MS. Bodl. 665
Summary Catalogue no.: 2998
Contents
Language(s): Middle English with Latin
Fols. i–iv are flyleaves, mostly blank.
[item 1 occupies quire I]
Table of lections of Type IThe entries consist of the name of the 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 in red. Includes the temporal, commemorations and the sanctoral, both the proper and common according to the rubric, but only the proper is present. Includes all feasts characteristic of the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible (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), apart from Giles (1 September). The entries for the following feasts start with larger capitals in blue: Andrew, Nicholas, Conception of our Lady, Candlemas, Annunciation, the Finding of the Cross, Nativity of John the Baptist, James, Assumption, Nativity of our Lady, Matthew, Michaelmas, Simon and Jude, and Halloween. Commemorations are in the following order: the Virgin Mary, Trinity, Holy Ghost, Cross, angels, ‘ffor briþeren & sistren & salus populi’, peace, clear weather, rain, ‘In tyme of batel’, ‘A man for him silf’, ‘ffor pestilens of beests’, pilgrims, weddings, sinners, sick, ‘pistils ffor dede’, gospels for the dead. Calendar dates for all feasts are added in an early modern hand from fol. 8r onwards.
[items 2–3 occupy quires II–XXXII]
New Testament in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologuesUsual rubrics in red. Chapter numbers in red as words in English or Roman numerals, usually in the form ‘Capitulum primum’. Running titles on both rectos and versos in black with red or blue paraphs, consisting of abbreviated titles of books and chapter numbers. Indexing letters in the margins entered at the beginnings of readings rather than consistently; double strokes in the margins at the ends of readings. Blue or red paraphs within the text, often at the beginnings of readings. No marginal glosses; added material within the text is not underlined (but see Old Testament lectionary below). Notes in the margins throughout in an early modern hand summarising the contents and providing cross-references to biblical books.
The temporal is followed by the proper (fol. 257r), the common (fol. 261v), and commemorations (fol. 265r). Each reading is preceded by a rubric, stating the liturgical occasion, and giving the title of the biblical book and a chapter number. Indexing letters are entered in the margins at the beginning of readings.
The readings start with introductory statements that precede them at Mass (e.g., ‘The lord god seiþ þese þingis’, fol. 228r) underlined in red. The readings used for more than one occasion are not repeated and instead the rubrics contain cross-references, e.g., ‘Seke it on S Siluestir day’ (fol. 263r). The reading for the first Mass on Christmas morning is preceded by a rubric explaining that it is performed by two voices: ‘On cristemasse morewe þe firste lessoun at þe firste masse þe whiche lesson is sungun in þe pulput þe firste vers and þe laste of two to gidre but alle þe myddil vers oon syngiþ oon and anoþer syngiþ anoþer þe firste vers of þo þat ben sungen bi hemsilf is of þe tixte of Isaye þe profete and þe answere is as it were a glose of þe tixte / and so it is bi & bi þorȝout þe lessoun of whiche þis is þe first vers þat is sungen of boþe to gidre Isaye ixº’ (fol. 230v). In a passage that follows the part of one of the voices is underlining in red.
Running titles in black with red or blue paraphs on fols. 227r–236r, containing the names of liturgical seasons, e.g., ‘Advent’, ‘Cristmasse’, ‘ffirste woke of lente’. Added material within the text is underlined in red; no marginal glosses. Fols. 226v–228v are ruled but originally blank.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
ruled in ink for two columns with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines extending the full height and width of page; prickings occasionally survive; 34 lines per page; written space: c. 115 × 80 mm.
Hand(s)
small informal textura, black and brown ink; de Hamel (2001, p. 178) tentatively suggests that the manuscript may be by the same scribe as MS. Fairfax 11 and MS. Bodl. 183; see, however, 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
Decoration
6- to 9-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 the gospels (fols. 13v, 39v, 56r, 84r), Romans (fol. 106r), Acts (fol. 167r), Catholic epistles (fol. 198r), Apocalypse (fol. 212r), and the beginning of Old Testament lectionary (fol. 226v). The borders are the work of at least two different artists (cf. fols. 13v and 56r).
4 to 6-line gold initials on pink and blue background at the beginnings of other books and some prologues.
3-line blue initials with red penwork at the beginnings of prologues and chapters.
Catchwords decorated with foliage and flowers in black ink, red and yellow wash.
Rubrics in red.
Binding
Black silk and leather on wood boards, badly worn, English (?), 16th century. Sown on five cords, five raised bands on spine. Recesses in/at the edge of the upper board, the clasps now missing, with holes from their attaching pins near the centre of the lower board. Silver clasps with ‘IHS’ and ‘MR’, described by Forshall and Madden in 1850, are reported lost already in the 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), in 1922. ‘665’ written in white paint on spine. Paper pastedowns and flyleaves. Edges of textblock dyed red.
History
Possibly made in the same workshop as MS. Fairfax 11 and MS. Bodl. 183.
Dialect survey:
- eny(10), eche(10), fier(2)/fyer(6)/fuyr(1)/fayre(1), ȝouen(10), lijf(10), lyke(10), myche(10), siþ(2)/saiȝ(2)/sawȝ(1)/sauȝ(1)/saw(1)/say(2) (sg.), saien(1)/sien(1)/ syen(1)/saye(1)/sayen(2) (pl.), silf(10), suche(8)/siche(2), þouȝ(8), þorouȝ(10)
- -iþ(9)/-eþ(1) (pres.ind.3sg.), -en(10) (pres.ind.pl.), -ynge(10) (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
Sixteenth-century owner who added notes in the margins in English and calendar dates to the sanctoral of the table of lections.
Bodleian Library: presented through Thomas Bodley with MS. Bodl. 959 by Springham in 1602 (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) I; Wheeler (1926)). Richard Springham, Magdalen College (?), Foster, J., Alumni Oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford, 1500–1714, 4 vols (London: Joseph Foster; Oxford: Parker and Co., 1891–92), p. 1401. Earlier shelfmarks: ‘B – 50’ on fol. ii recto; Arch. B. 9.
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (6 images from 35mm slides)
Bibliography
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2023-03-24: Add Solopova description.