Pauline epistles (Romans–Hebrews) in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologues — 15th century, first quarter; England

Title

Pauline epistles (Romans–Hebrews) in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologues — 15th century, first quarter; England

Shelfmark

MS. Dugdale 46

Place of origin

England

Date

15th century, first quarter

Language

Latin

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

poor quality, poorly matched parchment of variable thickness with holes

Physical extent

140 leaves, c.

Hands

textura of widely variable size and degree of formality, but perhaps the work of a single amatuer (?) scribe; black ink. The appearance of script changes sometimes from quire to quire (e.g., quires I and II are in different styles, but the verso of the last leaf of quire I matches the recto of the first leaf of quire II; see also a change of ruling and scribal style at the start of quire III, fol. 15r) and sometimes unpredictably within the same quire and more than once on the same page (e.g., fols. 41r, 47v, 63v, 67r, 81v, etc.). Partially filled last line of the first column on fol. 67r and a line outside the ruled space on fol. 100r suggest that the text may not have been copied consecutively. Possibly at least partly in the same hand as MS. Harley 2396 (English Wycliffite sermons) and Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College MS. 179/212 (Matthew–Mark in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible). MS. Harley 2396 also has very considerable variation in scribal style, sometimes on the same page, and changes in ruling from one to two columns for no apparent reason (Hudson, A. and Gradon, P., English Wycliffite sermons, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983–96), vol. 1, pp. 81–2).

Decoration

2- to 5-line plain red initials at the beginnings of books, 1- to 3-line similar initials at the beginnings of prologues and chapters.

Rubrics in red, black or underlined in red.

Binding

Brown leather over pasteboard, late 17th century, probably made for Charles Fairfax (see also MS. Fairfax 11). Blind fillet-line and roll border with geometric designs round the outer edge of both covers. Floral decoration (thistle flowers (?)) at the centre and in four corners on both covers. Two paper labels on spine, one fragmentary with ‘[4]6’ written in ink, another with ‘M.S. Dugdale 34’ also written in ink. Paper label with ‘F(?)’ on the upper cover. Edges of textblock dyed red.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: transferred from the Ashmolean Museum in 1858.

Provenance

Henry Fairfax (1588–1665), Church of England clergyman; see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Fol. i verso contains Pater noster and the Apostles’ Creed with a title Ex antiquo MSS, probably in his hand. The same page contains a note about the authorship of the Prologue to Romans, stating that the information was supplied by ‘M Fetherstonhaugh’, minister at Bentham. Notes probably in his hand in the margins of the epistles. Erased early modern (?) note in the lower margin of fol. 96v; text on the same page freshened up in an early modern (?) hand.

Charles Fairfax (1597–1673), antiquary and genealogist; see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Carolus Fairfax ex dono fratris Henrici Fairfax 1619 (fol. 1r). Signatures on fols. i recto (in Latin and English), 138v. See also MS. Fairfax 11.

William Dugdale (1605–1686), antiquary and herald; see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Ashmolean Museum: bequeathed by Dugdale.

Title

The epistles of st. Paul

Shelfmark

MS. Dugdale 46

Summary

The epistles of st. Paul, with the usual prologues, and two to the epistle to the Romans, according to the later Wycliffite version. Fol. iv has the paternoster and Apostles' creed in English, in a hand of the 17th cent.

Date

Written about 1400 in England

Language

English

Physical facet

On parchment, in double columns. Bound in brown leather, blind-tooled

Physical extent

140 Leaves

Custodial history

Fol. 1 has 'C[arolus] Fairfax ex dono patris H[enrici] F[airfax] 1619.'