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

MS. Bodl. 183

Summary Catalogue no.: 2084

Contents

Language(s): Middle English with Latin

Fols. i–v are blank paper and parchment flyleaves.

1. (fols. vi recto-xv verso)

[item 1 occupies quire II]

Table of lections of Type I
Rubric: Here bigynneþ a rule þat telliþ in whiche placis of þis book ȝe schulen fynde þe lessouns pistlis & gospels þat ben rad in þe chirche aftir þe vse of Salisbury markid wiþ lettris of þe abc þe bigynnyngis & þe eendyngis with twei strikis first is sett þe sonedaies & ferials & after þe sanctorum comoun & propre writen a clause of þe bigynnyng þerof & a clause of þe eending also

Includes the temporal, commemorations and the sanctoral, both the proper and common according to the rubric, but only the proper is present. The entries consist of the name of a liturgical occasion in red, abbreviated reference to a book and chapter of the Bible, an indexing letter in red, the opening words of a reading, ‘ende’ in red, the closing words of a reading and double strokes. Larger initials with penwork at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Trinity and Candlemas. The table was apparently produced from an exemplar that had a full set of Old Testament and New Testament readings, but Old Testament readings were removed from the temporal, and only those from books included in MS. Bodl. 183 were retained in the commemorations and the sanctoral. ‘Osee’, erroneously entered at Friday, 17th week after Trinity (fol. x recto), suggests that the exemplar had not only New Testament but also Old Testament readings (see Solopova, E., ‘Manuscript Evidence for the Patronage, Ownership and Use of the Wycliffite Bible’, in Poleg, E. and Light, L. (eds), Form and Function in the Late Medieval Bible (Leiden: Brill, 2013), pp. 333–49, pp. 338–40). Includes all feasts characteristic of the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible apart from Giles (1 September) (Forshall, J. and Madden, F. (eds), The Holy Bible … in the earliest English versions made from the Latin Vulgate by John Wycliffe and his followers, 4 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1850), vol. 4, pp. 683, 690–6). Commemorations are in the following order: the Virgin Mary, Trinity, Holy Ghost, Cross, angels, ‘ffor briþeren & sistren & salus populi’, peace, clear weather, reyn, ‘In time of batels’, ‘A man for him silf’, ‘ffor pestilence of bestis’, pilgrims, weddings, sinners, sick, ‘Pistils for dede’, ‘Gospels for dede’.

Final rubric: Thus eendiþ þe kalender of lessouns pistlis & gospels
2. (fols. 1r–284r)
New Testament and part of Old Testament, three biographies and sapiential books, in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible

Old Testament books, except Tobit, have prologues in the Earlier Version of the Wycliffite Bible (slightly revised) (Dove, M., The first English Bible: the text and context of the Wycliffite versions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p. 298). Chapter numbers in red as words in English or as Roman numerals, usually in the form ‘þe i cº’, preceding each chapter. Running titles on both rectos and versos consisting of an abbreviated title of a biblical book in red preceded by a blue paraph and a chapter number on pages containing the beginnings of chapters. Indexing letters and double strokes in the margins inside the bounding lines framing each page. The indexing letters are entered at the beginnings of lections only rather than consistently; the beginnings and ends of lections are also highlighted with yellow wash. Added material within the text is underlined in red in the Old Testament only. Contains corrections throughout presumably made in the original workshop. On fols. 82v, 173v, 192v and 212v the artist, who added the border, worked around corrections and glosses in the margins. Notes ‘fro þis’ and ‘hidirto’ in a medieval hand in the margins, marking passages in the Song of Song (fols. 237v–239r) and Ecclesiastes (fol. 260v), apparently added in the original workshop (the sign used to indicate the start and end of passages is also used to link glosses to the text on fol. 212v).

