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

Merton College MS. 240

Former shelfmark: C. 1. 15

CLEMENT OF LANTHONY, IACOPO DA VARAZZE; S. XV

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: (f. 2) Quando
Secundo Folio: (f. 80) perdicioni
Two originally separate volumes, put together at an unknown date, perhaps after 1600.
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 180 leaves (ii + 178)
Dimensions (leaf): 220 × 160 mm.
Heavily retrimmed, affecting running heads and marginalia, the edges spattered with red.

Collation

1–88, 96, 108 / 11–178, 1810, 19–228; catchwords in I, and quire-signatures of the form ‘i. qª. i’, ‘i. qª. ii’ etc., mainly cropped; framed catchwords in II.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i-ii, 177–8 are paper binding leaves, fols. i and 178 from the same printed book as in MS 84.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

John Bale (Appendix C, no. 7) saw at least part I at Merton. James, no. 167, specifies part II only, so the two parts may only have been united after 1600. Inside the front cover is a sheet of paper with ‘F. 4, 9’ (canc.) and a table of contents, s. xvii, ‘P. 3. 7. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 1. 15 (CCXL)’ in red; the College bookplate.

Merton College MS. 240 – Part I (fols. 1–78v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 1–76v; 77v-8v blank)
CLEMENT OF LANTHONY, Vnum ex Quattuor
Rubric: Clemens Lanthoniensis ecclesie presbyter N. pacem utramque huius operis
(capitula)
Incipit: (f. 6) In principio erat uerbum
Explicit: que scribendi sunt libros.
Final rubric: Concordia quatuor euangelistarum.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 160 × 115 mm.
Frame-ruled with crayon.

Layout

Written in c. 35 long lines.

Hand(s)

A practised Continental cursive, probably by a scribe from the Low Countries.

Decoration

Blue initials flourished in red, probably by the same hand, throughout. A good deal of rubrication: titles, chapter-numbers, running heads.

History

Origin: S. XV ; script of Continental, probably Low Countries appearance.

Merton College MS. 240 – Part II (fols. 79–175v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

2. (fols. 79–175; 175v blank)
IACOBUS DE VORAGINE, Sermones Quadragesimales
Incipit: Filia populi mei. Quamuis solempnitas quadragesime
Incipit: Stetit Iesus in medio discipulorum suorum &c. Ista eadem plenius dicuntur
Explicit: ad quam meritis et precibus uirginis gloriose matris sue domine nostre et ipse Dei filius nos perducat qui
Final rubric: Expliciunt sermones operis quadragesime compilati ab episcopo Ianuensi de ordine predicatorum anno Domini mcclxxxvi.

Pr. Brescia 1483; Schneyer 196–292.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 165 × 115 mm.
Frame-ruled with crayon.

Layout

Written in c. 50 long lines.

Hand(s)

A hand of the same type as part I, but writing much smaller.

Decoration

Blue initials flourished in red, probably by the same hand, throughout.

History

Origin: S. XV ; script of Continental, probably Low Countries 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, pp. 93–4; Powicke, no. 1254.

Funding of Cataloguing

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

Last Substantive Revision

2019-09-09: First online publication

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