MS. Laud Misc. 388

Summary Catalogue no.: 1347

Language(s): Middle English with Latin

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

1. (fol. iv verso)

[item 1 occupies a flyleaf]

Fragmentary preacher’s or theological notes (left margin cut off) of the 15th century, second half, listing topics discussed in the gospels and epistles, such as a wedding, lilies of the field, beggars, etc. with references to books and chapters of New Testament, presumably compiled using the present manuscript

Thus vices and virtues are listed as occurring in Galatians 5 and 6 ‘at d’, and a passage in Galatians 5, containing the lists of vices and virtues (19–23), is indeed marked with an indexing letter ‘d’ (fol. 161r); see also ‘pat(er) nost(er)’ in the same hand in the margins of a passage containing ‘Our Father’ at Luke 11 (fol. 76r). The notes are transcribed below:

…i G. 7. a notabyll patir noster…
…e. ii. pater noster 7 … of þe lelys in þe feld neþe(?) & of birds
…[f]urst Corinthis & se ȝe ȝowre clepyng for nat
…of the furst Corinthis I wrot to ȝow in a pystyll
…& þe 7 of þe furst corinthis of wedyng
…of sekond corinthis
…of þe furst corinths & x se ȝe þat ȝe fall nat
…of þe furst corinthis & 9
…[f]urst of colosens
…12 of þe sekond corinthys
…furst & þe 3 of galathies & 5 & 6 ^at d^ of xii vysys & verts
…in effesys
…in tymothie & vj
…d tymothie 4
…apostylls dydys & ix of tornyng of povl & x note(?)
…jamys ageyne hem þat holdyth ageyne preers
…of mathew þe kyngden of hevyn
…corinthys þe ^xi^ xij & xiij & xiiij & xv of xvj condy[tions of(?)]
charyte ^& þe sakyrment & of wemens hods^
…pyt of marke of þe on clene spryt
…[c]orinþose(?) & xij & ys þe betyngs & trobels of po…
…of luke
…romans
…[t]hessalonycensis ageyns edyl men þat lefyth of other mens ^labour^ …aly… þe iijᵗᵉ
…ewe … þe comaundments & xxv þe dedys of mersy þat ^men schall be examynd at þe dome^ …luk þe last ageyn beggers
…x I have a lawe in my flesche & þe lawe ine vyth
…vyssys in a mans flesche & of cornely & petyr of þe
…er sch… in vesyoun
…anos xiiij of extyng
…xiij of sowyng seds & prechyng in þe boot be parabyls xxiij wo to ȝow scrybys & faserys & ipocryts
…d leders

2. (fols. 1a recto–6a verso)

[items 2–3 occupy quires I–III]

Calendar-lectionary in English

Laid out one month per page, written in red and black with some initials in blue, not graded. Includes columns showing the times of sunrise and sunset for each day. Entries for readings include an abbreviated reference to a book and chapter of the Bible, an indexing letter in red, the opening words of each reading, ‘ende’ in red and the closing words of each reading. Pope Gregory (12 March), Annunciation (25 March), Lawrence (10 August), Assumption (15 August), Bartholomew (24 August), Nativity of the Virgin Mary (8 September), Michael Archangel (29 September), Catherine (25 November), Nicholas (6 December), Immaculate Conception (8 December) and Stephen (26 December) are in red. Includes some saints promulgated in 1415 under Archbishop Chichele (Pfaff, R. W., The liturgy in medieval England: a history (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), pp. 438–41): David (1 March), Chad (2 March) and Frideswide (‘ffrisewith’, 19 October), but not Winifred (3 November) or John of Beverley (7 May). Includes Erkenwald, bishop of London (30 April). The feast of Thomas Becket (29 December) and its octave are erased, but not his translation in July; some titles ‘pope’ are erased.

3. (fols. 7a recto–19b verso)

Table of lections of Type I

Rubric: Here bigynneþ a rule þat telliþ in whiche chapitris of þe bible ȝee may fynde þe lessouns pistlis & gospels þat ben red in þe chirche aftir þe vss of salisbiri markid wiþ lettris of þe a. b. c.at þe bigynnynge of þe chapitris toward þe myddil or eende aftir þe ordre as þe lettris stonden in þe a. b. c. ffirst ben set sundaies & ferials togidir & aftir þat þe sanctorum þe propre & þe comyn togidir of al þe ȝeer. & þanne last þe commemoracions þat is clepid þe temperal of al þe ȝeer. first writen a clause of þe bigynninge of þe pistle or gospel & a clause of þe endynge þerof also

Includes the temporal, sanctoral (no common in spite of the rubric) and commemorations. Commemorations are in the following order: Our Lady, Trinity, Holy Ghost, cross, ‘For breþren and sustren and for sauacioun of þe peple’, peace, clear weather, rain, ‘In tyme of batels’, ‘A man for him silf’, ‘For pestilence of bestis’, ‘for pilgrymes’, weddings, sinners, sick and dead. 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 readings consist of a date in red, abbreviated reference to a book and chapter of the Bible, an indexing letter in red (some corrected), the opening words of a reading, ‘ende’ in red and the closing words of a reading. ‘23 may’ is added in the margin against Trinity Sunday in a 15th-century hand.

