AUGUSTINE, DE TRINITATE; S. XII 3/4

Title

AUGUSTINE, DE TRINITATE; S. XII 3/4

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 32

Place of origin

England, Worcester cathedral priory (?)

Date

S. XII 3/4

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

138 leaves (i + 137)The edges retrimmed and stained yellow. The lower half of fol. 138 removed.

Hands

A single English protogothic bookhand of the highest quality; the rubrication, which sometimes lacks, is in a second hand.

Decoration

Initials in 1–4 colours of red, blue, green and yellow, often ornamented or arabesqued in a style characteristic of the west midlands and of Worcester Cathedral Priory in particular (e.g. Worcester Cath. F. 24). A bearded face in the Q on fol. 14v. The 14-line L on fol. 1v is in three colours and accompanied by elaborate display-script using all four colours.

Binding

Late medieval, repaired by Maltby. Bare oak boards with wide bevels and projecting squares; two straps from shallow recesses in the front board to pins replaced by catches on the rear, all gone. On the rear board are the nail-holes from the usual Fitzjames label (see MS 24). The spine is covered with modern vellum; resewn on three bands. Marks on fols. 137 and 138 suggest that an earlier binding had a central strap and brass pin. fol. i was once a pastedown.

Provenance

Probably made at and for Worcester Cathedral Priory, brought to Oxford s. xiii ex. by one of the monks studying at Gloucester College.

On fol. 137v are the records of eight deposits as cautio in the Vaughan and Hussy chest, between 1462 and 1470, by John Thamys and John Fisher. In the first entry, for 19 May 1462, they specify as supplements vol. 3 of Gregory, Moralia, sec. fol. ‘male enim malum dicitur’, Hugh of St Cher on the Pentateuch, sec. fol. ‘catorum erat quando’, Chrysostom on John, sec. fol. ‘tabularum confecerunt’, (Ps.-) Chrysostom on Matthew, sec. fol. ‘eius lex quasi’, ‘Communis exposicio super epistolas Pauli’, sec. fol. ‘per ipsum facta sunt’, and Jerome on Isaiah in 2 vols, sec. fols ‘peteret et si inperitus’ and ‘et nunc nunquid’. Fisher (BRUO 687), B. Cn. L. 1449, canon of Lincoln from 1462, d. by July 1494. Thamys (BRUO 1858–9), B. Th. by 1451, rector of Ross on Wye, d. by Jan. 1482. Also the monogram of the Oxford stationer John More (1438–72), together with ‘appreciatur sic per stacionarium iiij li. v s.’

On fol. iv, in the usual untidy secretary hand, ‘Augustinus de Trinitate ex dono domini Ricardi Fitz James nuper Cicestrensis episcopi et custodis istius Collegii cuius anime propicietur Deus Amen.’ For Fitzjames, see MS 9.

Also ‘N. 3. 6. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘A. 3. 6 (XXX)’ in red. ‘6’ is inked on the foredge. At the head of fol. 1 is the James no. ‘13’ (recte276), s. xvii in.