LATIN BIBLE; S. XIII 2/4

Title

LATIN BIBLE; S. XIII 2/4

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 7

Place of origin

England, Oxford

Date

S. XIII 2/4

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

373 leaves (v + 368) (art. 1) (art. 2)

Hands

Written throughout in the small, neat gothic bookhand with very dark ink, typical of small-format Bibles made at Paris or Oxford.

Decoration

Biblical books (and Psalms 26, 38, 51–2, 68, 80, 97, 101, 109) open with fine initials dominated by pink, blue, orange and gold, in the style of William de Brailes, sometimes with partial borders, mostly with simple foliage, sometimes with dragons and other animals. Noteworthy are: f. 1 F enclosing Jerome writing; f. 3 (Genesis) I running the full length of the intercolumnar space, with the seven days of Creation, f. 167v (Proverbs) P with man wielding ornament as weapon; f. 271 (Matthew) L with seated cleric writing. Blue initials flourished in red; blue and red chapter-numbers and running heads; plain red or blue initials in the Psalter and art. 2, which also has red or blue paraphs.

Binding

s. xix, doubtless replacing one of s. xvii; sewn on four bands. ff. i-iii, 366–8 are blank paper binding leaves. f. iv was formerly a pastedown in an earlier binding. Marks on f. 1, but not on f. v, suggest two straps on a binding earlier than the time of Warkworth and Hyll (see below).

Provenance

Made commercially at Oxford.

On f. ivv ‘Liber M. Iohannis Warkeworthe’, s. xv. At the foot of f. 1, s. xvi in., ‘Liber collegii de Merton’ in Oxon’ ex dono magistri Iohannis Warkeworthe nuper socii eiusdem collegii et postea erat magister collegii Sancti Petri in Cantabrig’ sub pena anathematis nullatenus alienandus’, repeated on f. 339v. Warkworth (BRUO 1992–3) was fellow c. 1448 – at least 1456, master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, 1475–1500. He gave many more books to Peterhouse. The bequest was acknowledged by the warden on 20 July 1502 (Registrum, p. 266). Below is ‘Per me Iohannem edmund’, s. xv, erased.

On f. vv is ‘Primus de sorte Hylle 2ºfº emisit’, s. xv ex. (emisit is on f. 5). Presumably this is Robert Hill alias Dykke (BRUO 934–5), fellow 1493–1520, d. 1524.

Scribbled in the outer margin of f. 239 is ‘Iohannes Estbrocke’, s. xvi in.

Distributed in the electio of 1519 (UO63. 272).

Inside the front board is the College bookplate, on which are written ‘N. 1. 7’, ‘E. 1. 2’, and ‘A. 2. 7’, all canc. and replaced with ‘A. 2. 7.’ again and ‘(VII.)’ in red. ‘7’ is inked on the foredge. Another College bookplate is pasted to f. vv.