EXCERPTS FROM ORIGEN; S. XIII1

Title

EXCERPTS FROM ORIGEN; S. XIII1

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 27

Place of origin

France, South, or Italy

Date

S. XIII1

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment prepared in the Italian manner

Physical extent

108 leaves (ii + 106)The edges retrimmed, with loss of marginalia, and spattered with red.

Hands

A single neat early gothic bookhand, probably southern French or Italian.

Decoration

Red initials and tituli.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. fols. 105–6 are blank paper binding leaves. fol. i, once a pastedown, has the mark of a central strap from a previous binding.

Provenance

Given to the College by William Reed in 1374: UO49. 86. On fol. iv, autograph, ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis quem emit a uenerabili patre domino Thoma Tryllek’ episcopo Roffensi. Oretis igitur pro utroque. / Moralitates excerpte ex libro Origenis’; ‘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. Walterus Roberti notarius.’ For Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8.

At the head of fol. 1 is the James no. ‘254’, s. xvii in. On fol. i is ‘N. 3. 1. Art:’, s. xvii. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with titles, s. xvii, and ‘N. 3. 1. Art:’ again, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 1. 1. (XXVII’ in red. The College bookplate.