SIMON BORASTON, PETER OF LIMOGES; S. XIV1

Title

SIMON BORASTON, PETER OF LIMOGES; S. XIV1

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 216

Place of origin

script of English appearance.

Date

S. XIV1

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

237 leaves (iii + 234) The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Hands

A formal anglicana hand, except for fols. 173–201vb line 28, in a similar hand, and the indexes on fols. 2rv and 46rv, which appear to be in the hand of the first two inscriptions on fol. iiiv (see below).

Decoration

Blue initials flourished in red, red paraphs art. 1; plain red initials and highlighting, art. 2; blue initials flourished in red, red or blue paraphs, art. 3.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on six bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii, 233–4 are paper leaves from this binding, the outermost from the same book as in MS 84. On fol. 232v is the mark of the large iron chain-staple. fol. iii, formerly a pastedown in an earlier binding, has the mark of a brass chain-staple at the foredge, near the foot.

Provenance

Given to the College by William Reed in 1374 (UO49. 66). On fol. iiiv: ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed prepositi Wynghamensis ex dono reuerendi domini sui M. Nicholai de Sandwyco. Oretis igitur pro utroque’; a table of contents, in the same hand; ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ in Oxon’ in communi libraria eiusdem et ad usum communem sociorum ibidem studencium cathedandus. Ex dono uenerabilis patris domini Willelmi tercii episcopi Cicestrie. Oretis igitur pro eodem et benefactoribus eiusdem ac fidelium animabus a purgatorio liberandis. Walterus Roberti.’ For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8.

At the head of fol. 3 is the James no. ‘161’, s. xvii in. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with ‘F. 5, 8’ (canc.) and a table of contents, s. xvii, and ‘P. 1. 13. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘N. 1. 10 (CCXII)’ in red; the College bookplate.