[New Testament occupies quires III–XXIII]

(fol. 1r)
Prologue to Matthew
Rubric: Here bigynneþ þe prolog of matheu
Incipit: Matheu þat was of iude
(fol. 1r)
Matthew
Rubric: Ierom on hise two prologis on Matheu seiþ þis plainly þe firste cº
(fol. 23v)
Prologue to Mark
Incipit: Mark þe gospeller was þe chosen seruaunt
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe gospel on matheu & bigynneþ þe prolog on Mark
(fol. 24r)
Mark
Rubric: þis seiþ Ierom in his prolog on mark And here bigynneþ þe i cº
(fol. 39r)
Prologue to Luke
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe gospel of Mark & Here bigynneþ þe prolog on Luyk
Incipit: Luk was a man of sirie
(fol. 39r)
Luke
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on luk seiþ plainli þis sentence þe firste cº
(fol. 64r)
Prologue to John
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe gospel of luk & bigynneþ þe prolog on Ioon
Incipit: This is Joon euangelist
(fol. 64v)
John
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on Iohn seiþ al þis sentence And here bigynneþ þe gospel of Ioon þis þe firste chapitre
Final rubric: Here endiþ þe gospel of Ioon
(fol. 82v)
Prologue to Romans
Rubric: Here bigynneþ þe prolog to fore þe pistil to romayns
Incipit: Romayns ben in þe cuntre
(fol. 82v)
Romans
Rubric: Ierom seiþ þis in his prolog to Romayns þe firste chapitre

Chapters 11–16 are imperfect because the lower part of fols. 89–92 is cut off.

(fol. 92v)
Prologue to 1 Corinthians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil of romayns & bigynneþ þe prolog to þe firste Corenthies
Incipit: Corynthies ben
(fol. 92v)
1 Corinthians
Rubric: … in his prolog on þe firste pistil to Corinthies the firste chapitre

The beginning of the rubric and parts of the text of the prologue and chapters 1–3 are missing because the lower part of fols. 92–93 is cut off.

(fol. 102r)
Prologue to 2 Corinthians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe firste pistil to Corinthies & here bigynneþ þe prolog on þe secunde piste[sic] to Corinthies
Incipit: Afftir penaunce
(fol. 102v)
2 Corinthians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis epistil seiþ þis þe firste chapitre
(fol. 108v)
Prologue to Galatians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe secunde pistil to Corinthies & biginneþ þe prolog to Galathies
Incipit: Galathies ben grekis
(fol. 108v)
Galatians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog to galathies writiþ þus þe firste cº
(fol. 111v)
Prologue to Ephesians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil to galaþies & biginneþ þe prolog on þe pistil to effeses
Incipit: Effesians ben of asie
(fol. 111v)
Ephesians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis þe i cº
(fol. 115r)
Prologue to Philippians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil to effecies & bigynneþ þe prolog to þe pistlil of filipencis
Incipit: Filipencis ben of macedonye
(fol. 115r)
Philippians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ al þis The firste chapitre
(fol. 117v)
Prologue to Colossians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil to filipensis & bigynneþ þe prolog on þe pistil to colosences
Incipit: Colosencis ben also laodisencis
(fol. 117v)
Colossians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis þe firste cº
(fol. 119v)
Prologue to 1 Thessalonians
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil to Colocensis & bigynneþ þe prolog on þe firste pistil to Tessalonycensis
Incipit: Tessalonicensis ben Macedonies
(fol. 119v)
1 Thessalonians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis And here bigynneþ þe firste cº
(fol. 122r)
Prologue to 2 Thessalonians
Rubric: Here endiþ þe firste pistil to tessalonisencis and bigynneþ þe prolog to þe secunde pistil to tessalonysencis
Incipit: The apostil wrytiþ
(fol. 122r)
2 Thessalonians
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis þe i cº
(fol. 123r)
Prologue to 1 Timothy
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe secunde pistil to tessalonysencis & bigynneþ þe prolog on þe firste pistil to tymoþe
Incipit: He enfoormeþ and techiþ
(fol. 123r)
1 Timothy
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis The firste chapitre
(fol. 126r)
Prologue to 2 Timothy
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe firste pistil to Tymoþe & bigynneþ þe prolog on þe secunde pistil to Timoþe
Incipit: He writith also
(fol. 126r)
2 Timothy
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis þe firste cº
(fol. 128r)
Prologue to Titus
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe secunde pistil to tymoþe & bigynneþ þe prolog on þe pistil to Tite
Incipit: He warneþ tite
(fol. 128r)
Titus
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis Here bigynneþ þe firste chapitre
(fol. 129r)
Prologue to Philemon
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil to tyte & here bygynneþ the prolog on þe pistil to ffilemon
Incipit: He makiþ famyliar
(fol. 129r)
Philemon
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis þe firste chapitre
(fol. 129v)
Prologue to Hebrews
Rubric: Here eendiþ the pistil to filemon & bigynneþ þe prolog on þe pistil to Ebrews
Incipit: First it is to seie
(fol. 130r)
Hebrews
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ þis Here bigynneþ þe firste chapitre
(fol. 137r)
Prologue to Acts
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil to Ebrews And bigynneþ þe prolog on þe dedis of apostlis
Incipit: Luk of antioche
(fol. 137v)
Acts
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog seiþ þis þe firste chapitre
(fol. 162r)
The Catholic epistles. Prologue to James
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe deedis of apostlis And here bigynneþ þe prolog on þe pistlis of cristen feiþ þat ben seuene in ordre
Incipit: The ordre of þe seuene epistlis
(fol. 162r)
James
Rubric: Ierom in his prolog on þis pistil seiþ al þis Here bigynneþ þe pistil of Iames þe firste chapitre

