AUGUSTINE ON THE PSALTER, PART I; S. XIV 2/4

Title

AUGUSTINE ON THE PSALTER, PART I; S. XIV 2/4

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 33

Place of origin

England, Oxford (?)

Date

S. XIV 2/4

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

349 leaves (i + 348)The edges lightly retrimmed and stained yellow.

Hands

One practised English gothic rotunda bookhand.

Decoration

On fol. 1 a painted initial and border, the initial excised; most of the border remains, with hound chasing rabbit along the lower bar. Blue initials flourished in red. Red tituli and lemmata from fol. 187.

Binding

s. xv ex.; as for MS 1. The remains of two broad straps of brown leather from recesses in the front board to catches at the back. Sewn on five bands, raised on the spine and outlined with string. The mark of a brass chain-staple on the foredge of the front board, near the foot. At the foot of the front pastedown is the mark of an iron chain-staple; there is no corresponding mark on the board.

Provenance

MSS 33 and 34 are a set, made professionally; the style of the minor initials suggests Oxford.

Near the head of fol. 348v is an erased cautio: ‘Caucio M. exposita ciste anno domini m[illesimo Oxenford pro xx. solid’ die sexta proxima ante festum sancti Ambrosii / [ ...?]estreworth’.

Near the head of the rear pastedown is another partly erased cautio: ‘Caucio exposita ciste Wynton’ die scil. proxima ante festum Gregorii anno Domini millesimo CCC sexto decimo ’.

At the College by c. 1360: UO47. 168, ‘in libraria’.

At the head of fol. i ‘M A. 5. 11’, s. xvii. On the front pastedown: ‘Augustinus in psalmos pars prima’, s. xvii; ‘N. 3. 7. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘A. 3. 7 (XXXIII)’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘7’ is inked on the foredge.