St John's College MS 120
Ambrose, De officiis; Life of Saint George, Latin verse
Contents
Language(s): Latin
CPL 144, ed. Maurice Testard, Les Dévoirs, 2 vols. (Paris 1984–92). Only six text lines in the last column, the remainder of the folio blank.
Not in BHL, and no parallels have been found; the Passion is followed by nine lections (ending fol. 76ra) and two further prayers. Fol. 55 is blank.
WIC 436; he cites another copy, BL, MS Royal 2 A.ix, fol. 36.
? WIC 17116, cited as unique.
WIC 10875; there treated as unique and including the next, but both also appear as BodL, MS Bodley 79, fol. 1. Followed by a 4-line prayer ‘Et si fandi desit pericia—Cor loquatur et consciencia’, as well as by a contents table in double columns, fol. 85vb.
WIC 13815 (citing this work separately from item 5, again as unique). A verse litany, including, among others, George, Denis, Blaise, Ædmund, Alban, Oswald, Ædward, Thomas Becket, Cuthbert, Birin, Swithin, Ædward, Guthlac, and Ædburga. Blanks in the contents table correspond to unfilled spaces awaiting text at fols. 98ra, 108va–110vb. Fol. 111rb is blank but ruled, the verso blank.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
In two different double-column formats:
(a) to fol. 76, each column 168–73 × 51–2 mm. , with 13 mm between columns, in 34 lines to the column;
(b) thereafter, each column 178 × 59–61 mm. , with 12 mm between columns, in 43 lines to the column.
Prickings rare, bounded and ruled in brown crayon (first portion) and black ink (second).
Hand(s)
The first two booklets (fols. 1–76) written in transitional protogothic bookhand/gothic textura, fols. 55v and 76v perhaps in a second hand; the final booklet in gothic textura semiquadrata (in some places, prescissa), perhaps by more than one scribe. Punctuation by point, punctus elevatus, punctus interrogativus, and occasional double point and punctus flexus (booklets 1–2); and by point and punctus elevatus at line ends (booklet 3).
Decoration
In early portions (the first quire and text 2 only), red headings and running titles.
Textual sections open with 2-line alternating red and green arabesque initials; on fol. 1, blue and red lombards on flourishing of the other colour.
In the verse, alternate red and gold or red and green arabesque initials at section heads and 1-line examples at the head of each quatrain (other lines have larger pen-and-ink initials).
Binding
A modern replacement. Sewn on two thongs. At the front, a modern marbled paper leaf and one modern paper flyleaf; at the rear, another marbled paper leaf (iii).
History
Provenance and Acquisition
‘Iohannes white de Suthwyke in Comitatu Sutht armiger dedit hunc librum Thome white de london militi ad vsum colegij per ipsum de nouo erecti in Oxon’ Anno 1555’ (fol. 1, upper margin).
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact St John's College Library.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Thompson Family Charitable Trust
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2022-01: First online publication