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

OR BROWSE BY

MANUSCRIPTS
WORKS
PEOPLE
PLACES

MS. Bodl. 480

Summary Catalogue no.: 2020

Contents

The Pricking of Love
Final rubric: Thus endith that tretice called Stimulus Amoris, compiled be that deuowte doctor Bonaventure

Middle English version of James of Milan (Ps.-Bonaventure), Stimulus amoris, perhaps by Walter Hilton .

The first leaf has been almost entirely cut out, and its place supplied by a 16th cent. transcript on three pages, which begins 'Stimulus Amoris. How a man shall have Christis Passion in minde ...Al forwonderid of our selffe'. Similarly fol. 25 is a later substitute.

Language(s): Middle English

On fol. 64v a 16th cent. hand has written two English stanzas on the book (beg. 'Thowgh some thing in thys booke')(DIMEV 5884, NIMEV 3706.6), a Latin sentence, and then ‘S. and B. belonges to me; ijs’: the stanzas are over some older English lines, of which the first two are 'Who so euer on me doth loke | I am my w .... ladys boke' (DIMEV 6623, NIMEV 4138).

The first verses identified as being in the hand of Stephen Batman (M. Parkes, 'Stephen Batman's manuscripts', in id., Pages from the past: medieval writing skills and manuscript books, no. 16).

Language(s): Middle English and Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: i + 64 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 9.75 × 7 in.

Decoration

Good initials.

Additions with historiated initial of 16th century, second half.

Contemporary notes on the illumination, fol. 64v. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 951)

Binding

Plain white sheepskin on bevelled boards, 15th cent. English work, repaired.

History

Origin: 15th century, first half; additions, 16th century, second half ; English

Provenance and Acquisition

'My lady Marques Dorsettes booke. Ihesus Maria': dated to c. 1400 by Parkes (op. cit.) and tentatively identified by him with Margaret (Holland) (-1439) wife of John Beaufort (-1410).

Stephen Batman (-1584) ; see fol. 64v.

Presented by sir Walter Cope in 1602.

Record Sources

Description adapted (April 2020) from the following sources, with additional reference to published literature as cited:
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, III (1973), no. 951 [decoration, origin, date]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [contents, physical description, provenance and acquisition]
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 167

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2020-04-20: Description revised to include all information from SC.