John Walton, verse translation of Boethius, Consolatio Philosophiae; England, s. xvex

Title

John Walton, verse translation of Boethius, Consolatio Philosophiae; England, s. xvex

Shelfmark

Christ Church MS. 151

Place of origin

England

Date

s. xvex

Language

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment (FSOS)

Physical extent

Fols: 127 + i (numbered 128, but also marked as fol. i)(to the bounds, not the line ends)

Hands

Written in secretary.

Unpunctuated, rare point.

Decoration

Headings in red for textual divisions (the Latin incipits are in text ink) and in the marginal ‘B[oethius]’ and ‘P[hilosophia]’ which designate the speakers. The opening leaf, much faded, has a five-line painted red lombard as part of a demivinet of leaves and flowers. At the openings of the books, three-line champes; at the openings of smaller textual divisions, two-line champes (one on fol. 72v cut out), all in gold leaf with red and blue, with green and gold floral sprays. The quality of the decoration deteriorates through the volume; e.g., after quire 6 (fol. 48), there is no green paint or leafy design in the sprays. Stanzas introduced by alternate one-line red and blue lombards. See AT no. 535 (53), dating s. xv med.

Binding

A limp vellum wrapper, s. xv. Sewn on four thongs. On the upper cover at the leading edge, a pair of triangular sets of holes from the seats for metal clips to hold ribbon ties; two holes at the centre of the lower cover where they would have been secured. A ChCh bookplate inside the upper cover. No pastedowns.

Provenance

There is no very useful information and no indication of the donor. There are a few names, ‘William Bryante William hustence [? Iustence] Henery Sloper ye 28 of may’ and pentrials (fol. 128, s. xvi/xvii). At the inside of the upper cover, the New Library shelfmark, now rather indistinct, in Edward Smallwell’s hand: ‘B.3’ (see Appendix IV). There is, at bottom centre of fol. 127, another pre-ChCh shelfmark: ‘283’ (s. xvii?). The absence of this manuscript from the 1676 catalogue and that of the Old Archives (Appendices I and II) may suggest a mid-eighteenth century date of arrival.