Manuscript Description Oxford, St John's College MS 57 | |
| Title: | Miscellany including Parlement of Fowls |
| Author: | Chaucer and anon |
| Contents: | Three Booklets: 1. Pricke of Conscience; 2. London Chronicle; 3. Parlement of Fowls and Statutes and ordinances for a military host under Henry V. |
| Language: | English |
| Date Range: | 1450-1475 |
| Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.                 |
| Material: | Paper |
| No of Folios: | 1 new paper + i vellum probably the original soft cover + ii-iii vellum, bifolium, notes on 'Hoole' and 'MW' as in Hanna catalogue on ii recto + 240 paper in several booklets + iv-v vellum, the second apparently original pastedown with signs of paste remaining on verso + 1 new paper |
| Pagination: | Modern pencil in upper outer rectos missing an unnumbered folio after 210 therefore actually only 241 folios. |
| Quiring: | 8 (see Hanna) |
| Signatures: | By the scribe in the same ink as the text of lower case roman numerals i-iiij in the first half of the quires but often partly cropped |
| Catchwords: | In the usual place by the scribe with a modified sleigh underline with concave left side and concave right with line looping back and curving under sleigh. |
| Page Size: | 305 x 215 |
| Frame: | Square frame in drypoint |
| Writing Space: | 210 x 125 approx. |
| Incipits and Explicits: | Pricke of Conscience and Parlement both have explicits; 'Explicit stimulus consciencie' on f135 before deficient text for the section on 'Morte' is supplied on ff135v-137; 'explicit' for Parlement. Chronicle ends on f223 with the names of 'John Welles Maior' and 'John Atherley' and 'Stephyn Broun' vicecomites, anno decimo'. |
| Marginal Headings: | Headings for London Chronicle and Statutes in rubric. |
| Flourished Initials: | f1 has a 4-line black lombard initial with black outlining and black decoration extending up and down left margin; NB the same decoration is used around 'Hoole' on fii. |
| Other Names (not owners): | MW with a crown over the W on fii; 'Hoole' in white on black ground in the shape of a pennant surrounded by decoration as added to f1. On back flyleaves are 'Dodlay' on fv in a 16th century hand; Seymour says 'perhaps John Sutton, Baron Dudley; not Edward, 6th Baron Dudley (d. 1530) who signed Additional MS 21410 (Fall of Princes) f168)' [Cat. of Chaucer Mss, 1. 24]. Also on fv 'mathew quytarell', 'Iohn Sparke oweth this booke 1579', 'Thomas wryghet bok', 'Iohn Davynant; ; on fv(v) 'nicolas Holdacruss'. On f188 is 'Iohn dauenant wryt this same John Davenant, wineseller/taverner, mayor of Oxford 1621, whose son Robert was a fellow of St. John's, donor of the MS to the College (f1, top margin); 'On f1 'ex dono magestri Davenant Oenopoli Civitas Oxon', ie. given to the College by John Davenant, mayor of Oxford (d. 1621) whose signature occurs at f188 and whose eldest son Robert was a fellow of the College'. (Seymour, 1. 24-25). |
| Further Information: | Hanna's Catalogue pp.75-77. The 'Hoole' on f1 in the pennant is locked to an armorial shield below which are three bugle horns, two above and one below a paling. To the right of this is M and W with black infill inside the letters. Above the black ground for 'Hoole' is 'hole w' in a 15th century hand but not the scribe's. This hand also wrote 'hole' as a key now showing in the uncoloured stalk of the 'H' for 'Hoole'. A red rose, illustrated once and started several times accompanying the verse on the red rose (see Hanna p.76) is added also, possibly at this time but possibly later. |