The text of chapters 4–5 is slightly imperfect because the lower part of fol. 164 is cut off.

(fol. 164v)
1 Peter
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil of Iames And here bigynneþ þe firste pistil of petir þe firste cº

Slightly imperfect because the lower part of fols. 164–166 is cut off.

(fol. 167r)
2 Peter
Rubric: Here endiþ þe firste pistil of petir & here bigynneþ þe secunde þe i cº
(fol. 169r)
1 John
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe secunde epistil of petir & here bigynneþ þe firste pistil of Ioon þe firste cº
(fol. 171r)
2 John
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe firste pistil of Ioon & bigyngynneþ[sic] þe secunde þe firste cº
(fol. 171v)
3 John
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe secunde pistil of Ioon & here bigynne þe þridde þe firste chapitre
(fol. 172r)
Jude
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe iii pistil of Ioon & here bigynneþ þe pistil of iudas þe i cº
(fol. 172v)
Prologue to Apocalypse
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe pistil of Iudas & here bigynneþ a prolog on apocalips
Incipit: Alle men þat wole
(fol. 173v)
Apocalypse
Rubric: Here endiþ þe prolog on þe apocalips þe firste chapitre
Final rubric: Here eendiþ þe apocalips of Ioon

Fol. 184 is ruled but blank.

[Old Testament occupies quires XXIV–XXXVI]

(fol. 185r)
Tobit
Rubric: Here bigynneþ tobie þe firste cº
(fol. 192r)
Prologue to Judith
Rubric: Here eendiþ tobie And here bigynneþ þe prolog on iudith
Incipit: Anentis þe ebrews
(fol. 192v)
Judith
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe prolog of iudith & bigynneþ þe book of hir þe firste cº
(fol. 201v)
Prologue to Esther
Rubric: Here endiþ þe book of iudith Here bigynneþ þe prolog on þe book of hester
(fol. 202r)
Esther
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe prolog of hester & bigynneþ &[sic] i cº

Usual notes on the differences between the Hebrew and Latin texts in red in chapters X–XV.

(fol. 212r)
Prologue to Proverbs
Rubric: Here endiþ þe book of hester Here bigynneth þe prolog on þe parablis of salamon
Incipit: Ierom sendiþ greetinge to Cromacie
(fol. 212v)
Proverbs
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe prolog & bigynneþ þe firste cº

Glosses in the original hand on fols. 212v–213r.

(fol. 230v)
Prologue to Ecclesiastes
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe parablis & bigynneþ þe prolog on ecclesiates
Incipit: Þis almoost þe fifþe
(fol. 231r)
Ecclesiastes
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe prolog & bigynneþ þe firste chapitre
(fol. 236v)
Song of Songs
Rubric: Her eendiþ ecclesiates & biginneþ song of songis þe i cº
(fol. 239v)
Prologue to Wisdom
Rubric: Here eendiþ cantica canticorum & biginneþ þe prolog on sapiens
(fol. 239v)
Wisdom
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe prolog & bigynneþ sapiens i chapº
(fol. 252r)
Ecclesiasticus
Rubric: Here eendiþ þe book of wisdom & here biginneþ þe book of ecclesiastici & biginneþ þe firste cº
Final rubric: Here endiþ ecclesiasticus

Fol. 284v is ruled but blank.

3. (fols. 285r–286v)

Fol. 285r–v is blank.

