ALBERTUS MAGNUS; S. XIV med.

Title

ALBERTUS MAGNUS; S. XIV med.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 286

Place of origin

England, Oxford

Date

S. XIV med.

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

343 leaves (ii + 341) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

Two scribes, the first finishing with quire 20; both write English gothic rotunda bookhands, the first approaching textualis, the second influenced by anglicana. The scribes correct their work in the margins. Corrector’s marks at the ends of quires, mostly cropped. At the foot of f. 339v is pencilled ‘IX xiii’.

Decoration

Handsome red and blue flourished initials with long extensions; blue initials flourished in red; red or blue paraphs, the blue sometimes flourished in red, the red in violet; running heads in red and blue capitals; red highlighting.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on six bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii, 340–1 are paper binding leaves, the outermost from the same printed book as in MS 68. Near the foot of f. 339 are the marks of the large iron chain-staple; also the marks of two foredge straps or catches.

Provenance

Professionally made, probably at Oxford. At the College beforec.1500.

At the head of f. 1 is a title and the James no. ‘80’, s. xvii in. ‘2’ is inked on the foredge. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with a title and ‘Q. 2. 2. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘O. 2. 2. (CCLXXXVI)’ in red; the College bookplate.