Merton College MS. 325

Former shelfmark: H. 1. 5

AURORA; S. XIII 1/4

Language(s): Latin

f. iii blank.

(fols. 1–119; 119v-20v blank)

Incipit: Incipit prefacio in librum sequentem. Sodalium meorum peticio ...;

Incipit: Incipit liber magistri Petri cuius titulus est Aurora. Prima facta diei duo celum terra leguntur ... (f. 105v) Summi pontificis cepit honore frui. Explicit liber Mathabeorum.

Incipit: Incipit liber Iosephi. Symone quod debet morti soluente Iohannes

Explicit: pacificum reddit es filius ecce uocandus.

Ed. P. Beichner (2 vols, University of Notre Dame Medieval Studies 19, 1965); Stegmüller, Bibl. 6823–5.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: Scripture tenebras

Form: codex

Support: Parchment

Extent: 125 leaves (iii + 122)

Dimensions (leaf): 225 × 155 mm.

Dimensions (written): 165 × 120 mm.

The edges heavily retrimmed and gilded.

Collation

A singleton, 1–15⁸.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 34 lines. The innermost column, occupied by the text, is 75 mm. wide; the outer column is for guides to the contents, written in red with green or blue initials. Running heads on a separate line ruled right across the page. Written above top line.

Hand(s)

A single proficient English early gothic bookhand.

Decoration

Many handsome 4–8 line arabesque initials, mainly on squarish grounds edged with green, in red, blue, green and pink; blue or green initials flourished in red, red initials flourished in blue; plain initials in the colours or ink of text.

Binding

s. xix in., repaired; sewn on five bands. Fols. i-ii, 121–2 are blank paper binding leaves. Rust marks on the early parchment leaves suggest that the book was once chained from the front board, at the head near the foredge.

History

Origin: S. XIII 1/4 ; script of English appearance.

Provenance and Acquisition

On f. iii^v, s. xiv in. ‘Liber Sancte Marie de Bridelington; qui eum alienauerit anathema sit’. The same hand has made additions to a table of contents s. xiii ex. ‘Biblia uersificata que dicitur aurora littera G’, s. xv: MLGB, p. 12. These entries refer to the Augustinian Priory of St Mary at Bridlington (Yorks.).

On f. 119 is ‘pertinet Richardo Baylton’, s. xvi¹.

On f. iii^vis ‘Liber Eduardi Welchman ecclesiae Lapworthiensis rectoris. Febr. 23. 1697/8.’ Welchman, rector of Lapworth (Warw.), fellow 1684–1739, gave it to the College.

Inside the front board is the College bookplate with ‘O. 4. 10 Art’ in pencil, canc. and replaced with ‘H. 1. 5 (CCCXXV)’ in red.

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. 129; Powicke, no. 1262; Alexander & Temple, no. 177.

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

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