Showing 121 results

Bible; M. R. James's no. 9. It is slightly incomplete, ending with "Sadduci" in the additional matter "Interpretationes nominum". With decorative borders and initials "of rough English work" (e.g. a ship and fish for Jonah, a dove for Acts).

Isidore's encyclopaedic "Etymology" in twenty books; M. R. James's no. 8. It is lavishly decorated: "The ornaments and initials at the beginnings of the books are exceedingly good and characteristic English work".

A dictionary of canon law; M. R. James's no. 7. Runs from "Abbas" to "Zelus"; James terms the writing "rough" and "ugly".

Papal decretals; M. R. James's no. 6. Contains [numbered by the order in its contents list, following James]: (1) a contents list of (2) text and gloss of Decretales Gregorii Novi; (3) Constitutiones nove duo innocencij iiiti (incomplete); (4, interrupting 3) Constitutiones alexandri iiiiti; (5 - bound after 6) Decretalis bonifacii in sixto libro, entitled in the contents list "Expositio super id … et libro vj prout concernit visitationem episcopi dunelm et conventus dunelm"; (6) liber sixtus non glo[ssatus] (another copy of book 6 of the decretals of Boniface VIII, 1298, in another hand and with a table of chapters). With flyleaves from a 13C law ms.

A well-known work by Petrus Comestor; M. R. James's no. 5. The main text has decorated initials in red and blue; it ends in the chapter "de dyonisio areopagtia". There are two flyleaves taken from a 10-11C missal, beginning with part of the gospel for the Decollation of St John the Baptist and ending with collects and lessons for the feast of the Assumption.

A compendium of canon law by Bartholomew of Pisa; M. R. James's no. 4. It runs from "abbas" to "zelum", in a hand that James says is "probably English", with initials in red and blue. The prologue begins: Quoniam ut ait Gregorius super Ezechielem.

Bible; M. R. James's no. 3. 13C with decorated initials; the first quire is missing, so the text begins at Genesis 36 v. 24. James has a note on the order of the books. The Eusebian Canons occupy 2 pp. after the Apocalypse. In the flyleaves are two 15C lists of the books of the Bible.

Rubric on proof; M. R. James's no. 2. A law text by Andreas Siculus [variously known as Andreas Barbatius, Andrea Barbazza or Andreas Bartholomaei de Sicilia]. James judged the script to be "almost certainly" Italian; initials are lacking. Incipit: Continuatus sic. Visum est de confessionibus per quas aduersarius relevatur ab onere probandi. The early quires have guards cut from a 14C ms., others have guards cut from a 10C ms.

Metaphysical questions; M. R. James's no. 17. "Questions" on books i-x and xii of Metaphysics, with a table of those on books i-vii and a short prologue addressed to a Pope as dedicatee (incipit: Cum cetere sciencie ad cognicionem summi boni conferant, sanctissime pater). The unnnamed author speaks of himself as a Dominican. The volume is imperfect: ending in book 12. The final quire is in a different hand from the rest.

Works of Augustine; M. R. James's no. 16. Contains: (1) Augustinus in libro ii Retractionum, Contra donatistas auctoritate beatissimi episcopi et martyris cipriani; (2) Aurelii Augusti ypponensis episcopi contra Donatistas de Baptismo libri septem; (3) Augustinus in libro ii Retractionum, Uenit etiam tunc; (4) Aur. Augustini Doctoris ypponensis Ep. Liber de Natura et Gratia; (5) Epistola Prosperi ad B. Augustinum Ep. ; (6) Epistola S. Hylarii Arelatensis Ep. Ad S. Augustinum ypponensem Ep. ; (7) Aur. Augustini Doctoris ypponensis Ep. Libri duo de predestinatione Sanctorum et de Bono perseuerantie ad Prosperum et Hylarium. The text is well written, with coloured initials. Bound in two consecutive sheets of a psalter containing parts of psalms 34-38 and 43-49. A piece of a 15C table appears in the binding. The flyleaf has a 12C table of contents and a 15C pressmark: "Augustinus de baptismo et de natura et gracia et alia litera. B".

Peter Lombard's Sentences; M. R. James's no. 15. Rated "an unremarkable copy", with marginal notes in various hands. Bound at the front and back several Anglo-Saxon semi-palimpsest leaves originally containing a Durham version of Aelfric's Homilies; ff. 4-9 have been used for a 14-15C tract, "Cum summa teologice discipline diuiditur in duas partes".

Bede on Genesis and "on Exodus"; M. R. James's no. 14. Two separate works, in different hands of similar date. Item (2) is Bede's "De tabernaculo"; it ends abruptly while discussing Exodus 26. James judged the writing "beautiful"; there is a fine decorated initial at f. 1v. Attached to the binding at the beginning and end are partially erased leaves from another copy of Bede on Genesis, of about the same date.

Sermons on the Virgin and saints; M. R. James's no. 13. Contains: (1) sermons on the Virgin, the second of which contains English verses and a story about an image in Cyclopes, India; (2) sermons on the saints from St Andrew to St Katherine, numbered 62 to 126; (3) "sermones de tempore", numbere from 1 to 53 and followed by a table; (4) a sermon in single lines, in another hand; (5) sermons in double columns of 49 lines, foliated from 1 to 33, incipit: Reuertar in principio cum Tobia; (6) sermons in another hand, 43 lines to a page, foliated 34 to 149; (7) a table to this last set of sermons.

Customary of the Carthusian order; M. R. James's no. 12. In three sections. The main text is preceded by a table of and note on reading the statutes and followed by extracts on disputed points (1494-1517).

Bible; M. R. James's no. 11. Finely written and illuminated. James gives a detailed list of subjects of the historiated initials at the head of the books; his collation lists some mutilations and losses.

John Chrysostom's Homilies on Matthew; M. R. James's no. 10. There is an interruption to the text at sig. Q5b (Homiliy 55). James terms the writing "ugly and the initials of the plainest". At each end are four 15C leaves of advent music.

Decretals newly glossed; M. R. James's no. 1. Contains: (1) decretals of Gregory XI in five books, with a prologue; (2) a canon law tract in a different and later hand (from an Italian source, SC), with references to the former and incipit: Legitur in Ezechiele venter tuus comedet et viscera tua implebuntur. The first words of the gloss are missing ("but can be supplied from no. 6 [Q.A.6] - In huius libri principii quinque precipere sunt prenotanda …" SC). At the beginning are two flyleaves from a later ms., containing two extracts from the Ottobian Constitutions and one from the Clementine.

Medieval ms. volumes and some later material.