Peter of Blois, Epistolae (selection). Southern France, s. xiv2.

Title

Peter of Blois, Epistolae (selection). Southern France, s. xiv2.

Shelfmark

MS. Laud Misc. 650

Date

14th century, second half

1351

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

i (17th-cent.) + 84 leaves

Hands

(fols 1r–82v) written in a Southern French cursive bookhand, s. xiv2, in one main hand; the two letters on fols 80v–81r added in a different, but contemporary hand; item 3 on fols 81v–82vb written in a more or less contemporary hand, of s. xiv2/xvin. Numerous marginalia, in the text hand and in various other hands, predominantly of s. xv. Later letter numbers added in the hand of J. A. Giles, 19th-cent. editor.

Decoration

Coloured initials in red.

Rubrication.

(fol. 16r) Flourished initial in dark brown.

(fol. 60v) sniffing dog and hare, the ears upright; (fol. 68v) ape, sitting on a sort of bench, balancing a cup in one hand and holding a banner inscribed with the catchword in the other.

Binding

For the reconstruction of the medieval binding see item 1: MS. Laud Misc. 650 has two parchment endleaves (fols ii & 83; with fore-edge flaps between fols i/ii & 82/83) which formed the wrappers of the original (French) limp binding. Two sets of numerous, irregularly grouped sewing holes at the outer margin of fol. 83 indicate that the quires were originally attached by long-stitch sewing to the parchment cover (there are, however, no corresponding stitching holes inside the quires visible).

Brown tanned calf over laminated pulpboard for Archbp. Laud, 1637–1639

Acquisition

Given to the Bodleian as part of his third donation, dispatched on 28 June 1639.

Provenance

Mainz, Carthusian abbey of St Michael: the 15th-cent. ex-libris inscriptions at the upper margin of fol. 1r (a paper label (22–28  110 mm) glued to fol. 1r): ‘Iste liber pertinet ad fratres Carthusiensium | prope magunciam’, and, in the same hand, of fol. 81v: ‘Iste liber est fratrum Carthusiensium prope magunciam’. Identifiable as P XV P in cat. ii. Shortly before 1600, Professor Johannes Busaeus (Johannes Buys 1547–1611), a Jesuit from Mainz, used this copy for his edition of Peter of Blois’ Opera, which was published in Mainz, 1600 (see Schreiber 127f.).

William Laud, 1573–1645: Ex-libris inscription of Archbp. Laud, dated 1638, at the lower margin of fol. 1r.

Title

Peter of Blois, Epistles and Patristic extracts

Shelfmark

MS. Laud Misc. 650

Date

15th century

Language

Latin

Physical extent

83 Leaves

Custodial history

Manuscript 2430 acquired by the Bodleian Library