John Lydgate, Troy Book
St John's College MS 6
St John's College, University of Oxford
Description
From Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries
This is an extract only. For more information, see the catalogue record in Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries.
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Title
John Lydgate, Troy Book
Shelfmark
St John's College MS 6
Associated place
Ludlow
Hampton Court (Herefordshire)
Herefordshire
Leynthall
Leinthall
Place of origin
England
Date
s. xv med.
Language
Middle English (1100-1500)
Contents
Form
codex
Support
Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).
Physical extent
Fols. i + 134 + i(numbered fol. ii).
Hands
Written in anglicana, the anglicana long r lacking. Punctuation by punctus elevatusat the cesura. There is an erased scribal colophon at the end of item 2 (fol. 134ra), ‘Quod Ion Schrowsbury’; as Ian Doyle pointed out to us, a man of this name was a Wiltshire priest in 1468, but not necessarily our scribe. Griffiths identified two further books in Shrowsbury’s hand, both copies of Nicholas Love’s Mirror: Princeton University Library, MS Kane 21; and Columbia, University of Missouri fragment. For a reproduction of fol. 6 of the former, see Jean F. Preston and Laetitia Yeandle, English Handwriting 1400–1600(Binghamton, NY, 1992), pl. 3.
Decoration
Headings, except the first and last leaves (red), in text ink.
At the head, a 12-line gold leaf capital on blue flourishing, with a blazon within the letter (see ‘Provenance’), and a full vinet, a gold leaf and blue bar border.
Similar, but smaller capitals (that for book 3, fol. 58vb, only 3 lines) with demivinets at the heads of the books.
Smaller textual divisions usually blue lombards on red flourishing.
Red running titles with book numbers.
See AT no. 595 (58).
Binding
A modern replacement. Sewn on six thongs. At the front and rear, one modern paper flyleaf. A paper tab inside the front cover notes College ownership (s. xix).
Provenance
Within the initial O (fol. 1ra), a blazon, argent (?), a barry of three, or, on the top argent bar ‘I’affie bien’ and on the second ‘leynthale’ plus a mark. Similarly, in the lower margin, fol. 50ra, ‘I’affie bien LEYNTHALE’ plus mark (s. xv ex.). Apparently to be associated with the arms of Sir Rowland Leynthallof Leynthall and Hampton Court (Herefordshire) , who fought at Agincourt, but these bear no resemblance to the modern derivatives.
Pen-trials (s. xv ex.) and (fol. 134v).
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