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MS. Holkham misc. 34

Summary Catalogue no.: Not in SC (late accession)

Contents

1.
Caesar, De bello Gallico
Rubric: Incipiunt libri Gaii Cesaris belli Gallici Iulii [Celsi added in a later hand] de narratione temporum

This manuscript belongs to the second family of class alpha

Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 129r)
Rubric: Versus in laude Cesaris
Incipit: Caesar tantus eras quantus et orbis
(WIC 2287).
Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 129v)
Martial, Apophoreta,

nos. 190 (Livy), 186 (Vergil), 185 (Vergil, Culex), 188 (Cicero), 191 (Sallust), 192 (Ovid), 195 (Catullus).

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: conficiendas
Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii (paper) + 130 + ii (paper).
Dimensions (leaf): 280 × 185 mm.
Dimensions (ruled): 205–10 × 140 mm.
Foliation: Modern pencil: i-iii, 1–131.

Collation

1(8)-4(8), 5(6), 6(8)-10(8), 11(4), 12(8)-16(8), 7(8)(8 canc.)

Layout

26 lines; in 1 column

Hand(s)

Neat gothic bookhand, by at least three scribes, each responsible for about 40 leaves, the changes from one to another corresponding both to quire-divisions and divisions of the text into Books (at fols. 39r, quire VI, Book IV; and 83r, quire XII, Book VII); the verses on fol. 129r-v are by a fourth scribe.

Decoration

One fine ink drawing (fol. 93v), depicting a devil playing bagpipes, holding a scroll inscribed 'der nider deren'; another drawing, apparently the same, and an accompanying inscription, has been erased at fol. 31v; and a few other marginal sketches, e.g. a dragon with coiled tail (fol. 107r), a human head (fol. 115r), etc., perhaps not all medieval.

Binding

Holkham binding with unusual bands of blind-tooled greek-key patterns; the spine tooled in gilt 'C. J. CÆSAR | DE BELLO | GALLICO || LEGIT | JULIUS CELSUS | CONSTANTINUS | – | M S. VEL. | SÆC. XIV.'

History

Origin: Dutch (?); 12th century, first half

Provenance and Acquisition

An inscription next to the drawing on fol. 93v reads 'Qui me scribebat florens hoey [the two names over an erasure] habebat Anno domini Mo ccco xlvus feria \iiij/ post translationem beati benedicti abbatis'; 'Abbas gherardus poelgheest venerandus in egmont | Istum cum multis librum reparauit honeste | Inspicis hic lector quo tempore rupta refecit mcccc lxv' (fol. iii verso). Medieval pressmark (?) (fol. 1r, top margin); count of leaves 'c. xxviij' (fol. 128v).

Bookplate of 'THOMAS WILLIAM COKE' (1754–1842) and signed 'Thos. Willm. Coke', both on the upper pastedown (de la Mare and Barker-Benfield, fig. 96); fol. i recto with entensive notes by his friend 'W[illiam]. R[oscoe].' (1753–1831), formerly Norfolk, Holkham Hall, MS. 340.

Record Sources

Draft description by Peter Kidd, late 1990s

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2017-07-01: First online publication.