Vulgate Bible

Title

Vulgate Bible

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 110

Place of origin

England

Date

s. xiii2/4

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).

Physical extent

Fols. ii + 371+ i (numbered fol. iii).

Hands

Written in gothic textura semiquadrata , below top line. Punctuation by point, medial point , and occasional punctus elevatus .

Decoration

Headings in alternate lines of red and blue between books (some in red only).

The stub preceding fol. 1 has bits of a vinet.

Books introduced by 8-line champes on gold leaf, with long marginal ascenders and descenders, vine and leaf decoration with dragons, and sometimes other animal shapes.

Chapters noted in margins in blue or red with contrasting paraph; the text divided by 1-line lombards, alternating red and blue, and red-slashed capitals.

Books indicated in running titles of alternating red and blue lombards.

Psalms (fols. 164va–83ra)has its own decorative scheme—3-line lombards, alternately blue on red flourishing and gold leaf on blue flourishing with lengthy marginal extenders; champes with vine and dragons at the nocturns; alternate 1-line red and blue lombards for versals.

See AT, no. 208 (22).

Binding

Brown leather over millboards, with a stamped fillet, s. xvii. Sewn on six thongs. Gold ‘110’ in the top compartment of the spine, in black ink on the leading edges. All edges red-coloured. At the front, one paper flyleaf and one vellum flyleaf (probably a former pastedown); at the rear, one paper flyleaf (iii).

Modern paper pastedowns, a College bookplate on the front pastedown.

Acquisition

‘Liber Collegii Divi Joannis Baptistae Oxon Ex dono Edwardi BernardiSocii et Bibliothecarii 1667’ ( fol. 1, lower margin).