England (Reading)

Date

s. xiv med.

s. xiii/xiv

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).

Physical extent

Fols. ii + 321+ i (numbered fol. iii).

Hands

Written in gothic textura prescissa , perhaps more than one scribe, e.g. a possible change of hand on fol. 92v, and perhaps more later. Punctuation by point, punctus elevatus , and punctus interrogativus . On the apparent scribal signature on fols. 281 and 285, see ‘Provenance’ below.

Decoration

Headings in red.

At the head of each homily, a 5-line blue and violet champe, often with gold leaf, usually with floral extensions running the full length of the margin.

In two of these extensions (fols. 296, 308v), what appear to be heraldic devices (Coates 79).

The champes are filled with vine patterns, leaves, and dragons (occasionally human-headed animals, as at fols. 160vb and 163ra).

In the first such (fol. 1ra), the initial I forms a full border, in blue and violet, the letter itself gold with dragons. Some human heads, perhaps added, appear at the ends of the vines.

Occasionally at internal divisions, smaller and less ornate examples, including small blue lombards on red flourishing.

Red running titles identify the liturgical occasions.

At least two initials might be considered historiated: (a) fol. 27vb, the head of homily 6, has an angel within the initial; (b) fol. 46va, the head of homily 9, has an angel and perhaps a human in conversation.

There may be a variety of hands; beginning with homily 50 (fol. 196rb), the gold leaf in the initials has been diapered.

AT no. 268 (28) and plate xv (fol. 235v).

Occasional pencil drawings appear in the lower margin, e.g. a woman carrying towels, fol. 72 .

In booklet 2, the rubric is written in decorative red lombards across the top of the page.

Binding

Later brown leather, s. xviii over slightly bevelled wooden boards, probably from a medieval binding. Partially restored at the bottom of both boards and along the spine of the top board. Sewn on nine double heavy white cords, taken straight into the board, as in Pollard’s figure 5 but unstaggered. Remains of seats for two straps on upper board (with five? brass nails in each) and nail holes from their clasps near the centre of the lower board. Two nails from a chain staple in Watson’s position 6.Early modern vellum paste-downs front and rear blank except for college bookplates on each (different ones). At the front, one paper and one vellum flyleaf; a single paper flyleaf at the rear (iii). Fol. iihas a note of contents, ‘Augustini Homeliae in Iohannem’, s. xviii.

Acquisition

‘Liber Collegij Divi Ioannis Baptistae Oxon’ Ex dono Magistri Ioannis StonorGenerosi de North Stoke in comitatu Oxon’ 1609’ (fol. iiv). On the probable route by which the book passed from Reading Abbey to Stonor; see Liddell, 51–3 , and the more extended treatment at Coates, 135–8.

Provenance

Written and retained at Reading abbey (OSB) (Ker, MLGB 157). Liddell prints (48–49) the Reading book-list from our MS 11, fol. 3, and identifies this book, on the basis of its secundo folio, with item 13 ‘Augustinus super Iohannem euangelistam. ii ofolio. ista omnia’. See the more recent editions, CBMLC B 74 (4:451–3) and Coates, 85–6. Although Registrumindexes this work and surveys Reading, this copy is not noted (sub R.1.105 [26]) , unless ‘43’ there, normally Woburn abbey, is in error for ‘42’ (Reading).

‘Thomas Chakenden ’ Monachus scripsit istum librum’ (fol. 285, the lower margin); ‘Thom Monachus Radyngie scripsit stum librum( fol. 281, the lower margin, partly erased). These plummet inscriptions are perplexing, since Chakenden writes in anglicana, s. xv in., a century after the hand of the text, but a date consistent with Coates’sidentification of him with a monk who fl. 1408 x 1412 (79; cf. Liddell 54 ).

Several other scribbles may be from Reading: (a) ‘Iohan Wyllyam henred non est Wyllelmus henred’ (fol. 321v, lower margin, s.xv/xvi); (b) a cancelled inscription (fol. 306vb); (c) ‘Rycharde shyr‘, ‘Ego sum bonus puer quem deus amat que est ille Gill Gold (fol. 121rb, the leading edge and lower margin);