PUBLILIUS SYRUS, WILLIAM DE MONTIBUS ; S. XIII

Title

PUBLILIUS SYRUS, WILLIAM DE MONTIBUS ; S. XIII

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 257

Place of origin

script of English appearance.

Date

S. XIII

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

169 leaves (i + 168) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

One or more English early gothic bookhands, more or less influenced by anglicana.

Decoration

Blue or red initials flourished in the other colour; plain red or blue initials.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. The outermost leaves were formerly pastedowns in an earlier binding; both show marks of two straps and pins. Marks and parchment torn from f. i probably indicate a former brass chain-staple near the foot of the foredge.

Provenance

On f. 3v is a table of contents, s. xiv, and pressmark ‘V. v.’ Additions have been made to the table in a hand of s. xv. One of the books bequeathed by William Reed to his kinsman Richard Pestour, after whose death the collection was to be distributed between Exeter and Merton Colleges (UO35. 41). For William Reed, fellow of Merton from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8.

On f. 164v is ‘Liber magistri Ricardi Fytz James sacre theologie professoris quem emit 21 die Ianuarii anno Christi 1481.’ On f. 3v is ‘Ex dono magistri Ricardi Fitz James nuper custodis istius Collegii de Mertone cuius anime propicietur Deus amen.’ For Fitzjames, warden 1483–1507, see MS 9.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with a table of contents, ‘C. 6, 8’ (canc.), s. xvii, and ‘P. 4. 8. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 2. 8 (CCLVII)’ in red. The College bookplate is inside the back board, upside down.