4. (fols. 1b recto–256v)

[item 4 occupies quires IV–XXXV; St John’s gospel starts on a new quire] 4.

New Testament in the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible with usual prologues

The rubric at the beginning of Matthew mentions two prologues to Matthew (‘Ierom in his twey prologis on matheu seiþ playnly þus’, fol. 1b verso), but only one is included. Running titles on both rectos and versos consisting of a short title of a biblical book in black preceded by a blue paraph (longer titles are split between facing pages). Usual rubrics, e.g., ‘Heere endiþ mathew and heere bigynneþ þe prolog up on mark’; ‘Ierom in his prologe on mark seiþ al þis sentence. Here bigynneþ þe firste chapitle upon Mark’ (fol. 35r–v). Chapter numbers as red Roman numerals, typically in the form ‘Ca(pitulu)m iiii’. No marginal glosses (an exception on fol. 23v); added material within the text is not underlined. The beginnings of lections are usually marked with indexing letters in the margins (and often with blue paraphs within the text); the ends of lections are marked with double strokes in the margins. Occasionally corrections in the original or contemporary hands. A Greek gloss added in an early modern hand on fol. 65r.

5. (fols. 257r–297v)

[item 5 occupies quires XXXVI–XL]

Old Testament lectionary of Type I

Starting with a rubric ‘Here bigynneþ þe lessons & pistlis of þe olde lawe þat ben red in þe chirche in al þe ȝeer aftir þe vss of salisbiri’. The temporal is followed by an extensive sanctoral (rubric, ‘þe propre and comyn togidere’ fol. 287) and commemorations (fol. 296r). On fol. 297v about a half of the first column is left blank after the end of commemorations; the next column starts with a rubric introducing the readings for the common of saints, but these are mostly missing because of the loss of leaves (see Collation). Each reading is preceded by a rubric, stating the liturgical occasion, the title of the biblical book and the chapter number. Short titles and chapter numbers of biblical books, as well as the indexing letters, are also placed in the margins before the start of each reading and double strokes at the end of each reading up to fol. 271r; after this only the indexing letters and double strokes are present.

The readings begin with the statements that introduce them at Mass (e.g., ‘The lord god seiþ þese þingis’, fol. 258r) underlined in red. The readings used for more than one occasion are not repeated and instead the rubrics contain references to leaves on which they occur, using foliation in Roman numerals in the original hand (medieval foliation is present only in the part of the manuscript containing Old Testament lectionary). The method of reference is explained in a rubric on fol. 282r: ‘þis lessoun ȝe schulen fynde writen al out to fore in þe .xxv. leef of þese leefes þat ben markid. In whiche leefes ben conteyned alle þe lessons & pistlis of þe oolde lawe. and þei ben markid wiþ lettris of noumbrari as is i. ij. & iij. on þe riȝtside of þe leef. in þe hiȝer part of þe margyn’. The reading for the first Mass on Christmas morning is preceded by a lengthy rubric explaining that it is performed by two voices; the part of one of the voices is underlined in red in the text that follows (fol. 260r). Added material within the text is underlined in red; no marginal glosses. Fols. 298–301 are parchment and paper flyleaves (see Provenance).

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: parchment, paper flyleaves

Extent: 324 leaves, c.

Dimensions (leaf): 220 × 150 mm.

Foliation: modern in pencil and ink, i–iv + 1a–19a + 1b–19b + 20–301; medieval in black ink on fols. 258–297, usually consisting of a Roman numeral followed by ‘folium’ (e.g., ‘ii folium.’) underlined in red and preceded by a red paraph; modern in ink, a–f, on fols. 1a–6a; early modern (?) in ink, i–xiii, on fols. 7a–19a

Collation

(fols. i–iv) paper and parchment flyleaves; fol. i conjoint with the upper pastedown | (fols. 1a–7a) I (8–1) missing 1 | (fols. 8a–15a) II (8) | (16a–19a) III (4) | (fols. 1b–216) IV–XXX (8) | (fols. 217–223) XXXI (8–1) missing 6 (?); no loss of text | (fols. 224–247) XXXII–XXXIV (8) | (fols. 248–256) XXXV (8+1) 9 inserted (?) | (fols. 257–296) XXXVI–IL (8) | (fol. 297) first leaf of a missing quire (?), see Text | (fols. 298–301) paper and parchment flyleaves; fol. 301 conjoint with the lower pastedown. Catchwords are accompanied by quire numbers in Arabic numerals in the original hand (2–31) in quires V–XXXV. Quire signatures a–b (fols. 8a–19a); a–z + four non-alphabetic symbols (fols. 1b–223); 1–4 (fols. 224–256); a–f (fols. 257–297).

