GUILLAUME PERAULT; c. 1300

Title

GUILLAUME PERAULT; c. 1300

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 264

Place of origin

North Italy

Date

c. 1300

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

273 leaves of parchment prepared in the Italian manner (iv + 269) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red. Fols. i-iv are of thick, stiff parchment.

Hands

A single proficient Italian gothic rotunda bookhand, except for fols. 263–5, in an English textura, c. 1400.

Decoration

Painted initials in Italian style fols. 1, 3rv, 11, 65v, 78; (2) red and blue flourished initials; red and blue paraphs, running heads in capitals of the colours. Fols. 263–5 have only blue initials flourished in red.

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. On f. i is the mark of a brass chain-staple at the foot, near the foredge. On f. 269v are marks perhaps of two strap-pins.

Provenance

On f. iv is an erased inscription of 5 lines, beg. ‘Liber’.

On f. 267 is an erased 2-line inscription.

On f. 266v is ‘Liber M. Ricardi Fytz James sacre theologie professoris emptus per eundem 15 die Ianuarii anno Christi 1481’. Below this is ‘Prec’ 2 [ ... ]ii’, erased. On f. ivv‘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.

On f. ivv is a title and ‘P. 4. 15. Art:’, s. xvii. ‘15’ is inked on the foredge. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with a title and note on the contents and ‘F. 6, 6’ (canc.), s. xvii, and ‘P. 4. 15. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 2. 15 (CCLXIV)’ in red. The College bookplate.