GERARD OF BOLOGNA; S. XIV med.

Title

GERARD OF BOLOGNA; S. XIV med.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 149

Place of origin

France, south (?)

Date

S. XIV med.

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

169 leaves of parchment prepared in the Italian manner (iv + 165) Savagely retrimmed at the head, less so at the foredge, the edges partly spattered red. The parchment of the first seven quires is curiously ‘deckle-edged’ at the foredge.

Hands

A French gothic rotunda bookhand.

Decoration

On fol. 1 a 7-line P in gold and colours on a square ground, with curling vine-leaf foliage and nearly 3-sided border; red or blue initials flourished in the other colour (at the foot of fol. 161, in red, is their total of 105); red or blue paraphs.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii; sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii and 164–5 are paper endleaves, the outermost from the same book as in MS 84. Fols. iii and 263 were pastedowns in an earlier binding sewn on six bands. On fol. iii is the mark of a brass chain-staple, near the foot of the foredge. On fol. 163v are the marks of the large iron chain-staple.

Provenance

Probably written in southern France.

At the head of fol. iii, in red, is ‘Fr .N. de Arl’ ordinis fratrum Aug’’, s. xiv. The name appears again, erased and badly cropped, at the foot of fol. iiiv. On fol. 163 is an erased inscription apparently beginning ‘Fr’.

On fol. iiiv: ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis quem emit a uenerabili patre domino Thoma Tryllek’ episcopo Roffensi. Oretis igitur pro utroque’; ‘Summa M. Gerardi Bon’’; ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ in Oxon’ in communi libraria eiusdem et ad usum communem sociorum ibidem studencium cathenandus. Ex dono uenerabili patris domini Willelmi tercii episcopi Cicestrie. Oretis igitur pro eodem et benefactoribus eiusdem ac fidelium animabus a purgatorio liberandis. Walterus Roberti.’ The first two inscriptions are in Reed’s hand. Given by him in 1374: UO49. 79. For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8.

Inside the front cover is ‘O. 4. 5. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘M. 1. 1. (CXLIX)’ in red. A sheet of paper has a title, s. xvii, and ‘5, 11’ canc.; the College bookplate.