Secundo Folio: ‘ioseph’ (calendar-lectionary, fol. 2b recto), ‘math.xxvº’ (table of lections, fol. 8a recto)

Layout

ruled in ink for two columns, with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines extending the full height and width of page; 29–30 lines per page; written space: c. 150–155 × 102–105 mm. ; prickings survive

Hand(s)

textura, black ink

Decoration

Blue KL monograms with red penwork in the calendar-lectionary.

4-line ‘puzzle’ initials in red and blue with red and blue penwork, and penwork borders (right or middle margin) at the beginning of books and Old Testament lectionary. The initial at the start of St John’s gospel is six lines high.

2-line blue initials with red penwork at the beginning of prologues, chapters and Old Testament readings. Catchwords on decorative scrolls.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Brown morocco over pasteboard, 19th century. Gold lettering on spine ‘NEW | TESTAMENT’; paper label on spine with handwritten ‘Laud | 338’. Marbled paper pastedowns and flyleaves.

History

Origin: England, London (?) ; 15th century, first quarter, c. 1415 (?)

Made for a patron in London (?). Calendar, fairly sparse, based on a Sarum model, includes Erkenwald, bishop of London, a non-Sarum saint, and the principal saint of St Paul’s (though not his translation, 14 December). Conversion of St Paul (25 January), Peter and Paul (29 June) and its octave are in red (the octave is missing in the calendar of MS. Fairfax 11 and is in black in the calendar of MS. Fairfax 2); Commemoration of St Paul (30 June) is included. Contains some, but not all saints promulgated in 1415; the presence of only one distinctly London saint may suggest a date after the suppression of the use of St Paul in 1414 (Pfaff, R. W., The liturgy in medieval England: a history (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), pp. 480–96). Added material within the text is underlined only in Old Testament lectionary.

Dialect survey:

ony(10), ech(10), fier(10), ȝouen(10), lijf(10), lijk(10), myche(10), siȝ(4)/seiȝ(1)/ say(4)/saiȝ(1) (sg.), saien(5)/sien(1) (pl.), silf(7)/self(3), such(3)/suche(4)/ sich(1)/siche(1), þouȝ(8), þoruȝ(7)/þorouȝ(1)/þoruw(1)/þoru(1)
-iþ(7)/-eþ(3) (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

Preacher’s or theological notes in English, 15th century, second half, added on fol. iv verso, some Lollard, e.g., those drawing attention to passages against beggars, against ‘idle men that live off other men’s labour’ and to a passage against the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew 23:13, widely used in Lollard discourse (e.g., Hudson, A. and Gradon, P., English Wycliffite sermons, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983–96), vol. 2, pp. 366–78). Liturgical notes in Latin, possibly in the same hand, on fols. 124v, 183v and 210v. Possibly in London when the notes were made: those on fol. iv verso draw attention to a passage describing the conversion of St Paul; liturgical notes on fol. 210v mention the feasts of Paul. The notes on fol. iv verso have some southern forms (plurals ‘holdyth’ and ‘lefyth’). The notes may be in the hand of one of the 15th-century owners, Henry Tyryll or Christopher Constable: ‘per me henricum tyryll’ and ‘per me christoferum constable’ (fol. 298r).

The feasts of Thomas Becket and some titles ‘pope’ are erased, presumably at Reformation.

‘Iste liber pertinet A P’(?)’; ‘Iste liber pertinet | Iris…’ (partially erased); ‘Robart’, 16th century (?) (fol. 298r).

William Charke (d. 1617), religious controversialist; see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: ‘Sum Gul. Charci’ (fols. 1a recto, 1b recto). Matriculated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1560; graduated BA in 1562–1563 and MA in 1566. Also owned Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Laud misc. 104, containing The Pater Noster of Richard Ermyte, as well as seven other manuscripts (see Hudson, A. and Gradon, P., English Wycliffite sermons, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983–96), vol. 1, p. 63 n. 16), several of them Wycliffite, including two copies of English Wycliffite Sermons. Spent much of his career in London.

William Laud (1573–1645); see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: ‘Liber Guilielmi Laud Archiep(iscop)i Cantuar’: et Cancellarij Vniuersitatis Oxon. 1634’ (fol. 7a recto).

Bodleian Library: first donation from Laud, 22 May 1635. Earlier shelfmark: ‘J 7’ (fol. iv recto).

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. 35. Previously described:

Quarto Catalogue, cols. 287–8

Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 58

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

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. 1346.

Watson, A. G., The Manuscripts of Henry Savile of Banke (London: Bibliographical Society, 1969), pp. 52, 89.

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. 388.

Ogilivie-Thomson, S. J., Index of Middle English prose, 18 vols (Cambridge, 1984– ), Handlist XVI, pp. 42–3.

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. 88, no. 666.

Dove, M., The first English Bible: the text and context of the Wycliffite versions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p. 301.

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