Caesar, Martial — 12th century, first half; Dutch (?)

Title

Caesar, Martial — 12th century, first half; Dutch (?)

Shelfmark

MS. Holkham misc. 34

Place of origin

Dutch (?)

Date

12th century, first half

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

ii (paper) + 130 + ii (paper).

Hands

Neat gothic bookhand, by at least three scribes, each responsible for about 40 leaves, the changes from one to another corresponding both to quire-divisions and divisions of the text into Books (at fols. 39r, quire VI, Book IV; and 83r, quire XII, Book VII); the verses on fol. 129r-v are by a fourth scribe.

Decoration

One fine ink drawing (fol. 93v), depicting a devil playing bagpipes, holding a scroll inscribed 'der nider deren'; another drawing, apparently the same, and an accompanying inscription, has been erased at fol. 31v; and a few other marginal sketches, e.g. a dragon with coiled tail (fol. 107r), a human head (fol. 115r), etc., perhaps not all medieval.

Binding

Holkham binding with unusual bands of blind-tooled greek-key patterns; the spine tooled in gilt 'C. J. CÆSAR | DE BELLO | GALLICO || LEGIT | JULIUS CELSUS | CONSTANTINUS | – | M S. VEL. | SÆC. XIV.'

Provenance

An inscription next to the drawing on fol. 93v reads 'Qui me scribebat florens hoey [the two names over an erasure] habebat Anno domini Mo ccco xlvus feria \iiij/ post translationem beati benedicti abbatis'; 'Abbas gherardus poelgheest venerandus in egmont | Istum cum multis librum reparauit honeste | Inspicis hic lector quo tempore rupta refecit mcccc lxv' (fol. iii verso). Medieval pressmark (?) (fol. 1r, top margin); count of leaves 'c. xxviij' (fol. 128v).

Bookplate of 'THOMAS WILLIAM COKE' (1754–1842) and signed 'Thos. Willm. Coke', both on the upper pastedown (de la Mare and Barker-Benfield, fig. 96); fol. i recto with entensive notes by his friend 'W[illiam]. R[oscoe].' (1753–1831), formerly Norfolk, Holkham Hall, MS. 340.