Fol. 286r contains an added list of contents of the manuscript in Latin, in a late 15th-century hand, including the table of lections, New Testament (omitting Philemon) and Old Testament books. At the beginning: ‘In isto libro continentur omnia subscripta’.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment, paper flyleaves; the lower part of leaves cut off in quires XII (fols. 89–96) and XX (fols. 161–168), and damaged in quires XIV–XV (fols. 105–120)
Extent: 302 leaves, c.
Dimensions (leaf): 292 × 194 mm.
, originally possibly identical to Fairfax 11; leaves were trimmed in rebinding, occasionally causing the loss of decoration in the margins
Foliation: modern in pencil (flyleaves and the table of lections) and ink (the rest): i–xv + 1–287

Collation

(fol. i) paper flyleaf conjoint with the upper pastedown | (fols. ii–v) I (4) | (fols. vi–xv) II (10) | (fols. 1–280) I–XXXV (8) | (fols. 281–284) XXXVI (4) | (fols. 285–286) XXXVII (2) | (fol. 287) paper flyleaf conjoint with the lower pastedown. Quire I (table of lections) has a signature ‘a’; quires containing New Testament (fols. 1–184) have signatures ‘a–z’; and quires containing Old Testament (fols. 185–284) have signatures ‘a–n’. The last empty page of New Testament has an offset of decoration not found on the page it currently faces (the first page of Tobit). Catchwords survive (see Decoration); the one on fol. 216 is cut off.
Secundo Folio: ‘Gospel Matheu’ (fol. vii recto, table of lections); ‘when crist schulde’ (fol. 2r, gospel)

Layout

Ruled in ink for two columns with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines extending the full height and width of page, and a further set of double bounding lines in all margins; prickings survive; 31–5 lines per page; written space: c. 125 × 185 mm. ; nearly identical to MS Fairfax 11

Hand(s)

textura, the same hand as in MS. Fairfax 11; black ink

Decoration

Possibly decorated by the same artist as MS. Fairfax 11 (de Hamel, C., The book: a history of the Bible (London: Phaidon, 2001), p. 178).

5- to 8-line initials on gold background and full or three-quarters borders made of pink, blue and gold bars decorated with floral designs, interlace and gold disks at the beginnings of books.

3-line gold initials on pink and blue background at the beginnings of prologues.

2- to 3-line red or blue initials with contrasting blue or red penwork at the beginnings of chapters.

Catchwords are decorated with drawings of animals, grotesques and human heads in black and red ink and yellow wash, including Christ’s head (fols. 8v, 48v), crowned head (fol. 256v) and a head in a triple tiara (fol. 272v). Running titles are also occasionally decorated with similar designs.

Rubrics in red; blue paraphs.

Binding

Brown leather over thick pasteboard, 17th century. Blind fillet-line border with floral corner-pieces round the outer edge of both covers; floral blind-roll rectangular figure with floral corner-pieces at the centre and blind-roll strips with the same designs next to the spine on both covers. Re-backed in the Bodleian with the original spine relaid. Five raised bands framed by blind fillet lines on spine. Floral decoration on the edges of covers. ‘183’ written in white paint on spine. Laid paper pastedowns and flyleaves. Fols. ii–iii and 286 have fragments of glue and red pigment and were pastedowns of an earlier binding.

History

Origin: England ; 15th century, first quarter

Written by the same scribe as MS. Fairfax 11, and possibly illuminated by the same artist; MS. Bodl. 665 may be also the work of this scribe (de Hamel, C., The book: a history of the Bible (London: Phaidon, 2001)) though this is questioned by Peikola, M., ‘The Wycliffite Bible and “Central Midland Standard”: assessing the manuscript evidence’, Nordic Journal of English Studies 2 (2003), pp. 29–51. Consists of three codicologically separate parts: the table of lections, New Testament and a selection of Old Testament books. The parts were put together by a team that may have had access to several exemplars (New Testament and Old Testament may have been copied from different exemplars; Old Testament books have the Earlier Version of the Wycliffite Bible prologues). The table of lections, though described as being for the use of Sarum, was modified to reflect the selection of Old Testament texts in this manuscript. The sanctoral contains Old Testament readings only from Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Proverbs, the Song of Song and Ecclesiasticus. The readings that are omitted (Malachi for Candlemas; Isaiah for Annunciation; Jeremiah and Isaiah for the eve, day and octave of John the Baptist; Ezekiel for Matthew and Luke) are all from books that are not included in MS. Bodl. 183. Commemorations omit most Old Testament readings, apart from the ones from Ecclesiastes and Esther, both included in MS. Bodl. 183. The table of lections, as is consistent with its standard form (Forshall, J. and Madden, F. (eds), The Holy Bible … in the earliest English versions made from the Latin Vulgate by John Wycliffe and his followers, 4 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1850), vol. 4, pp. 683–96), does not contain any readings from Tobit or Judith, but both books are included in MS. Bodl. 183.

