WORKS OF AUGUSTINE; S. XV in.

Title

WORKS OF AUGUSTINE; S. XV in.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 3

Place of origin

France

Low Countries (?)

Date

S. XV in.

s. xiii

Language

Latin

Contents

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

230 leaves (iii + 226, incl. 130A) The edges lightly retrimmed, the feet stained yellow.

Binding

s. xix, repaired and resewn on eight bands. fols. i-iii, 224–6 are paper blanks. The outermost parchment leaves were pastedowns in an earlier binding. The early leaves are marked with rust from a chain-staple near the foot of the foredge. A spot of verdigris on f. 221v may be from a chain-staple at the middle of the foot.

Provenance

It is not known when the book entered the College prior to 1600. A large square of parchment has been cut from the bottom outer corner of f. 219, perhaps removing evidence of ownership. Perhaps given to the College by John Burbage: Appendix B, no. 106, records his gift of ‘Epistolae Augustini’ in 1454–5 (but this was illuminated at a cost of 16 s. 1/2 d.). Burbage (BRUO 306) was fellow 1411–35, rector of St John the Evangelist, London, d. by Dec. 1451. He donated and repaired a number of books.

At the head of f. 6 is the James no. ‘14’ (wrongly), s. xvii in. On f. 1v are ‘Lib: Coll: Mertonensis Oxon:’ and ‘N. 1. 3. Art’, s. xvii. ‘3’ is inked on the foredge. On f. 2 is ‘Liber Coll. Merton’ Oxon.’, perhaps s. xviii, and the College bookplate. Near the head are ‘M. A. 12’, canc., and ‘14’ again, s. xvii. A different bookplate is inside the front board, with ‘N. 1. 3’, canc. and replaced by ‘A. 2. 3’ and ‘(III)’ in red.