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MS. Bodl. 648

Summary Catalogue no.: 2291

Physical Description

Form: codex
Extent: i + 125 + iv fols.

Binding

Blind-tooled leather over boards, by John Kemsyn of Canterbury (the Canterbury binder), late 15th century.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Presented by Thomas Twyne in 1612.

MS. Bodl. 648, endleaves (fols. i, 126-9)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 14th century, early

Provenance

‘Thomas Borne’, 15th century, with a copy of a grant of land.

MS. Bodl. 648, part 1: fols. 1-4

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 15th century, first half (before 1438?) ; English, Canterbury

Provenance

‘W. Molasche prior’ [of Christ Church, Canterbury, 1428-38]

MS. Bodl. 648, part 2: fols. 5-125

Contents

1. (fol. 5)
Treatise on urines (TK 1610B)
Incipit: Urina rufa significat salutem
Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 7)
Astrological treatise (TK 0947B)
Incipit: Notandum est quod annus
Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 13v)
'Prester John', Epistola Manueli Comneno imperatori Graecorum
Language(s): Latin

Followed by three poems:

John Lydgate, The Order of Fools
Language(s): English
Incipit: Christum ducem qui per crucem
Language(s): Latin
John of Bridlington, Vaticinium (extract, II.i)
Incipit: Taurus cornutus
Language(s): Latin
4.
Historical and geographical texts
(fol. 22)

Lists of the counties of England, Scotland, and Wales, with the bishoprics, monasteries, castles etc. in each

(fol. 37v)
Chronicle of England to 1461
(fol. 42)

List of churches founded before the Conquest

(fol. 43)

Short accounts of the archbishops of Canterbury to 1381

Language(s): Latin
5. (fol. 47)
Rubric: Descriptio orbis terrarum cum regnis (et) populis (et) nacionibus diuersis
Incipit: Iste sunt tres partes mundi
Language(s): Latin
6. (fol. 50)
Albertanus of Brescia, De doctrina dicendi et tacendi
Language(s): Latin
7. (fol. 60v)
Exempla

First exemplum:

Rubric: De quodam qui fecerat enorme peccatum
Incipit: Erat quondam in Lumbardia

Followed by notes relating to Christ Church, Canterbury, cf. fols. 18v, 41.

Language(s): Latin
8. (fol. 90)
Chronicle of the papacy from Peter to 1342
Language(s): Latin
9. (fol. 124v)
Rubric: De rege Henrico secundo
Incipit: Henricus filius imperatricis
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper
Dimensions (leaf): 205 × 140 mm.

Layout

1-2 cols., c. 25-8 lines, written area c. 150 × 105 mm.

Decoration

Coloured initials.

History

Origin: 1461 × 1468 ; English, Canterbury

Provenance

‘Iste liber constat .W. Boolde monacho ecclesie christi Cantuarie Anno domini mo CCCCo lxviijo’ (fol. 5); written before this date, 1468, and after 1461 (fol. 40v).

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (2019) from the following sources, with reference to published literature cited in the description:
A. G. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts c.435-1600 in Oxford Libraries (Oxford, 1984), no. 106 [part 2: physical description, origin, provenance]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [endleaves; part 1; part 2: contents, acquisition]
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 291
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 292

Bibliography

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2019-03-25: Revised to incorporate all information in Watson and SC.