There may have been originally another text or texts at the beginning of the Old Testament section, as suggested by an offset of decoration on fol. 184v (see Collation). The parts were in their present order in the late 15th century as witnessed by the list of contents on fol. 286r.

Dialect survey:

  • ony(10), ech(10), fier(10), ȝouen(10), lijf(10), lijk(10), myche(10), say(6)/ sai(3) (sg.), saien(5)/siȝen(1) (pl.), silf(10), siche(6)/sich(2)/suche(2), þouȝ(8), þoru(9)/þoruȝ(1)
  • -iþ(9)/-eþ(1) (pres.ind.3sg.), -en(10) (pres.ind.pl.), -ynge(5)/-inge(5) (pres. part.), sche(10) (3sg.fem.pronoun, nom.), þei(10) (3pl.pronoun, nom.), hem(10) (3pl.pronoun, oblique), her(10) (3pl.pronoun, possessive)

Provenance and Acquisition

Late 15th-century clerical (?) owner who listed the contents in Latin.

Robert Barker ( c. 1568–1646), king’s printer, see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry ‘Authorized Version of the Bible, translators of the’.

Bodleian Library: presented by Robert Barker in 1604. Earlier shelfmarks: ‘Th E 5 5’, ‘NE. C. 4.1.’ (fol. v recto).

Record Sources

Elizabeth Solopova, Manuscripts of the Wycliffite Bible in the Bodleian and Oxford College Libraries, Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2016), no. 2. Previously described:
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, III (1973), no. 806 [decoration, origin, date]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [contents, physical description, provenance and acquisition]

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (6 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

    Madan, F. and Craster, H. H. E., Summary catalogue of western manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, vol. 2, part I (collections received before 1660 and miscellaneous MSS acquired during the first half of the 17th century), nos. 1–3490 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1922), no. 2084.
    Forshall, J. and Madden, F. (eds), The Holy Bible … in the earliest English versions made from the Latin Vulgate by John Wycliffe and his followers, 4 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1850), vol. 1, pp. xxxv, xlvii, sigla a – Tobit to Ecclesiasticus; L – prologues from Tobit to Wisdom.
    Fristedt, S. L., The Wycliffe Bible, 3 vols (Stockholm: Almquvist & Wiksells, 1953–73), vol. 1, p. 15.
    Ker, N. R., Piper, A. J., Watson, A. G. and Cunningham, I. C., Medieval manuscripts in British libraries, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969–2002), vol. 4, p. 752.
    Hudson, A., ‘Lollard book production’, in Griffiths, J. and Pearsall, D. A. (eds), Book production and publishing in Britain 1375–1475 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), pp. 125–42, pp. 44, 140 n. 29.
    The Bodleian Library and its treasures: September 17–October 14, 1990, Tokyo, Fuji Art Museum (Tokyo: Fuji Art Museum, 1990), no. 23.
    Scott, K. L., Later Gothic manuscripts, 1390–1490, Survey of manuscripts illuminated in the British Isles (HMMSBI 6), 2 vols (London: Harvey Miller, 1996), vol. 1, p. 78 n. 57; vol. 2, p. 79.
    Lindberg, C. (ed.), King Henry’s Bible, MS. Bodley 277: the revised version of the Wyclif Bible, 4 vols (Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1999–2004), vol. 3, p. 5.
    Scott, K. L. (gen. ed.), An index of images in English manuscripts from the time of Chaucer to Henry VIII, c.1380–c.1509: the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 3 vols (Turnhout: Harvey Miller Publishers, 2000–02), vol. 1, p. 54, no. 160.
    Peikola, M., ‘The Wycliffite Bible and “Central Midland Standard”: assessing the manuscript evidence’, Nordic Journal of English Studies 2 (2003), pp. 29–51, pp. 39–40.
    Dove, M., The first English Bible: the text and context of the Wycliffite versions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), pp. 59, 94, 96, 98, 100, 141, 156, 202, 203, 298.
    Scott, K. L., ‘The remains of a missal: Chetham’s Library MS. 6713’, in Smith, K. A. and Krinsky, C. H. (eds), Tributes to Lucy Freeman Sandler: studies in manuscript illumination (London: Harvey Miller, 2007), p. 301 n. 14.

Last Substantive Revision

2023-03-23: Add Solopova description.