Justinian, Digest

Title

Justinian, Digest

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 24

Place of origin

England

Date

s. xiii2/4

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).

Physical extent

Fols. v + 183 + iii(numbered fols. vi–viii).

Hands

All three scribes write gothic textura semiquadrata, scribes 1 (fols. 1–80) and 2 (fols. 81–128) above top line, scribe 3 (fols. 129–83) below it. Punctuation by point, medial point , and punctus elevatus .

Decoration

Each scribe follows his own decorative scheme: Scribe 1: titles in red.

At the heads of the books, each ‘planus libro’ introduced by a 2-line red and blue rectilinear rubric.

Sections introduced by alternate red and blue 1- and 2-line lombards.

The texts broken with alternate red and blue paraphs.

Running titles in red give book numbers, with an indication of the topic treated.

Scribe 2: red lombards only, 2-line at the heads of sections, 1-line to break the text; running titles as scribe 1.

Scribe 3: spaces for rubrics unfilled until fol. 143

(quite uniquely ‘Ulpianus’ in blue with red flourishing in the form of scribe 1’s decorative ‘planus libro’, at fol. 164ra).

Alternate 1- and 2-line lombards and paraphs in red and blue to introduce and divide sections.

Running titles in alternate red and blue give the book number.

Binding

A modern replacement. Sewn on five thongs. At the front, a marbled paper flyleaf, two modern paper flyleaves, and two medieval vellum ones (a bifolium, the first of these, fol. iv, a former pastedown). At the rear, two modern paper flyleaves and a marbled paper one (vi–viii).

Acquisition

‘Iohannes Whyte de Suthwyke in comitatu Suth’t Armiger dedit hunc librum Thome Whytede London’ Militi ad vsum Colegij per ipsum de nouo erecti in Oxonia Anno 1555’ ( fol. 1v, upper margin).