WITELO; S. XIV med.

Title

WITELO; S. XIV med.

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 308

Place of origin

England

Date

S. XIV med.

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

290 leaves (i + 289) The edges savagely retrimmed with loss of marginalia.

Hands

Rather rough anglicana hands; the propositions sometimes written in rotunda bookhand, sometimes in a larger size of anglicana.

Decoration

None; unfilled spaces for coloured initials. Propositions underlined in red. Marginal diagrams in ink of text, rather roughly drawn, as far as f. 52v.

Binding

Medieval, restored by Maltby; slightly bevelled oak boards, recycled from another binding (which had five bands), with unusually projecting squares, now bared, the spine covered with modern red goatskin; resewn on four bands. The front board has shallow recesses for two straps with clasps to pins replaced by catches nailed to the rear board, all now lost. Formerly chained from the foredge of the front board, near the foot. f. 288 was formerly a pastedown in an earlier binding. Fols. 287–8 are extensively mutilated at the foot, with associated verdigris stains, perhaps from the large brass chain-staple.

Provenance

Written in England.

It is not known when it entered the College, but Appendix B, no. 98 (1449) records a payment ‘pro ligatura unius libri de perspectiua Vitulonis ...’

At the head of f. 1 is a thoroughly erased inscription of 2–3 lines. On f. iv are a title, s. xvii, and ‘Q. 1. 10. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘H. 3. 2 (CCCVIII)’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘10’ is inked on the foredge.