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

Merton College MS. 78

Former shelfmark: I. 1. 7

THOMAS AQUINAS; S. XIV in.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 1–153; 153v blank)
Thomas Aquinas, Summa contra Gentiles

Capitula

Rubric: Incipit liber de ueritate catholice fidei contra errores infidelium editus a fratre Thoma de Aquino ordinis fratrum predicatorum
Incipit: Veritatem meditabor guttur meum et labia mea
Explicit: et exultabitis usque in sempiternum. Amen.
Final rubric: Explicit quartus liber et etiam totalis tractatus de fide catholica contra gentiles et a fratre Thoma de Aquino editus Deo gratias

Each book is preceded by capitula . STO 13–15; Stegmüller, Sent. 848; Glorieux, Théol. 14y.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: intellectus substancie
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 160 leaves (iv + 156)
Dimensions (leaf): 325 × 220 mm.
Dimensions (written): 265 × 170 mm.
The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Collation

a singleton, 1–1212, 136, 144(4 canc.).

Layout

Ruled with pencil in 2 cols of 63 lines.

Hand(s)

One English gothic rotunda bookhand using pale ink.

Decoration

Red and blue initials flourished in both colours and with partial borders; red or blue initials flourished in the other colour; red or blue paraphs; running heads in red and blue capitals; red highlighting.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, recently rebacked; sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. fols. i and 156 are modern paper blanks; fols. i-iii, 154–5 are paper binding leaves of s. xvii, the outermost from the same printed book as in MS 66.

History

Origin: S. XIV in. ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

At the head of fol. i, cropped by the binder, ‘Cicestrie quem emit a domino Thoma Tryllek’ episcopo Roffensi. Oretis igitur pro utroque. | Thomas de fide catholica contra gentiles. | Mertone 3.’ At the foot of fol. 1, over erasure, ‘Liber scolarium de genere uenerabilis patris domini Willelmi tercii episcopi Cicestrie Oxon’ successiue studencium ex dono uenerabilis patris predicti per custodem et rectorem domorum de Merton’ et Stapelton’ in Oxon’ uel per earum librarios eisdem scolaribus iuxta facultates et merita ipsorum cuiusque ad tempus sub caucione iuratoria prouide liberandus.’ For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8. This was probably part of his bequest and would have come to the College in or soon after 1400 (the date of UO35, the indenture delivering the equivalent books to Exeter College).

At the head of fol. 2 is the James no. ‘14’ (also in MS 79), s. xvii in. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with contents and ‘D. 4, 10’ (canc.), s. xvii, and ‘N. 6. 12. art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘I. 1. 17 (LXXVIII)’ in red; the College bookplate.

Merton College MS. 78 - fragment (fol. iv)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

fol. iv, of which only the upper half survives, is from a small missal, inserted sideways. From the sanctoral; no distinctive feasts.

Physical Description

Layout

Written space 165 × 120 mm. , ruled with pencil in 2 cols of 37 lines.

Hand(s)

Neatly written in an English early gothic bookhand.

Decoration

Plain red and blue initials.

History

Origin: s. xiii in. ; England

Additional Information

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. 44; Powicke, no. 556; Dondaine & Shooner, no. 2139.

Funding of Cataloguing

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

Last Substantive Revision

2018-09-01: First online publication

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