NICHOLAS BYARD; S. XIV in.

Title

NICHOLAS BYARD; S. XIV in.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 252

Place of origin

France, Paris

Date

S. XIV in

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

234 leaves (viii + 226) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

A single French gothic rotunda bookhand.

Decoration

Parisian. Red and blue flourished initials with long extensions; red or blue initials flourished in the other colour; red or blue paraphs; red highlighting and underlining.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii, 225–6 are paper binding leaves, the outermost from the same book as in MS 84. The outermost parchment leaves were formerly pastedowns in an earlier binding. f. iii consists of two leaves pasted together, the first as strengthening for the second, which is thin and damaged; at its foot is the mark of a brass chain-staple. At the foot of f. iv, cropped by the binder, are the marks of the large iron chain-staple. Traces of this are perhaps to be seen on f. iiiv, but much of its foot is torn away.

Provenance

Near the head of f. viiiv is a thoroughly-erased single-line inscription. On f. iiiv ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis quem emit a uenerabili patre Thoma Tryllek episcopo Roffensi. Oretis pro utroque.’ Followed by a table of contents in the same hand, including a second item no longer present (‘Diffiniciones uocabulorum secundum ordinem alphabeti’), then ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ in Oxon’ in communi libraria eiusdem et ad usum communem sociorum ibidem studencium cathenandus. Ex dono uenerabilis patris domini Willelmi tercii episcopi Cicestrie. Oretis igitur pro eodem et benefactoribus eiusdem ac fidelium animabus a purgatorio liberandis. xi uolumen.’ Between the table of contents and following inscription another text has been thoroughly erased. For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8. This volume was part of his legacy.

‘3’ is inked on the foredge. At the head of f. 1 is the James no. ‘195’, s. xvii in. (also in MS 67). Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with a table of contents and ‘D. 6, 5’ (canc.), s. xvii, and ‘P. 4. 3. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 1. 14 (CCLII)’ in red; the College bookplate.