Ambrose, De officiis; Life of Saint George, Latin verse

Title

Ambrose, De officiis; Life of Saint George, Latin verse

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 120

Place of origin

England

Date

s. xii/xiii

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Vellum (HSOS/HFFH).

Physical extent

Fols. ii + 111+ i (numbered fol. iii).

Hands

The first two booklets (fols. 1–76) written in transitional protogothic bookhand/gothic textura, fols. 55vand 76vperhaps in a second hand; the final booklet in gothic textura semiquadrata (in some places, prescissa), perhaps by more than one scribe. Punctuation by point, punctus elevatus , punctus interrogativus, and occasional double point and punctus flexus (booklets 1–2); and by point and punctus elevatus at line ends (booklet 3).

Decoration

In early portions (the first quire and text 2 only), red headings and running titles.

Textual sections open with 2-line alternating red and green arabesque initials; on fol. 1, blue and red lombards on flourishing of the other colour.

In the verse, alternate red and gold or red and green arabesque initials at section heads and 1-line examples at the head of each quatrain (other lines have larger pen-and-ink initials).

Binding

A modern replacement. Sewn on two thongs. At the front, a modern marbled paper leaf and one modern paper flyleaf; at the rear, another marbled paper leaf (iii).

Acquisition

‘Iohannes white de Suthwyke in Comitatu Sutht armiger dedit hunc librum Thome whitede london militi ad vsum colegij per ipsum de nouo erecti in Oxon’ Anno 1555’ ( fol. 1, upper margin).