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

Merton College MS. 154

Former shelfmark: M. 3. 5

WILLIAM OF MILTON; S. XIV in.

Contents

A single main volume, to which a quire from another was added by s. xv in.

fol. i, iiv, iii-iv blank. Most of iii hacked out.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: fundamenta terre
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 257 leaves (iv + 253)
Dimensions (leaf): 350 × 235 mm.
The edges retrimmed, affecting marginalia, and spattered with red. Fols. i-ii, 253 are of thick, stiff parchment.

Collation

A4, 1–1912, 2014 / 2112(11–12 canc.), a singleton; catchwords, mostly cropped; ‘corr’ by the scribe at the end of quires.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on five bands; formerly chained from the usual position. The outermost leaves were pasted down in an earlier binding.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

At the head of fol. 253, s. xv, ‘Liber Magistri Henrici Abyndone | Postilla super ecclesiasticum | Item quedam determinacio de confessione / Tradatur Mertonehalle’.

At the head of fol. iv ‘Istud librum donauit M. Henricus Abyndone custos de Mertonehalle in Oxoniam eiusdem domus scolaribus ut inchatenetur in eorum libraria nunc exhibendus cum licencia custodis et sex seniorum eiusdem domus. Et est postilla optima super ecclesiasticum cum uno subtili tractatu edito super materia de confessione et absoluende facta cum uirtute priuilegii concessi fratribus.’ Abingdon (BRUO 7–8) was warden from 1421 until his death in 1437. The book was clearly not chained for long, if at all, and became available for distribution among the Fellows (electio): on fol. ivv is ‘Li’ 10us’, c. 1500, followed by a table of contents in the same hand. This is presumably how it became available for pledging in the College’s own chest: Appendix B no. 101 (1450–1) ‘Et computat liberat’ pro renouacione caucionis Emylton’ in cista [Ci]cestrie 2º fº fundamenta vt patet per registrum ii s.’

On fol. iv‘C. M. Thome Aleyn (et Newbrygge over line) exposita in cista xxiii die mensis Februarii anno Domini MCCCCXLV et habet 2. supplementa 2º fº primi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit et iacet pro iii li. vi s. viii d.’

On fol. ii ‘Caucio magistrorum Thome Aleyn et Ricardi Newbrygge in cista Ciscestrie x. die Marcii anno Domini MCCCCXLVI et habet 3ª supplementa 2º fº primi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit 2º fº 3i timentum iacet pro lxxviii s.'.

‘C. M. T. Aleyn et Ricardi Newbrig’ exposita in cista Cicestrie primo die Nouembris anno rr. H. sexti xxvii et Domini MCCCCXLVIII et habet tria supplementa 2º fº pi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit 2º fº tercii timentum et ia. pro lxxviii s.’

‘C. M. W. Emyldon Iohannis Wode Thome Bloxham exposita in cista Cicestrie xviii die mensis Maii anno Domini MCCCCXLIX et habet 3ª supplementa 2º fº primi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit 2º fº 3i timentum et iacet pro iii li. x s.’

‘C. M. Emyldon Iohannis Wode Thome Bloxham exposita in cista Cicestrie x. die mensis Nouembris anno Domini MCCCCL et habet tria supplementa 2º fº pi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit 2º fº tercii timentum et iacet pro lxvi s.’

‘C. M. Emyldon Iohannis Wode Thome Bloxham exposita in cista Cicestrie 4. die mensis Decembris anno Domini MCCC[C]LIIII et habet tria supplementa 2º fº pi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit 2º fº terciitimentum et ia. pro lxiiii s. lxii s. lx s.’

‘C. M. Willelmi Emyldon Iohannis Wood et Thome Bloxham exposita in cista Cicestrie xvii die Februarii anno Domini 1455 et habet 3ª supplementa 2º fº pi tribuit 2º fº 2i quieuit 2º fº 3i timentum et ia’ pro lviij s.’

The book with secundo folio ‘tribuit’ was presumably MS 10, part I at least. Richard Newbridge (BRUO 1353) was fellow c. 1439 until at least 1483, Thomas Aleyn (BRUO 24) by 1434 until at least 1448. For Emyldon, Wode and Bloxham, see MSS 42, 55 and 41.

At the head of fol. ivv is ‘Donauit Scholaribus de Merton Hall in Oxon’ Magister Henricus Abyndon eiusdem domus Custos’, s. xvii.

At the head of fol. 1 is the James no. ‘65’, s. xvii in. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with the contents and ‘O. 5. 5. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘M. 3. 5 (CLIV)’ in red; the College bookplate.

Merton College MS. 154 – Part I (fols. 1–242)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 1–242)
?WILLIAM OF MILTON OFM, Commentary on Ecclesiasticus
Incipit: ⟨M⟩ultorum nobis. Operi principali duo prohemia siue prologi preordinantur
Incipit: ⟨O⟩mnis sapiencia a Domino Deo est &c. In doctrina ista in qua agitur de uirtutibus proceditur sic
Explicit: opera enim morum sequuntur mos, quo uobis precare dignetur Iesus Christus amen.
Final rubric: Expliciunt postille super Ecclesiasticum.

Annotated in an anglicana hand little later than the main text. fol. 225rv is blank, but there is no break in the text, nor is it the end of a quire. fol. 242v is blank but for faint notes in pencil.

Unpr., many copies; Stegmüller, Bibl. 2939; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 790.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 270 × 165 mm.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 50 lines. Lines were ruled right across the page for running heads.

Hand(s)

A single English gothic rotunda bookhand of university type using very black ink, correcting in the margins. At the end of quire 1 is pencilled ‘recepi [?] s.’, at the end of 4 ‘Item iii s. Item iiii. s. Item vii. s.’, of 7, ‘Item iii s.’ twice, of 11 ‘Item iiii s. Item .ii. s. Item iiii s.’, of 14 and 16 ‘Item iii. s.’, of 18 ‘Item ii s. et vi. d.’, of 19 ‘Item ii s.’

Decoration

None; unfilled spaces for coloured initials and tituli.

History

Origin: S. XIV in ; scripts of English appearance.

Merton College MS. 154 – Part II (fols. 243–53v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

2. (fols. 243–52v)
Determinatio on Confession
Incipit: Qui secure et discrete et fructuose uult exequi officium audiendi confessionem
Explicit: ad consuetudinem uel ad iuris determinacionem
Final rubric:

fol. 253v blank.

Bloomfield 4631, this copy only.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 250 × 170 mm.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 59 lines.

Hand(s)

A similar hand (a single English gothic rotunda bookhand of university type), using pale ink. Marginal corrections in an anglicana hand of much the same date. At the foot of fol. 252v are faint pencil notes, among which can be read ‘Pro [ ... ] iiii lib’.

Decoration

Red or blue initials flourished in the other colour; red or blue paraphs; red highlighting and underlining.

History

Origin: S. XIV in ; scripts of English appearance.

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. 64; Powicke, no. 750.

Funding of Cataloguing

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

Last Substantive Revision

2019-06-21: First online publication

See the Availability section of this record for information on viewing the item in a reading room.