MS. Laud Misc. 25

Summary Catalogue no.: 659

Language(s): Middle English with Latin

Fols. i–ii are paper flyleaves, blank apart from modern notes.

1. (fols. 1r–2v)

[item 1 occupies quire I]

Originally blank leaves. On fol. 1v is the beginning of a table of lections in Latin from the first Sunday in Advent to Friday of the third week after Christmas, with readings from gospels only, added in the 15th century.

2. (fols. 3r–194r)

[item 2 occupies quires II–XXV]

Four gospels in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologues

Running titles in red on both rectos and versos, consisting of the name of the evangelist and a chapter number (most as Arabic numerals). Usual rubrics, e.g., ‘Here endiþ þe gospel of Mᵗ. & here begynneþ þe prolog of mark’; ‘thus seiþ Ierom on þe gospel of Mark’ (fols. 57v–58r). Chapter numbers in red, most as Roman numerals, often in the form ‘þe .xviiii. cº’ or ‘x cº’. Indexing letters in the margins, entered at the beginnings of readings, rather than consistently. The beginnings of readings are also often highlighted with yellow wash and preceded by red or blue paraphs; the ends of readings are usually marked with double strokes in the margins. No marginal glosses; added material within the text is not underlined. Corrections and ‘nota’ in the margins in a contemporary hand. At the end ‘AMEN’ followed by ‘9.20’ in red.

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: parchment, paper flyleaves

Extent: 201 leaves, c.

Dimensions (leaf): 144 × 86 mm.

; leaves were trimmed in rebinding, occasionally causing the loss of text and decoration in the margins

Foliation: modern in pencil, i–ii + 1–199

Collation

(fols. i–ii) paper flyleaves and the upper pastedown | (fols. 1–2) I (2) | (fols. 3–194) II–XXV (8). Catchwords survive; quire signatures run consecutively a–z and appear not only in the lower right corner on the rectos of the first four leaves of each quire, but also on the last page of each quire, next to a catchword.

Secundo Folio: ‘þe sone of’ (fol. 2r)

Layout

ruled in plummet for two columns, with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines extending the full height and width of page; a further bounding line in the upper margin; prickings survive; 28 lines per page; written space: c. 96–99 × 67 mm.

Hand(s)

textura, black ink, the size and style of script often change unpredictably on the same page (e.g., fols. 28v, 58r, 66v, 67r)

Decoration

3- to 4-line red and blue penwork initials and penwork borders at the beginnings of gospels.

2- to 4-line blue initials with red penwork at the beginnings of prologues (accompanied by a penwork border at the beginning of John); 2-line similar initials at the beginnings of chapters.

Indexing letters, catchwords, ascenders and descenders are sometimes decorated with floral penwork designs.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Brown leather of pasteboard, 19th century. Blind fillet-line border round the outer edge of both covers. Five raised bands on spine, framed by blind fillet lines. Gilt lettering on spine ‘THE FOUR | GOSPELS.’ and ‘LAUD. | 25.’. Turn-ins with floral designs. Paper labels from an earlier binding pasted to the upper pastedown.

History

Origin: England ; 15th century, first quarter

The beginning of a Sarum table of lections in Latin added in the 15th century.

Dialect survey:

ony(10), eche(9)/ech(1), fier(8)/feir(1)/fir(1), gouun(10), lijf(10), like(8)/lic(1)/ lijk(1), myche(10), siȝ(4)/syȝe(1) (sg.), saien(2)/sayen(1)/siȝen(1)/sien(1) (pl.), silf(10), suche(5)/such(1)/siche(3), þouȝ(8), þorouȝ(9)/þorowȝ(1)
-eþ(3)/-iþ(7) (pres.ind.3sg.), -en(10) (pres.ind.pl.), -ynge(9)/-inge(1) (pres. part.), sche(9)/schee(1) (3sg.fem.pronoun, nom.), þei(10) (3pl.pronoun, nom.), hem(10) (3pl.pronoun, oblique), her(8)/here(2) (3pl.pronoun, possessive)

Provenance and Acquisition

William Laud (1573–1645); see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: ‘W.L.’ (fol. 1r).

Bodleian Library: first donation from Laud, 22 May 1635. Earlier shelfmark ‘C.7’ (upper pastedown and fol. 1r).

Record Sources

Elizabeth Solopova, Manuscripts of the Wycliffite Bible in the Bodleian and Oxford College Libraries, Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2016), no. 29. Previously described:

Quarto Catalogue, col. 67

Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 29

Bibliography

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. 1, p. xlvi.

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), no. 659.

Coxe, H. O., Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae pars secunda codices Latinos et Miscellaneos Laudianos complectens (Oxford, 1885), reprinted with corrections, additions and an introduction by R. W. Hunt (Oxford: Bodleian Library, 1973), no. 25.

Scott, K. L. (gen. ed.), An index of images in English manuscripts from the time of Chaucer to Henry VIII, c.1380–c.1509: the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 3 vols (Turnhout: Harvey Miller Publishers, 2000–02), vol. 2, p. 72, no. 635.

Dove, M., The first English Bible: the text and context of the Wycliffite versions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p. 300.

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2023-03-24: Add Solopova description.

A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges