PORCHETUS SALVATICUS; S. XIV

Title

PORCHETUS SALVATICUS; S. XIV

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 244

Place of origin

one scribe writes with a script of English appearance.

Date

S. XIV

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

110 leaves (iv + 106) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

Two scribes, dividing at f. 46a lines 3/4; the first writes anglicana, the second gothic rotunda bookhand.

Decoration

On f. 1 is a champe initial with 1-sided ivy-leaf border.

Otherwise blue initials flourished in red, red or blue paraphs.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on six bands; formerly chained from the usual position; fols. i-ii, 105–6 are paper binding leaves, fols. i and 106 from a small printed book of s. xvi (running head ‘uirtus uitae’). f. iv, formerly a pastedown in an earlier binding, has marks of two foredge clasps and of one each at head and tail, and of a brass chain-staple near the foot of the foredge. f. 104, also a former pastedown, has corresponding clasp-marks, and the mark of the large iron chain-staple near the foot.

Provenance

On f. ivv‘Ad scolares aule Mertone de Oxon’ per dominum Ricardum Wyking’ nuper uicarium ecclesie de Westwell in Cancia iuxta Cantuariam’, s. xiv, and a possible press-mark ‘E 1’. It is not known what connection Wyking had with Merton. He was a clerk of Archbp. Bradwardine (see MS 312).

John Bale saw this MS at Merton (Appendix C, no. 2). Inside the front board is a sheet of paper, with two notes of the contents, of s. xvii and xviii, ‘P. 3. 11. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘B. 1. 3 (CCXLIV) in red; the College bookplate.