Merton College MS. 289
Former shelfmark: O. 2. 5
COMMENTARIES ON ARISTOTLE; S. XIV 1/4
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Fols. iii-iv blank. On f. ivv is a table of contents, s. xiv, probably in the hand responsible for the inscriptions associated with Thomas Bloxham inscriptions in MS 60, and another of s. xvii.
Extracts ed. A. D. Conti, ‘Thomas Sutton’s Commentary on the Categories’, in The Rise of British Logic, ed. P. O. Lewry (Toronto, 1985), pp. 173–213, at 185–210; Lohr, p. 186, listing only Wroclaw, Bibl. Uniwersytecka IV. Q. 3; Kaeppeli 3865; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 682.
At the end of bk. 1 is ‘exposicio Kilwarby.’ Pr. Venice 1499, 1516 / repr. Frankfurt, 1968; Lohr, pp. 111–12; Glorieux, Arts 411h; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 561. One of 17 known copies.
Ed. P. Rossi (Florence, 1981); Thomson, Grosseteste, p. 84; Lohr, pp. 103–4; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 542. One of 30 copies (including MSS 280, 292 and 295).
Many copies; pr. Venice 1496 &c; Lohr, pp. 328–9.
The book is heavily annotated throughout in early hands, associated with pointing hands with or without sleeves and profile faces.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 56 lines.
Hand(s)
A single neat anglicana hand, writing lemmata in large textura.
Decoration
Handsome historiated initials in colours and gold with partial borders: f. 1 7-line S with seated master teaching two students, 3-sided border with magpie at the foot; f. 33 another of the same with a rabbit at the foot of the border; f. 101 I with standing bishop (Grosseteste); f. 125 E, Giles of Rome preaching, with 3-sided border, a grotesque at the foot. Blue initials flourished in red; red or blue paraphs.
Binding
Standard Merton s. xvii, resewn on five bands and rebacked by Maltby; formerly chained from the usual position. fols. i-ii, 188–9 are modern paper blanks. f. iii, the front pastedown in an earlier binding, has marks of two foredge straps and one each at head and tail, also of the large iron chain-staple.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Made in England, at the College by 1372: UO48. 79.
Apparently lost to the College for a time before being reacquired by Richard Fitzjames. In the centre of f. iii a shield-shaped piece of parchment (55 × 40 mm.) has been hacked out. On f. ivvan inscription of four lines, possibly Fitzjames’ ex dono, has been thoroughly erased. Just below this is the impression of the usual Fitzjames label, with his coat of arms visible under ultra-violet light, and the marks of nail-holes, therefore originally on the back cover, then pasted to this leaf, since stripped off and lost.
At the head is ‘Precium xxx s.’, mainly erased, probably over an earlier price.
On f. iii is the James no. ‘102’, s. xvii in. Inside the front board is a table of contents, s. xvii, and ‘Q. 2. 5. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘O. 2. 5’ and ‘(CCLXXXIX)’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘5’ is inked on the foredge.
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.
Bibliography
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
2019-10-25: First online publication