University College MS. 96
Contents
Language(s): Middle English with Latin
Five originally blank unnumbered leaves at the beginning (see Provenance).
[items 1–3 occupy quires I–VIII]
General Prologue to the Wycliffite BibleCollated in Dove’s edition (2010). Chapter numbers in black by the scribe in the form ‘cᵐ iijᵐ’, preceded by black paraphs.
Approximately a half of fol. 94r is blank.
The list starts with ‘The prolog’, containing fifteen chapters, and includes Lamentations of Jeremiah, and 1 and 2 Ezra, but not 3 Ezra. The list of the New Testament books is subdivided into ‘The iiij Euangelistes’ and ‘Epistoles of Poule’.
Fol. 96v is blank.
[items 4–5 occupy quires IX–X]
Chapters from the gospels in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible containing the accounts of Passion and ResurrectionGloss on Matthew 26:53 in the lower margin of fol. 104v explaining the number of items in ‘xij legions’.
Twelve lines (IMEV 3684, NIMEV 3684, DIMEV 5844; see also Morey, J. H., Book and verse: a guide to Middle English biblical literature (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000), p. 165; ed. Brown (1932)).
Fols. 10r–113r are ruled (bounding lines only), but blank.
Additions in a hand of the second half of the 15th century
verses 1–3 of psalm 109, ‘Dixit dominus domino meo … ante luciferum’
Followed by the words ‘dede me’ on a separate line, followed by John 1:6 and a name: ‘Fuit homo missus a deo cui nomen erat Iohannes stephano(n) larkyn’.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
ruled for a single column with single vertical and horizontal bounding lines; 18–20 lines per page; written space: c. 125 × 150 mm.
Hand(s)
Anglicana with Secretary influence, similar to the hand of the General Prologue in Trinity College Dublin MS. 75, fols. 218r–251r
Decoration
3-line spaces left for initials, but not filled in, apart from plain red initials on fols. 5r–7r.
Binding
Quires sown on three cords without a spine or a cover, but the outside leaves of the first and last booklets were probably always intended to serve as cover. Evidence of a paper label in the lower left corner of the outside leaf of the first quire.
History
The compilation was probably put together by the scribe: the quires are numbered consecutively in a medieval hand, the ruling and presentation of texts (including unfilled spaces left for initials) are consistent throughout; there are 6-leaf quires at the beginning and end, and 12-leaf quires in the middle. Perhaps copied from a manuscript that contained the full Bible preceded by the General Prologue, as suggested by a list of biblical books (fols. 94v–95r) that starts with ‘The prolog’, containing fifteen chapters.
Dialect survey:
- I. The General Prologue
- any(6)/ony(3), ech(3)/eche(1), ȝouon(1)/ȝouun(1), lyf(5), lyk(1), meche(10), siȝ(1) (sg), self(3)/sylf(3)/silf(1), such(1)/suche(3)
- -eþ(1)/-eth(8)/-uth(1) (pres.ind.3sg.), -en(9)/-un(1)/-e(1) (pres.ind.pl.), -yng(3)/-ynge(1) (pres.part.), she(1) (3sg.fem.pronoun, nom.), þey(9)/ they(1) (3pl.pronoun, nom.), hem(10) (3pl.pronoun, oblique), hurre (used consistently, only rarely alternating with herre(2)) (3pl.pronoun, possessive)
- Also:
- weche(13)/wyche(4)/wich(1) ‘which’, weche ‘witch’
- furst(7)/first(3) ‘first’, churche(3) ‘church’, ȝutte(5) ‘yet’, trust(2)/trist(1) ‘trust’, kulled(e)(5)/kulloden(1)/cullode(1)/cullodon(1)/kyllyde(1) ‘killed’, prust(es)(3)/prest(es)(4) ‘priest’, gulty(2) ‘gilty’, hull(1)/hyl(1) ‘hill’
- vedde ‘fed’
- taute ‘taught’, broute ‘brought’, ordeigned ‘ordeyned’, strenghe(1)/strengþe(1) ‘strength’
- be cudde ‘be cut’
- II. Chapters from the gospels
- any(2)/ony(2), ech(3), fier(1), ȝouon(1)/ȝouu(2)/ȝeuon(1), lyf(2), lyk(1), meche(2), siȝ(10) (sg.), siȝ(2)/seiȝ(1)/sey(1)/saien(1) (pl.), self(3)/sylf(6), þurȝ(1), þouȝ(2)
- -eþ(5)/-eth(1) (pres.ind.3sg.), -on(7)/-en(2) (pres.ind.pl.), -yng(8)/-ynge(3) (pres.part.), she(10) (3sg.fem.pronoun, nom.), þey(10) (3pl.pronoun, nom.), hem(10) (3pl.pronoun, oblique), her(5)/hir(1) (3pl.pronoun, possessive), hurre(1) ‘her’
- Also:
- weche(5)/wych(2), prestes(1)
- busshep(es)(10) ‘bishop(s)’, furst(3)/first(3) ‘first’, suster(1) ‘sister’, birye(1) ‘bury’, byryel(2) ‘sepulchre’, ȝutte(1)/ȝut(5) ‘yet’, cusse(1)/cussede(1) ‘kiss’, hulden ‘held’, gylty(1)/giltles(1) ‘guilty/guiltless’, euel(1)/yuel(2) ‘evil’, hul(1) ‘hill’
- (y)tawte(3) ‘taught’, knew(3) ‘knew’, drow(2) ‘drew’, crew(1)/krew(2) ‘crew’
Provenance and Acquisition
Price: ‘p(re)c(ium) viij s iiij d’, 15th century, fol. 109v.
‘Iohannes stephano(n) larkyn’, 15th century, fol. 113v.
Obadiah Walker (1616–1699) (?), Master of University College; see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. On a flyleaf at the beginning: ‘This book seemeth to have been made by John Wickliffe’ and beneath ‘I take this note to be of Mr Obad. Walker’s handwriting. Teste Guil. Smith, Aug. 26, 1700’.
University College, Oxford. Earlier shelfmark ‘G. 3. XCVI’, ‘G. 3’, upper cover and flyleaves.
Record Sources
Availability
For permission to use images of this manuscript, please contact University College Library: library@univ.ox.ac.uk
Bibliography
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2023-03-24: Add Solopova description.