MS. Rawl. D. 328

Summary Catalogue no.: 15444

Summary of Contents: Note-book of Walter Pollard of Plymouth: proverbs, charms, grammatical, moral and religious texts, verse, etc., in Latin and English. Two main sections (fols. 1-6, on parchment, c. 1400; fols. 7-194, paper, c. 1445-1489, perhaps mostly in the hand of Walter Pollard). The contents are most fully described by D. Thomson, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Middle English Grammatical Texts (1979), 290-315 (with some corrections in IMEP XXIII: see bibliography), which the following summary abbreviates considerably, and to which the reader is referred for fuller information. In addition to the longer items listed below Thomson describes a large number of shorter notes and additions, including proverbs, historical notes, hymns and verses, grammatical and theological notes, and documents and letters, all in both Latin and English.

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: ii + 207 + ii leaves

Foliation: 1-70, 71a-b, 72, 73a-b, 74, 75a-b, 76-103, 104a-b, 105a-b, 106-129, 130a-b, 131-138, 139a-b, 140-165, 165a-c, 167-168, 169a-b, 170-172, 173a-b, 174-178, 179a-b, 180a-b, 181-196. The 19th-century foliation did not number the blank leaves and was corrected in Feb. 2025.

Collation

For suggested collation see Thomson p. 290.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Walter Pollard: presumably the whole manuscript, although no certain evidence for his ownership of part 1. (see above and part 2, Provenance)

Richard Dyer of Oriel College (fl. 1669-76: Alumni Oxon., s.n.). Given by him in 1722 to:

Thomas Hearne (“Tho. Hearne, Julii 10, 1722, ex dono amicissimi eruditissimique viri Richardi Dyer, A. M., Collegii Orielensis socii.”); MS. 161 in his catalogue (MS. Rawl. D. 1168). Acquired with the rest of Hearne's manuscripts by:

Richard Rawlinson, 1690–1755

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1755

MS. Rawl. D. 328, fols. 1-6

(fols. 1–6)

Disticha Catonis

Rubric: Liber Catonis

With prose preface.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: parchment

Extent: 6 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 190 × 115 mm.

Layout

1 col., 26-27 lines, ruled in ink, ruled space c. 140–5 × c. 90 mm.

Hand(s)

Anglicana formata

Decoration

Coloured initials, rubrication.

History

Origin: 14th century, late, or 15th century, early ; England

Provenance

Erased ex libris (?), fol. 6v.

Presumably owned by Walter Pollard, see provenance above and below.

MS. Rawl. D. 328, fols. 7-194

(fol. 7r)

Instructions for behaviour at table

Incipit: Dum manducatis Christo grates reseratis

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 8r–15v)

John Leylond, Informacio

Incipit: The Church is a place which Cristen menne ben muche holdun to luff

D. Thomson, An edition of the Middle English grammatical texts (1984), pp. 82-130, with the text of the present manuscript at 122-130.

Language(s): Middle English and Latin

(fol. 16v–17r.)

Names of family relationships in English and Latin

Incipit: Hic sororus, anglice a syster husband

Rubric: Nomina cognacionis

Language(s): Middle English and Latin

(fol. 18r–21v)

Ars grammatica 'Sum es fui'

Final rubric: Explicit Sum, es, fui

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 22r–v)

The sounds of animals, in English and Latin

Incipit: Drensat olor, clangit ancer, crocitat quoque coruus

The verses are Eberhard of Bethune, Graecismus, 32ff.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fols. 23r–24v)

Riddles

Enigmata

Rubric: Bene dica mus currit in campo

Language(s): Latin with some Middle English glosses

(fols. 25r–29r)

Grammar: treatise on irregular verbs

Incipit: Queritur quot sunt verba anormalia? Sum, volo

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 31r–34v)

Ars grammatica 'Dominus quo pars?'

Incipit: Dominus quo pras[sic]? Nomen

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 36r–47v)

Grammar,

'Grammatical paragraphs, with verses, on a variety of topics ...' (Thomson)

Language(s): Latin with some Middle English glosses and sentences

(fols. 48r–49v)

Grammar: declension of Greek nouns

Incipit: Que est agnicio prime declinacionis Grecorum?

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 52r–53r)

Poeniteas cito

Language(s): Latin with some Middle English glosses

(fols. 54r–56r)

Latin-English vocabulary

Cf. fols. 75, 90r-91r, 131v.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fols. 57r–67r)

Alexander de Villa Dei, Doctrinale

Rubric: Liber doctrinalis

Incipit: In quantum potero de nomine quolibet in quo

Lines 499-693, with commentary giving English equivalents.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fol. 68r–71r)

Disticha Catonis

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 72r)

A poem on cockfighting, in several metres

Incipit: Nunc tempus sanum decet in quo tollere vanum

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 75r)

Latin and English names for bread and meat

Rubric: Partes panis

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fols. 76r–89r)

Incipit: Formula grammaticis hec compilata novellis Principium facile congruitatis habet

The grammatical treatise 'Formula', perhaps by one of John Leylond's pupils, with a text of Leylond's Comparatio inserted.

Ars grammatica 'Formula'

D. Thomson, An edition of the Middle English grammatical texts (1984), pp. 131-176, with the text of the present manuscript at 164-176.

John Leylond, Comparatio

D. Thomson, An edition of the Middle English grammatical texts (1984), pp. 65-81, with the text of the present manuscript at 76-80.

Language(s): Middle English and Latin

(fols. 92r–97v)

Treatise on heteroclite nouns

Incipit: Ethroclitum dicitur ab etheros vel etheron

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 98r–104r)

Equivoca

Walther 1767

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 107r–117v)

Treatise on orthography

Incipit: Ortografia est prima pars gramatice que docet recte scribere

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 119r–126r)

John Leylond (?), Accedence,

"The first part only and in a very confused state ..." (Thomson)

D. Thomson, An edition of the Middle English grammatical texts (1984), pp. 1-64, with the text of the present manuscript at 61-62.

Language(s): Middle English and Latin

(fols. 120r, 121r–122r)

School exercises (latinitates) for Michaelmas term

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 127r–129v)

Treatise on syntax (construction)

Incipit: Quid est construccio? Construccio est congra diccionum ordinatio congruam sentenciamque perfectam demonstrans

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 130)

Form of confession in English

Incipit: I knowlych to almychty god and to owre lady

Language(s): Middle English

(fol. 135r–137v)

Treatise on figures on construction, partly in verse

Incipit: Notandum est quod nouem sunt figure construccionis

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 140r–144v)

Proverbs in Latin and Middle English

Rubric: Hic incipiunt proverbia

Incipit: Bonum principium facit bonum finem

English verse items itemized DIMEV 1912, 52, 6699, 5173, 2964, 1841, 6442, 6521, 5429, 2738, 1833, 42, 6520, 6465, 6266, 5230, 4810, 5317, 1055, 6209, 2262, 1890.

Sanford B. Meech, 'A Collection of Proverbs in Rawlinson MS D 328', Modern Philology, 38, No. 2 (Nov., 1940), 113-132

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fols. 145r–150r)

Versus differentiales

Rubric: Hic incipiunt versus deferenciales

Incipit: Magister dicitur a magis et sterion grece

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 153r–154r)

Facetus

Incipit: Est nichil utilius humane credo saluti Quam morum novisse modos et moribus uti

Walther 5777

Le facet en françoys, ed. J. Morawski (1923), pp. 3-15

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 155v–157r)

Quotations from the Bible which break grammatical rules

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 158r–v)

Robert Grosseteste, Stans puer ad mensam

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 159r–160v)

John Lydgate, Stans puer ad mensam

Rubric: Stans puer ad mensam

Incipit: My chyld fyrste thysylfe abylle And dyspose the to vertuse dysciplyne, Before thy soverayne stondynge at the tabylle Loke thou do after my doctryne

Differs considerably from the printed text.

DIMEV 3588

Language(s): Middle English

(fols. 161r–162r)

Benedict Burgh, Parvus Cato

DIMEV 6321

Prologue in Latin, followed by first seven verses only of Burgh's text.

Followed by a couplet in English (DIMEV 6153)

Language(s): Middle English

(fols. 163r–166v)

Treatise on grammar and verb declensions

Incipit: Quot sunt partes grammatice? Quatuor. Que? Orthographia, prosodia, ethimologia et diasintestica

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 167r–168r)

Riddles

Rubric: Incipiunt Enigmata

Incipit: In rolla ralla mihi da gamus opada palla

At fol. 168r is DIMEV 2165

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fol. 168v)

Proverbs

DIMEV 459 with 4 verses of Latin.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

(fol. 171r–172v.)

Terms of association

Rubric: A litel boke of doctrine for jonge gentilmen

Incipit: A herd of all maner of dere

ed. H. E. Allen, PMLA 51 (1936), 602-6

IMEP XXIII.221-2 shows that the various articles on fols. 171r-173r are extracts from the so-called 'J. B.' treatise, printed as the 'Boke of St Albans' and ed. D. Scott-Macnab, A Sporting Lexicon of the Fifteenth Century (2003): the attribution to Juliana Berners is sceptically reviewed by Julia Boffey (2004) in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Language(s): Middle English

(fols. 174v–175r)

Dialogue between the devil and a maid; in verse (a version of Child Ballad 1 and Roud 161, 'Riddles wisely expounded')

Rubric: Inter diabolus et virgo

Incipit: Wol ȝe here a wonder thynge Betwyxt a mayd and the foule fende

DIMEV 6685

Language(s): Middle English

(fols. 176r–179r)

Treatise on figures of speech

Rubric: Hic incipiunt figure locucionis

Incipit: Figure locucionis sunt quasi numerabiles

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 183)

Directions for sailing from Newcastle to Berwick (incomplete)

IPMEP 113

Geoffrey A. Lester, ‘The Earliest English Sailing Directions’, in Popular and Practical Science of Medieval England, ed. Lister M. Matheson, (East Lansing, 1994), pp. 331-67

Language(s): Middle English

(fols. 184r–189r)

Equivoca

Incipit: Augustus, ti, to, Sesar vel mensis habeto

Walther 1767 (see above, fols. 98r-104r)

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 192)

Medical recipes and charms

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: paper. Fols. 139a-b, 166b-c, 179a-b are uncut.

Dimensions (leaf): 220 × 150 mm.

Layout

Layout variable.

Hand(s)

Thomson identifies four hands:

fols. 7r, 8r-15v

fols. 18r-21v

fol. 192r-v

The remainder of the manuscript, perhaps all written by Walter Pollard in different styles of script.

Decoration

No decoration.

History

Origin: c. 1444–1483 ; England

Provenance

At least part of the book was given to Walter Pollard in 1444-5 by Thomas Ismay clerk: fol. 179, “Sciunt presentes et futuri quod iste liber ad diem confeccionis presencium fuit in custodia Waltero (sic) Pollard, qui ipsum habuit ex dono et concessione Thomæ Ismay clerici. Hiis testibus, Richardo Coke, Willelmo Payge, Johanne Reland, et aliis. Dat. apud Plymmoth anno regni regis Henrici sexti xxiii.” Thomson suggests that Pollard is responsible for writing the bulk of the manuscript (see Hands above) including a number of documents relating to his family and acquaintances. These include (fols. 137v-138v) a rental of John Pollard at Exeter and Plymouth, (fol. 191r) notes of goods received at Exeter, and other documents relating to Devon (fols. 74v, 105r, 125v, etc.). The latest dated item is 1483 (fol. 189v).

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description abbreviated (see above) from D. Thomson, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Middle English Grammatical Texts (1979), 290-315 and other published literature as cited. Previously described: W. D. Macray, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecæ Bodleianæ...viri munificentissimi Ricardi Rawlinson, J.C.D., codicum...complectens, Quarto Catalogues V, 5 fascicles, 1862–1900).

Quarto Catalogue, vol. 1, cols. 165–6

Quarto Catalogue, vol. 1, col. 167

Summary Catalogue, Vol. 3, p. 427

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Printed descriptions:

S. J. Ogilvie-Thomson, Index of Middle English Prose XXIII: The Rawlinson Collection, Bodleian Library, Oxford (2017), pp. 218-225

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2025-02: Description revised with reference to printed catalogues; manuscript seen.