Merton College MS. 315
Former shelfmark: F. 3. 2
EUSEBIUS; S. IX
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Ed. R. Helm, Eusebius Werke 7, GCS 47 (3rd edn., 1984), pp. 1–7; Lambert 203.
Two separate treatises, the first unique to this copy:
Extracts from Jerome, De Interpretatione Nominum Hebraicorum.
Lambert 623; ed. A. Riese, Geographi Latini Minores [Heilbronn, 1878/repr. Hildesheim, 1964], pp. xxxiv-vi, 9–14. The second treatise is also in Bodl. Libr., Canon. misc. 378, a copy of the Notitia Dignitatum made for Pietro Donato, bp. of Padua, completed at Basel in Jan. 1436.
f. 8v is blank but for ‘Cumque intuerentur in celum euntem illum dixerunt aeria’, neumed, in a tiny hand of s. xii. Below this is some rather later writing in red, partly obliterated by damp.
On f. 9 is ‘super 4tum regum’, in a Continental hand, probably German, s. xv, and a passage in German verse, in a rough hand, s. xiv: see R. Priebsch, ‘Mittelhochdeutsches aus einer Hs. des Merton College in Oxford', Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum 38, N. F. 26 (1894), 21. The same hand seems to add to the text on f. 104v.
The Chronicon proper begins with regnal tables on f. 9v, organized in 4–5 cols across each opening until fols. 94v-5; then across each leaf until f. 132, after which the only rulers are the Romans. The work ends on f. 149 with ‘Ab urbe condita usque ad extremum huius operis annum fiunt anni M CXXXI ...’. On f. 149v ‘Colliguntur omnes anni usque in consolatum Valentis .VI. et Valentiniani iunioris iterum Augustum ...’. ed. Helm, pp. 1–250, not using this copy.
This last pr. H. Dodwell in the Dissertatio Singularis appended to Iohannis Pearsonii Opera Posthuma Chronologica (London, 1688), pp. 98–9.
Passages of German verse, in the same rough hand, s. xiv, as on f. 9, pr. Priebsch, 21–2.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Blind-ruled in 28 long lines.
Hand(s)
Elegant, fully-developed Caroline minuscule. Headings in square capitals and uncials. Corrections and additions in an ?English humanistic hand, c. 1500, on fols. 1v, 9v, 10, 20v and 148v.
Decoration
Much writing in capitals, and some numerals and framing, in red and green. On f. 125v the birth of Jesus is marked by a large chi-rho with interlace and foliage ornament, within a double rectangular frame, in ink of text filled with red, green and yellow.
Binding
Recent (C. Clarkson), white pigskin over wooden boards; sewn on three bands; fols. i-ii, 157–8 are parchment blanks from this binding.
The previous binding, s. xv ex., tawed skin over reverse-bevelled wooden boards, virtually identical with those of MSS 1 and 2, and with that of Bodl. Libr., MS Bodl. 757 (see N. R. Ker, Records of All Souls College Library 1437–1600, Oxford Bibliographical Society Publs., n. s. 16, 1971, p. 171), is now kept separately. Sewn on four bands, raised on the spine and outlined with string; formerly two straps with clasps from the front to catches on the back cover, of which the lower clasp and both catches remain; formerly chained from the front board, near the foot of the foredge. The front pastedown is from an English copy of a civil law text, s. xiii, glossed. The rear pastedown has the end of 2 cols of text, perhaps from the same book, on its pasted side.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Perhaps made at Reichenau; the German verse added s. xiv is in West Allemannic, the dialect spoken in a region centering on Basel.
Owned by Pietro Donato, bishop of Padua (d. 1447), who probably found it while at the Council of Basel in the 1430s, and certainly had access to it there by 1436. It is presumably no. 94 in the inventory of his books made between 1439 and 1445: P. Sambin, ‘La biblioteca di Pietro Donato (1380–1447)’, Bollettino del Museo Civico di Padova 48 (1959), 53–98, at p. 85 (‘Eusebius de temporibus in littera vetustissima’). Venice, Biblioteca Marciana Lat. IX. 1 (3496), was copied from it at Padua in 1450; this is the earliest of a group of related MSS copied there and in Rome, s. xv2. The text was also used by B. Mombritius for his printed edition (Milan 1475).
It was brought to England by John Tiptoft (BRUO 1877–9), earl of Worcester, who was in Padua c. 1459–61; his maniculus on f. 119 and marginal note on f. 133. The addition to the text on f. 1v was also in the copy given by Duke Humfrey to the University Library in Feb. 1443/4.
The binding suggests that it reached the College not long after Tiptoft’s death, 17 Oct. 1470. It was certainly there by 1556: UO65. 170. On f. 156v is ‘Liber Collegii Mertonensis Oxon:’, s. xvii. Inside the front board of the old binding are two shelf-marks of s. xvii, ‘B. 4. 11. Art’, canc. and replaced with ‘Q. 3. 17’, itself replaced by ‘F. 3. 25’ and ‘CCCXV’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘17’ is inked on the foredge.
Merton College MS. 315 - front pastedown in old binding
Contents
Language(s): Latin
The rear pastedown has the end of 2 cols of text, perhaps from the same book, on its pasted side.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
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
2019-11-13: First online publication