Merton College MS. 42

Former shelfmark: C. 1. 3

BERNARD, ?WILLIAM OF AUVERGNE; S. XV

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 1–46; 46v blank)

BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, De Consideratione

Rubric: Incipit liber primus beati Bernardi ad Eugenium papam de consideracione

Incipit: Subit animum distare aliquid quod te papa beatissime

Explicit: sed non finis querendi

SBO 3. 393–493.

2. (fols. 47–166)

Ps.-WILLIAM OF AUVERGNE, Super Apocalypsim

Rubric: Primum Parisiensis [sic for Primasius (?)] super apocalypsim

Incipit: Apocalipsis id est reuelatio Ihesu Christi a Iesu Christo facta hec supplere Non a me. In hoc uitat Iohannes arroganciam quia non suam sed Christi Ihesu dicit apocalipsim

Explicit: et corrigat quicquid uiderit corrigendus amen

Marginal guides and alphabetical letters. unpr.; the unique copy of William of Auvergne, according to Stegmüller, Bibl. 2805. Glorieux, Théol. 141aa, considers the ascription dubious or false, and the work is not listed by Ottmann.

Followed by two alphabetical subject-indexes in 2 cols, fols. 166–70, 170v-3; fols. 173v-4v blank. The first index, which is keyed to the marginal alphabetical letters, ends with an elaborate explanation of its use.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: exhorrebant

Form: codex

Support: Parchment

Extent: 174 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 215 × 150 mm.

Dimensions (written): 140 × 100 mm.

The edges retrimmed with loss of marginalia and stained yellow.

Collation

1–5⁸, 6⁶ / 7–22⁸; catchwords; quire-signatures of the usual late medieval form.

Layout

Frame-ruled with crayon; written in c. 30 long lines.

Hand(s)

A single practised Continental scribe, writing cursive, except for fols. 170v-3, added in a rough secretary hand, c. 1500. The same hand, almost certainly Hammond Haydok’s, wrote the index on fols. ii-iii of MS 48, and the list on fol. iv^vof MS 189. At the foot of fol. 170 is a note by the main scribe: ‘quat’ – prec. 1d ob / - script’ 13 d’.

Decoration

Blue initials flourished in red. The running heads are accompanied by red or blue paraphs.

Binding

s. xv, heavily restored in modern times; cushion-bevelled oak boards with slightly projecting squares, now bare, rebacked with modern vellum; sewn on five bands. Two straps from recesses in the front board to pins in the back, all gone. Chain-staples formerly near the foot of the foredge of the front board, and in the middle of the foot of the back board. No flyleaves or pastedowns.

History

Origin: S. XV ; Continental

Provenance and Acquisition

At the end of art. 1 on fol. 46 the scribe has written ‘Magister Hamound’. This could be Hammond Haydok (for whom see MS 16), and would suggest that the book was made for him.

At the College by c. 1500, certainly by 1556: UO65. 175. At the head of fol. 1 is the James no. ‘235’, s. xvii. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper, with a table of contents and ‘N. 4. 3. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 1. 3 (XLII)’, in red; the College bookplate. ‘3’ is inked on the foredge.

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009.

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.

Bibliography

Coxe, p. 29; Powicke, no. 967.

Funding of Cataloguing

Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2018-08-01: First online publication

A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges