MS. Rawl. C. 257
Summary Catalogue no.: 12118
Contents
Language(s): Middle English with Latin
Fols. i–ix are paper and parchment flyleaves.
Imperfect at the beginning because of the loss of one leaf, starting at Matthew 2:3. Includes the Epistle to the Laodiceans. Contains two prologues to Romans, ‘Romayns ben in þe cuntre…’ and ‘Romaynes ben þei þat of iewis…’ (Dove, M., The first English Bible: the text and context of the Wycliffite versions (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p. 206). Usual rubrics, e.g., ‘Here endiþ þe gospel of matheu and bigynneþ þe prolog on mark’; ‘þis seiþ Ierom in his prolog on mark & her bigynneþ þe gospel of mark’ (fol. 23v). Chapter numbers in red, most as Roman numerals. Starting from fol. 90r the chapter numbers are preceded by blue paraphs. Running titles on both rectos and versos consisting of abbreviated titles of books in red, preceded, starting from fol. 90r, by blue paraphs. No marginal glosses; added material within the text is occasionally underlined in red. Many corrections in the original or contemporary hands. Indexing letters in the margins are entered at the beginnings of readings, rather than consistently; double strokes in the margins at the ends of readings.
The gospels occupy eleven 8-leaf quires, followed by two leaves (fols. 88–89). John ends in the middle of its last verse on fol. 89v and the last four lines of the second column on this leaf are left blank. The verse is completed by the second scribe on a new quire, fol. 90r, before the start of the prologue to Romans.
Notes in English in a 15th-century hand drawing attention to passages on leprosy (fols. 45r, Luke 5; 59r, Luke 17), the poor (fol. 116v, 2 Corinthians 9), ‘But I drede lest as þe serpent disseyuyde eue wiþ his littil fraude so ȝoure wittis ben corrupt & fallen doun fro þe symplenesse þat is in crist’ and ‘false apostlis’ (fol. 117r, 2 Corinthians 11), pentecost and ‘dyuerse langagis’ (fol. 151r, Acts 2), the burning of books by Jews and Greeks who ‘used curious arts’ (fol. 170r, Acts 19), ‘& munistre ȝe in ȝoure feiþ’ (187r, 2 Peter 1), etc.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
ruled for two columns, with single vertical and single horizontal bounding lines extending the full height and width of page; 35–6 lines per page; written space: c. 117 × 75 mm.
Hand(s)
three scribes (1) fols. 1–35va, (2) fols. 35va–89v, (3) 90r–209v; textura, black ink
Decoration
5- to 6-line gold initials on blue and pink background with penwork sprays decorated with gold disks at the beginnings of gospels.
6- to 7-line ‘puzzle’ initials with red penwork and one-sided penwork borders at the beginnings of other books.
3- to 4-line blue initials with red penwork at the beginnings of prologues; 2- to 3-line similar initials at the beginnings of chapters.
Rubrics in red ink.
Binding
Dark brown leather over wood boards, 17th century (?). Blind-roll border round the outer edge of both covers. Blind-roll rectangular frame with floral corner-pieces on both covers; gilt branch with an acorn and four leaves in the middle of both covers. Rebacked in the Bodleian (?). Four raised bands on spine, framed with blind fillet lines. Gilt lettering on spine: ‘WICKLIFFES | NEW | TESTAMENT’ and ‘RAWL. | MS. | C. 257’.
Metal fittings of two leather ties and clasps, now lost.
History
Codicological break between the gospels and the rest of New Testament; perhaps originally conceived to contain only the gospels.
Dialect (first scribe)
ony(10), ech(10), fier(10), gouun(10), lijf(10), lijk(10), mych(10), saiȝ(1)/siȝ(7)/ saiȝ(2) (sg.), sayen(1)/sayen(1)/siȝen(1)/saiȝen(1) (pl.), silf(2)/silff(8), such(2)/ suche(4), þouȝ(3), þorouȝ(5)
-iþ(8)/-eþ(2) (pres.ind.3sg.), -en(10) (pres.ind.pl.), -inge(2)/-ynge(8) (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
Thomas Rawlinson (1681–1725); see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: no. 821 in his sale, March 1733/4 (?).
Richard Rawlinson (1690–1755); see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: bought in Thomas Rawlinson’s sale for £1 9 s. 0 d . Paper label with ‘41. 10th Days sale’ pasted to the upper pastedown.
Bodleian Library: bequeathed by Rawlinson and accessioned in 1756.
Record Sources
Bibliography
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2023-03-24: Add Solopova description.