AQUINAS, PIERRE DAUVERGNE ON ARISTOTLE; S. XIV1

Title

AQUINAS, PIERRE DAUVERGNE ON ARISTOTLE; S. XIV1

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 273

Place of origin

England, Oxford

Date

S. XIV1

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

231 leaves (vi + 225)

Hands

English gothic rotunda bookhands of university type.

Arts 2 and 3 are pecia copies; the highest number for art. 2 is ‘pª xiiiª’ on f. 142v; art. 3 has only ‘pª iiª’ on f. 148.

Decoration

Art. 2 opens with a 7-line initial of burnished gold on a squarish pink and blue ground. Otherwise red or blue initials, probably intended for flourishing; red or blue paraphs.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii; sewn on seven bands; formerly chained from the usual position; fols. i-ii, 225 are paper binding leaves, f. 225 from the same printed book as in MS 68. Another paper leaf before f. 225 has been torn out. f. iii was a pastedown in an earlier binding. On it appear the marks of two straps, and possibly of a small iron chain-staple in the middle of the foot. A faint mark probably of the usual large iron chain-staple appears at the foot of f. 224v.

Provenance

Probably made at Oxford.

The book was bought, at the warden’s request, by Subwarden Richard Billingham c. 1350, as was MS 274.

On f. iiiv ‘Exposicio sancti Thome de Alquino super xii. libros metaphisice secundum stationarios cum aliis politicorum prec’ xl s.’

On f. viv ‘8us liber de sorte Abyndon’. Henry Abingdon was warden of Merton 1421–37 (BRUO 7–8); ‘5us de sorte Iohannis Look’. John Luke was fellow in 1390, no longer in 1399 (BRUO 1175–6).

Pencilled in the outer margin of f. 22 are the names ‘Chdley’, smudged, and ‘Allesford Alsforde clericus meus’.

At the head of f. i is the James no. ‘96’, s. xvii in. Inside the front board is a table of contents, s. xvii, ‘Q. 1. 5. Art.’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘O. 3. 5 (CCLXXIII)’ in red; the College bookplate.