VINCENT OF BEAUVAIS; S. XIV in. (before 1330)

Title

VINCENT OF BEAUVAIS; S. XIV in. (before 1330)

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 125

Place of origin

France, Paris

Date

S. XIV in. (before 1330)

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

295 leaves (ii + 293)

Hands

Written in the proficient gothic rotunda bookhand (very like Longjumeau’s) of John Wade ‘anglicus’, who worked in Paris where he also wrote Reims, Bibl. mun. 734, Toulouse, Bibl. mun. 449 (Colophons, 11819–21), and Stockholm, Riksarkivet, fragment 30675 (‘per manum Iohannis Wade Anglici pro magistro Nicholao de Swescia’).

Decoration

Splendid 9- or 10-line historiated initials in colours and gold with partial vinet borders open each book. The major initials are as follows: fol. 1 2-line A with 3-sided border, a hound chasing a hare across the lower limb; fol. 5 S with coiling foliage and 2-sided border, the hound and hare at the foot mostly excised; fol. 5v A enclosing seated emperor with erect sword, before him an armed king with shield backed by knights; two excisions at the lower limb have doubtless removed hound and hare; at the top a grotesque archer takes aim at a flying bird; fol. 36 5-line O with coiling foliage and partial border, a hound and rabbit as before; fol. 36v M with coiling foliage and partial border, hound and hare as before; fols. 69v and 206 5-line U with 1-sided border; fol. 70 T with coiling foliage and partial border, mutil. at the foot (doubtless removing hound and hare); fols. 101v, 141v and 238 5-line U with coiling foliage, 2-sided border with hound and hare as before; fol. 102v H with coiled foliage and 2-sided border, hound and hare as before; fol. 142v P with coiling foliage and 2-sided border, hound and hare as before; fol. 170v 6-line U with partial border; fol. 171v M with coiling foliage, partial border, hound and hare as before; fol. 207 T with coiling foliage and 1-sided border, hound and hare as before; fol. 239 C with coiling foliage and dragon, 1-sided border, hound and hare as before.

Binding

s. xvii, brown polished calf, rebacked s. xix, sewn on five bands. Formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii and 29–23 are paper blanks, i and 293 of s. xix, ii and 292 of s. xvii.

Provenance

Made in Paris, vol. 3 of the set with MSS 123–4, 126.

On fol. 1v ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ ex legato Magistri Rogeri de Martiuall’ quondam episcopi Sarum’, in the same hand as the inscription in MSS 56, 123–4, 126. For Martival, see MS 123. UO47. 12.

Below is ‘F. 8, 7’, s. xvii, canc., and ‘O. 2. 9. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘M. 2. 9 (CXXV)’ in red. ‘9’ is inked on the foredge.