Merton College MS. 232

Former shelfmark: H. 2. 6

CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN ; S. XIV

Language(s): Latin

Fols. i and 149 are cut from the tops of two different legal documents in French, s. xv, written in French hands and concerning French persons, bound in sideways; fols. i and 149v are blank. The texts are cropped on both sides and at the foot.

(fols. 1–148v)

CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN, Viaticum, glossed by GERARD OF BOURGES

CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN, Viaticum

GERARD OF BOURGES, Commentary on Constantine the African, Viaticum

Rubric: Incipit breuiarius Constantini qui dicitur uiaticus cum glosulis Geraldi.

Incipit: Quoniam quidem ut in rethoricis Tullius ait

Explicit: cum omnino multum ualenti

Incipit: (gloss) Cum omne elementum et ex elementis corpus generatum

Explicit: (gloss) consolidare habent et mundificare.

Final rubric: Expliciunt glosule uiatici secundum magistrum Geraldum Bituricensem. Deo gratias. Gaudet epar spodio mace cor cerebri quoque musco / Pulmo liquricia capere splen stoma galanga.

Text pr. Venice 1505 &c.; eTK 1298H; glo. eTK 0324B; the verses WIC 7108.

Following the text is a short recipe in an Italian cursive hand.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: (f. 3) Capillus ex; menti corrumpuntur

Form: codex

Support: Parchment

Extent: 150 (i + 149) leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 260 × 190 mm.

Dimensions (written): 190 × 140 mm.

The edges savagely retrimmed, affecting the running heads, and spattered with red.

Collation

A singleton at each end, hooked around the first and last quires, 1–8¹⁰, 9⁸, 10–15¹⁰.

Layout

Ruled with pencil in 2 cols of 60 gloss-lines, the text in larger script on alternate lines.

Hand(s)

An Italian or southern French gothic rotunda bookhand using pale ink.

Decoration

Red and blue flourished initials; red or blue initials, the red flourished in violet, the blue in red; red or blue initials for capitula, red or blue paraphs; running heads in red and blue capitals.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, resewn on three bands and rebacked by Maltby in 1953; formerly chained from the usual position. A rust-mark, perhaps from a chain-staple, is at the foot of the early leaves, near the foredge. A similar mark is at the middle of the foot of f. 148, but not of 149. Fols. i and 149 were pastedowns in an earlier binding.

History

Origin: S. XIV ; script of Italian or southern French appearance.

Provenance and Acquisition

At the foot of f. 1 is ‘Liber medicum[sic] legatus collegio de Marton halle Oxonie per magistrum Willelmum Duffeld nuper socium eiusdem.’ At the foot of f. 2, in a similar hand, is ‘Liber Constantini qui dicitur viaticus continens sex (corr in the marg. to septem) libros cum comento magistri Geraldi Bytuniensis archidiaconi legatus collegio de Mertonhalle Oxon’ per M. Willelmum Duffeld nuper socium eiusdem.’ For Duffield, fellow in 1398, no longer in 1422, d. 1453, see MS 91.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with titles of s. xvii, ‘P. 2. 15. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘H. 2. 6’, in red; the College bookplate. ‘15’ 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. 90; Powicke, no. 929.

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

2019-08-30: First online publication

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