GILES OF ROME; S. XIV in.

Title

GILES OF ROME; S. XIV in.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 305

Place of origin

script of English appearance.

Date

S. XIV in.

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

207 leaves (ii + 205) The edges retrimmed affecting marginalia and spattered with red.

Hands

An English gothic rotunda bookhand of university type.

Decoration

Red and blue flourished initials with long extensions; red or blue initials flourished in the other colour; red or blue paraphs; art. 1 has running heads in capitals of the colours. Art. 2 is undecorated.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on seven bands; formerly chained from near the head and near the foot of the back board. f. i, formerly pasted down in an earlier binding, has the mark of both a brass and iron chain-staple near the foot.

Provenance

Given to the College by William Reed in 1374: UO49. 13. On f. iv, in Reed’s hand,‘Liber M. Willelmi Red ex dono magistri Nicholai de Sandwyco. Oretis igitur pro utroque’, and, in the hand of Walter Robert, ‘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.’ For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8.

At the head of f. ii is a brief, highly-abbreviated note, of which I can only decipher ‘B. et an cheste tot’.

At the head of f. 1 is the James no. ‘101’, s. xvii in.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with contents, s. xvii, and ‘Q. 3. 7. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘N. 1. 4 (CCCV)’ in red; the College bookplate.