MS. Gough Eccl. Top. 5

Four originally blank parchment flyleaves at the beginning, the last three numbered i–iii (see Provenance).

E.g., ‘Her endiþ þe gospel of matheu and bigynneþ þe prologe on þe gospel of mark’; ‘þis seiþ Ierom in his prologe on Mark. Her bigynneþ þe gospel on mark’, fol. 31r–v). Running titles on both rectos and versos, most consisting of abbreviated titles and chapter numbers of biblical books, in red, preceded by blue paraphs. Chapter numbers in red, usually ‘c(apitulu)m’ followed by a Roman numeral. Red and blue paraphs at the start of sections within the text. Corrections in the original or contemporary hands; some omitted passages are added in the margins in red frames. A passage omitted at Luke 1 (fol. 50v) is added by the original scribe on a narrow leaf inserted after fol. 50. Some omitted words and passages are added in the margins in an early modern hand (e.g., fols. 40v, 119v, 126v, 128v, etc.). No marginal glosses; added material within the text is not underlined; occasionally cross-references to biblical books in the margins. Indexing letters entered in the margins at the beginnings of lections, rather than consistently. The beginnings of lections are also often marked within the text with red wash, and red or blue paraphs. Some lections are accompanied by added notes in Latin in a 15th-century hand, specifying the liturgical occasion (e.g., fols. 4v, 55r, 57r, 111r, 160r, etc.). ‘Nota’ marking didactic and moral passages, but also 1 Corinthians 14:18: ‘I thanke my god for I speke in þe langage of alle ȝou…’ (fol. 126r).

Containing only New Testament readings. Written in a different ink, and probably by a scribe different from the scribe of the New Testament, on pages ruled for one or two columns, but not specially for a table of lections. Contains the temporal, followed by a short sanctoral (rubric: ‘ffrom andrewis euyn vnto þe comune þe proper pistlis & gospelis’) that includes the feasts of Nicholas, George, Thomas Becket, Martin, Lawrence, Denis and Clement. The sanctoral is followed by a detailed common (rubric: ‘ffrom heþen þe pistlis & þe gospels of þe comune’) and commemorations of the Virgin Mary, Trinity, Cross, the Holy Ghost, brothers and sisters, peace, clear weather, rain, battle and pestilence, angels, ‘for hym silf’, ‘for pestilence of beestis’, ‘ffor weyferynge men’, sins, sick, weddings, pilgrims, ‘Masse of requiem’. The entries consist of the name of a liturgical occasion in black or red, abbreviated reference to a book and chapter of the Bible, an indexing letter, the opening words of a reading, ‘ende’ and the closing words of a reading, all in black.

Fols. 243v–246v were originally blank (see Provenance).