THOMAS AQUINAS; S. XIV1

Title

THOMAS AQUINAS; S. XIV1

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 74

Place of origin

England, Oxford

Date

S. XIV1

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

231 leaves (ii + 229)The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

An English gothic rotunda bookhand of university type.

Decoration

Blue initials flourished in red; red or blue paraphs.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on five bands; formerly chained from the usual position. On fol. iiv are the marks of the large iron chain-staple. The front bifolium was therefore originally presumably at the rear.

Provenance

Made professionally at Oxford, at the College by c. 1370: UO47. 117, ‘in libraria’. On a parchment slip pasted to fol. 1 is ‘Liber domus scolarium aule de Merton’ in Oxon’ ex legato M. Thome de Staundon’ quondam socii domus eiusdem’, repeated on fol. iivin a hand of s. xvii. Thomas Staundon (BRUO 1757) was fellow in 1352–3, still in 1361.

On fol. 228 ‘Istum librum de nouo ligari fecit M. Ioannes Burbach’ sacre theologie professor’. For John Burbage, see MS 3.

At the head of fol. 228v, faded and rubbed, is a rough inscription, s. xvi in., ‘Supra questionibus fratrum predicatorum Aylesbury et aliorum’. It seems hardly likely that this could refer to either of the men of that name who were fellows of Merton s. xiv.

A thoroughly-erased cautio on fol. 229 is probably dated 1364.

Inside the front board is ‘N. 6. 8. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘K. 2. 4 (LXXIV)’, in red, and a sheet of paper with ‘D. 4, 5’ and a title, s. xvii; the College bookplate.

On fol. i is the James no. ‘4’, at the head of fol. 1 ‘5’ (wrongly), s. xvii in. ‘8’ is inked on the foredge.