GOSPELS, GLOSSED; S. XIII1

Title

GOSPELS, GLOSSED; S. XIII1

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 213

Place of origin

script of English appearance.

Date

S. XIII1

Language

Hebrew

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

260 (iv + 256) leaves The edges heavily retrimmed, affecting running heads, marginalia and decoration in the lower margins, and spattered with red. The lower 2/3 of fol. iv is excised.

Hands

A single expert gothic bookhand of the type used for glossed books, probably English.

Decoration

On fol. 209 is an I slightly longer than the written space, in blue, pink, green and brown, with curling foliage; large red and blue initials flourished in both colours; red or blue initials flourished in the other colour; red or blue paraphs; running heads and marginal chapter-numbers in capitals of both colours. The minor initials and paraphs have long extensions in both colours into the lower margin.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, repaired and rebacked, sewn on five bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i and 255–6 are modern paper blanks. Fols. ii-iii are paper binding leaves of s. xvii, fol. ii from the same printed book as in MS 19.

Provenance

On fol. ivv: ‘Liber Magistri Ricardi Fitzjames sacre theologie professoris emptus per eundem xvi. die Februarii anno Christi m.cccc.lxxxiiii; prec’ xxvii s.’; ‘Communis glosa super euangelia ex dono domini Ricardi Fitz James nuper Cicestrensis episcopi et custodis istius colegii cuius anime propicietur Deus amen’; ‘Liber bibliothecae collegii Merton. Oxon’’, s. xvi. At the foot of fol. 1 is a strip of parchment with Fitzjames’ arms and ‘Communis glosa super euangelia ex dono Domini Ricardi Fitz James nuper Cicestrensis episcopi et custodis istius collegii.’ This was probably once a label on the back cover of an earlier binding. For Fitzjames, warden 1483–1507, see MS 9.

On fol. 254v are many notes of loan, mostly in Hebrew, s. xiii or xiv, naming one Gilbertus ?Pyrson or Fyrson. The ones in Latin include ‘Willelmus ?Blundus die ueneris ante festum beati Martini viii libras’, ‘Willelmus in uigilia Sancti Bartholomei Centum s.’, ‘Item in uigilia assumptionis beate Marie sex libras cum decreta magistri R. totum’, ‘Item in crastino sancte Luce quinquaginta et iiii s.’

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with ‘F. 7, 10’ (canc.) and the contents, s. xvii, and ‘P. 1. 10. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘N. 2. 10 (CCXIII)’ in red; the College bookplate.