CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN; S. XIV

Title

CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN; S. XIV

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 231

Place of origin

France, South or Italy

Date

S. XIV

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

157 leaves of parchment prepared in the Italian manner (iii + 154) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

A neat gothic rotunda bookhand, probably French.

Decoration

Red and pale blue initials flourished and with long tendril-like extensions in both colours. The tendrils also run down the margins independent of initials. Red or blue initials, plain, or highlighted or flourished in the other colour; red or blue paraphs; running heads in red capitals.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, repaired and rebacked; sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position on the back board. On the last leaves is the mark of the large brass chain-staple. The outermost leaves were pastedowns in an earlier binding.

Provenance

Made in southern France or Italy, in England by s. xiv.

On f. 151, s. xv, ‘Magister Iohannes [sc. Simon] Bredon qui scripsit hanc tabulam propria manu doctor in medicina socius istius domus dedit istum librum huic colegio.’ For Simon Bredon, fellow in 1330, still in 1341, d. 1372, see MS 223. This book was part of his legacy (Powicke, no. 369).

At the head of f. 151v is a partly-erased inscription, ‘Liber pantengni ...’, a thoroughly-erased cautio: ‘Supl supplementum caucionis ’, and, twice, ‘prec’ vii s.’

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with titles in hands of s. xvii and xviii, and ‘P. 2. 14. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with the modern shelfmarks in red, almost illegible due to damp; the College bookplate.