HOMILIES OF BEDE AND Ps.-EUSEBIUS GALLICANUS; S. XII 3/4

Title

HOMILIES OF BEDE AND Ps.-EUSEBIUS GALLICANUS; S. XII 3/4

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 177

Place of origin

Northern England

Date

c. 1160–80

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

194 leaves. A hand little later than the main text has foliated, in roman numerals, half-way up the outer margin of each verso: i (mod. 3v) – xl (42v, end of quire 5), then in pencil as far as lxxiii (75v, end of quire 9). The upper and probably leading edges retrimmed; the lower edges stained yellow.

Hands

Each art. is written in a skilled English protogothic bookhand. Running titles were added throughout by a neat gothic rotunda bookhand of c. 1300. On the inserted slip fol. 57 omitted text was written in another hand contemporary with the main scribes.

Decoration

Art. 1 has handsome arabesque initials in 1–4 of red, green, blue and yellow, in the style of contemporary Durham books (e.g. examples of the distinctive ‘piped I’, Mynors, Durham, pp. 7–8, on fols. 21 and 41v.

Art. 2 has unfilled spaces for painted initials.

fol. 194v, pencil sketches, one the head of a nimbed ?Christ.

Binding

Oxford, s. xvi in. (Gibson, Early Oxford Bindings, p. 25), similar to MSS 119, 175–6; blind-stamped leather over bevelled oak boards with projecting squares, sewn on four bands. The binder was George Chastelaine (d. 1513), for whom see MS 119. Here he used Oldham stamps 180, 182, 191 and the half-stamp Pearson 7. Two straps from the front board to catches on the back, replaced by cloth ties, s. xvii. Remains of a chain-staple on the front board, near the foot of the foredge. The rear endleaf (but not the board) has marks of a central strap-pin, and of the large iron chain-staple, near the foot.

Provenance

Made in northern England c. 1160–80. On fol. 194v are two largely-erased inscriptions, one reading ‘Liber M. R. de ’, the other ‘Liber omel’ eusebii precii xiiii s.’

On the rear pastedown, very faint, is ‘Liber magistri Ric’ de Hakeborna’. Hakebourne (BRUO 847) was fellow from 1296 until after 1310, d. 1322. Also ‘precii [?] s.’, s. xiii ex.

On fol. 2v is ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ Oxon’ ex legat’ M. Iohannis Stauele’. For Staveley (d. soon after 1349), see MS 81. UO47. 229, valued at 30s.

On the front pastedown is ‘Iste liber est de sorte Samton’ anno Domini MCCCLXXVII’. Below this is written ‘Sampton’’, canc. This is presumably Robert Sampton (BRUO 1637), fellow in 1371–2, till death, d. 1377.

Also tables of contents s. xv and xvii, ‘O. 7. 5. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘A. 1. 5 (CLXXVII)’, in red; the College bookplate. On the back cover is a title and the press-mark ‘B. 14us’, s. xvi in. (cf. the marks in MS 69 &c.).