Student notebook: logic, ethics, law, mathematics

Title

Student notebook: logic, ethics, law, mathematics

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 80

Place of origin

Paris?

Date

s. xv/xvi / c. 1507

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Paper; the quires, excluding losses, are composed of regular groups of four sheets folded in folio. On a single stock, of type Pot, very close to Briquet, no. 12510(Senlis, 1504); the example here has not simply a loop on top of the pot, but a circle within the loop to form a full flower. Cf. also no. 12511(Paris, etc., 1509 x 1514).

Physical extent

Fols. 185.

Hands

Written in various styles, from English secretary to continental cursivas, some with marked influence of humanistica, all arguably in the hand of the donor. Punctuation by point and virgula.

Decoration

Generally speaking, an undecorated student notebook. Item 2 is introduced by large swag capitals with birds, animals, and monsters in the text ink.

In the table for item 3, red ink text capitals and red paraphs.

But generally spaces for capitals at heads of texts and chapters are unfilled.

In addition to items noted above, item 2 has several logic diagrams in red and text ink, and a figure of the academic disciplines in the same (fol. 24v).

Binding

Brown leather over millboards, s. xvi1, with stamps ( Oldham’s no. 1038 and another resembling his no. 1059, on books of 1518 and 1514 respectively [58, 43]) and an unidentified roll (a wave pattern with fleurs-de-lis) on both boards. Sewn on four thongs. Holes on both boards for ties to close the book. Gold ‘80’ at the head of the spine; in ink on the leading edges. Pastedowns modern marbled paper, a College bookplate on the front one, with notes, including ‘Rebacked by Bodleian Bindery – 1980 Cod. MS. 80’. No flyleaves.

Acquisition

‘G[iven?] By Mr. thomas paynell ’ (on the top edges, s. xvi); as well as a librarian’s note (s. xix) on the College bookplate, referring to an entry in the Benefactors’ Book: ‘De dono Tho. Paynell (A.D. 1563?)’. But the very long entry there (cols. iii–vii, dated 1555) includes only a single MS donation (vi), ‘Notae quae dam in Leges MS 4or. votum’, which are our MSS 159–62, also Paynell’s autograph (160 and 162 with the same ownership inscription on the edges). For Paynell, who began his career as an Augustinian canon of Merton (Surrey) and was subsequently an Anglican rector and royal chaplain, as well as a prodigious translator, most importantly of Erasmus, see BRUO 1423. He does not appear in Sharpe.

Provenance

An old shelfmark ‘D.i8’ (fol. 1v).