MS. Bodl. 916
Summary Catalogue no.: 2990
Contents
The title is suggested in the prologue ('þe donet or key of goddis lawe, or [...] cristen religioun'), and the treatise, being in the form of a dialogue in two parts (see fol. 47), is intended to serve as an introduction to, and summary of, the author's Rule of Christian Religion
At fol. 14 is a list of some works by Pecock, but there is no direct indication of the author
This appears to be the only extant manuscript of the treatise, but Elsie Vaughan Hitchcock notes that this is is certainly not the original manuscript, and was written out fair by the scribe, and then corrected by another hand (The Donet, EETS 156 [Oxford, 1921], p. xi)
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Originally, the first five folios of each gathering had quire 'signatures' at the extreme bottom right-hand corner, e.g. 'aj', 'aij', 'aiij', 'aiiij', 'av', 'bj', etc. In many cases, the whole or part of this 'signature' was cut off when the margins were cropped. With the second part, a new set of 'signatures' begins (Hitchcock, The Donet, EETS 156 (Oxford, 1921), p. xii)
Decoration
A space is left at the beginning of chapters for an illuminated initial capital, and the corresponding guide letters are visible
History
Provenance and Acquisition
On fol. 64v, there is a copy of nearly all of a bond of April 13, 1589, between James Godson and John Walton, both tailors of York
'By me Jamys Ryllsey', 16th century (fol. 102)
'Tho. Allen D.[ono] D.[edit], 'in 1601
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2023-08-07: Description revised to incorporate all the information in the Summary Catalogue (1922)