JEROME &c.; S. XV

Title

JEROME &c.; S. XV

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 50

Place of origin

Continental (?)

Date

S. XV

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

272 leaves (iii + 269)The edges stained yellow.

Hands

Several widely differing cursive hands, those of fols. 49–178 and 178v-267 of Continental appearance.

Decoration

In the lower margin of fol. 211 are a skilfully drawn castle and a large pointing hand with sleeve. Blue initials flourished in red; red or blue initials and paraphs. At the head of the rear pastedown is ‘ii magne litere xv paraffi’.

Binding

Original, heavily restored. Cushion-bevelled oak boards with slightly projecting squares, now bared, the spine still covered with the old tawed skin; sewn on five bands, raised and outlined with string; blue and plain endbands sewn through the cover skin. Formerly two straps from recesses in the front board to catches in the back. Formerly chained from the foredge of the front board, near the foot; on the rear board are the marks of the large brass chain-staple.

Provenance

On fol. i ‘Liber domus scolarium de Mertone ex dono magistri Henrici Seuer sacre pagine professoris ac custodis eiusdem incathenatus ad communem usum sociorum in libraria studere volencium anno Domini MºCCCCº lxviº.’ For Sever, warden 1455–71, see MS 6.

On fol. iv: a brief note of the contents, s. xvii; ‘N. 4. 11. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with modern ‘A. 1. 11 (L)’ in red ink; the College bookplate.