Vulgate Bible

Title

Vulgate Bible

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 123

Place of origin

France

Date

s. xiii2

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).

Physical extent

Fols. ii + 584 + ii(numbered fols. iii–iv).

Hands

Written in gothic textura semiquadrata with decorative topline ascenders (the first fifty or so folios perhaps by a different scribe). Punctuation by point and occasional punctus elevatus.

Decoration

At the head of Genesis (fol. 4 rb)a full-column I with vine and leaf and animal and bird forms in orange, brown, and white on a blue ground.

At the heads of prologues and books, 5- to 8-line blue and violet champes with bar extenders, vine interlace, and shapes similar to those in the large initial.

At chapter heads, alternating 2-line blue and red lombards on flourishing of the other colour.

Red chapter numbers or spelled-out numbers (in a few places, alternating red and blue roman numerals).

Red-slashed capitals to divide text.

Running titles for books in alternate red and blue lombards.

Ten historiated initials, generally 8 lines, except as indicated:

Fol. 1ra: Jerome visited by the Holy Spirit while writing (seven lines);

Fol. 56ra (Numbers): the horned Moses before the Jews (12 lines);

Fol. 146ra (3 Reg.): David in his bed with three watchers;

Fol. 188vb (2 Par.): Solomon enthroned with sceptre;

Fol. 210ra(Nehemiah): two men shaving the hair of an apostate Jew kneeling and bound to a pillar (?);

Fol. 223ra: the blinding of Tobit;

Fol. 227rb: Judith beheading Holofernes;

Fol. 239va: Job on the dunghill with the three comforters;

Fol. 250rb (Psalms): David harping;

Fol. 279ra(Proverbs): Solomon enthroned with his sceptre teaching a boy from a book.

See AT, no. 685 (68).

Binding

Brown leather over wood, s. xvi, with rolls and stamps; rebacked, probably s. xviii or xix. The rolls are of oldham’s type HM.g, although not apparently identical to any of the examples illustrated. Sewn on four thongs. Marks left from earlier straps and clasps (the clasp seatings in the lower board fairly recently repaired); inside the front cover, verdigris stains and holes from a chain-staple in Watson’s position 6. Pastedowns of modern paper over earlier cloth. On the front pastedown a paper declaration of gift (see Provenance). At the front, two paper flyleaves; at the rear, a medieval vellum flyleaf and a modern paper one (iii–iv).

Acquisition

A shield, azure, three birds or (two above, one beneath), on a bed of leaves in argent and gules, presumably the arms of the donor; below, a motto on golden ribbon ‘Vertu est la vray ho?nevr’; below this the inscription: ‘This Manuscript of the old and New Testament is presented wth all Pleasure and Humility to be deposited in perpetuity in the Library of Saint Johns College Oxford by me Charles MargasLondon October 20th 1729’ (the front pastedown). Fol. iirecords the MS as belonging to St John’s on 1 November 1729.