SERMONS &c.; S. XIII1, XIII in., XII ex.

Title

SERMONS &c.; S. XIII1, XIII in., XII ex.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 242

Place of origin

France, South or Italy

France

Date

XII ex.

XIII in.

S. XIII1

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

223 leaves (iii + 220) Savagely retrimmed with considerable loss of marginalia, and the top line of text in III. The parchment of III was prepared in the Italian manner. Foliation of s. xiv appears to have run right through the book, though cropped by the binder and no longer visible after f. 214.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. The mark of a central strap at the foredge of the front leaves. Fols. i and 220 are paper binding leaves. f. ii was a pastedown in an earlier binding.

Provenance

On f. iiiv are ‘Merton’, s. xv; ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis que emit a uenerabili patre Thoma Tryllek’ episcopo Roffensi. Oretis pro utroque’; mainly in the same hand, a table of contents to the whole book, referring to the foliation; ‘Liber scolarum de genere uenerabilis patris domini Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrie Oxonie successive studentium ex dono uenerabilis patris per custodem et rectorem domorum de Mertone et Stapeltone in Oxonia uel per earum librarios eisdem scolaribus iuxta facultates et merita ipsorum cuiusque ad tempus sub caucione iuratorum proinde liberandus.’ Above and below the last are erased inscriptions of two or three lines each, the one below beginning with ‘Liber’. At the foot of f. 148 ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis quem emit a domino Thoma Tryllek episcopo Roffensis oretur igitur pro utroque’, over an erased inscription, of which ‘reddit’ can be read; in the same hand, ‘Sermones antiqui mixtim de sanctis et temporali’. For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8. For Trillek, see MS 237.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with two tables of contents, s. xvii, ‘P. 3. 9. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with modern ‘B. 1. 1. (CCXLII)’ in red ink, and the College bookplate.