Fragmentary preacher’s or theological notes (left margin cut off) of the 15th century, second half, listing topics discussed in the gospels and epistles, such as a wedding, lilies of the field, beggars, etc. with references to books and chapters of New Testament, presumably compiled using the present manuscript, Calendar-lectionary in English, Table of lections of Type I, New Testament in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologues, Old Testament lectionary of Type I — 15th century, first quarter, c.1415 (?); England, London (?)

Title

Fragmentary preacher’s or theological notes (left margin cut off) of the 15th century, second half, listing topics discussed in the gospels and epistles, such as a wedding, lilies of the field, beggars, etc. with references to books and chapters of New Testament, presumably compiled using the present manuscript, Calendar-lectionary in English, Table of lections of Type I, New Testament in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologues, Old Testament lectionary of Type I — 15th century, first quarter, c.1415 (?); England, London (?)

Shelfmark

MS. Laud Misc. 388

Date

15th century, first quarter, c.1415 (?)

Language

Latin

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment, paper flyleaves

Physical extent

324 leaves, c.

Hands

textura, black ink

Decoration

Blue KL monograms with red penwork in the calendar-lectionary.

4-line ‘puzzle’ initials in red and blue with red and blue penwork, and penwork borders (right or middle margin) at the beginning of books and Old Testament lectionary. The initial at the start of St John’s gospel is six lines high.

2-line blue initials with red penwork at the beginning of prologues, chapters and Old Testament readings. Catchwords on decorative scrolls.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Brown morocco over pasteboard, 19th century. Gold lettering on spine ‘NEW TESTAMENT’; paper label on spine with handwritten ‘Laud 338’. Marbled paper pastedowns and flyleaves.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: first donation from Laud, 22 May 1635. Earlier shelfmark: ‘J 7’ (fol. iv recto).

Provenance

Preacher’s or theological notes in English, 15th century, second half, added on fol. iv verso, some Lollard, e.g., those drawing attention to passages against beggars, against idle men that live off other men’s labour and to a passage against the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew 23:13, widely used in Lollard discourse (e.g., Hudson, A. and Gradon, P., English Wycliffite sermons, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983–96), vol. 2, pp. 366–78). Liturgical notes in Latin, possibly in the same hand, on fols. 124v, 183v and 210v. Possibly in London when the notes were made: those on fol. iv verso draw attention to a passage describing the conversion of St Paul; liturgical notes on fol. 210v mention the feasts of Paul. The notes on fol. iv verso have some southern forms (plurals holdyth and lefyth). The notes may be in the hand of one of the 15th-century owners, Henry Tyryll or Christopher Constable: per me henricum tyryll and per me christoferum constable (fol. 298r).

The feasts of Thomas Becket and some titles ‘pope’ are erased, presumably at Reformation.

Iste liber pertinet A P’(?); Iste liber pertinet Iris… (partially erased); Robart, 16th century (?) (fol. 298r).

William Charke (d. 1617), religious controversialist; see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Sum Gul. Charci (fols. 1a recto, 1b recto). Matriculated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1560; graduated BA in 1562–1563 and MA in 1566. Also owned Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Laud misc. 104, containing The Pater Noster of Richard Ermyte, as well as seven other manuscripts (see Hudson, A. and Gradon, P., English Wycliffite sermons, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983–96), vol. 1, p. 63 n. 16), several of them Wycliffite, including two copies of English Wycliffite Sermons. Spent much of his career in London.

William Laud (1573–1645); see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Liber Guilielmi Laud Archiepiscopi Cantuar’: et Cancellarij Vniuersitatis Oxon. 1634 (fol. 7a recto).

Title

New Testament in English

Shelfmark

MS. Laud Misc. 388

Summary

Calendar, Use of Sarum

New Testament (later Wycliffite version). (with table of lections)

Old Testament lections

Date

15th century, beginning

Language

English

Physical extent

298 Leaves

Custodial history

Entirely omitted by accident in the Old Catalogue of 1697. Manuscript 2052 acquired by the Bodleian Library