Manuscript Description USA, New York, NY, Columbia University, Rare Book and Manuscript Library MS Plimpton 263 | |
| Title: | De Proprietatibus Rerum |
| Author: | Trevisa's translation of Bartholomeus |
| Contents: | Part 1: De Proprietatibus Rerum, Charter of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost Part 2: Medes of the Masse |
| Language: | English |
| Datable: | Second quarter fifteenth century |
| Date Range: | 1425-1450 |
| Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.                 |
| Dialect: | Eastern (see Digital Scriptorium description, http://app.cul.columbia.edu |
| Material: | Parchment |
| No of Folios: | Part 1: fols. 1-388 |
| Pagination: | Modern pencil, upper outer corners recto, 1-390 |
| Quiring: | 8's |
| Catchwords: | By scribe, running up to right frame line, several words, fine-line scroll around them |
| Page Size: | 550 x 390 |
| Frame: | 4 x vertical enclosing the two columns, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines, ruled within columns, fine gray lines |
| Marginal Headings: | Rubric chapter headings and chapter numbers. Headings are by the scribe, squeezed into space left for them, sometimes extending into margins. |
| Running Titles: | Rubric running titles, 'Liber' on verso pages and number on recto pages. |
| Borders: | Illuminated bar borders in blue, pink orange-red and gold. Full bar border on fol. 9 at the beginning of the text. Other books begin with similar borders. |
| Illuminated Initials: | Champ initials in blue, pink orange-red and gold; 6-line illuminated initial on fol. 9 at the beginning of the text. Other books begin with similar initials. |
| Paragraph Marks: | Blue paraphs |
| Flourished Initials: | 3-line blue initials with red penwork |
| Other Names (not owners): | Sir M. Willoughby, Lord Middleton of Wollaton Hall; George A. Plimpton (1855-1936). |
| Miscellaneous Info: | Part 1 = fols. 1-388, with De Proprietatibus on fols. 1-379 followed by Charter of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost, fols. 379v-386r by the same hand and decorator. Part 2, Medes of the Masse, fols. 389v-390v. |
| Further Information: | Details for this description taken from photograph and from description on Digital Scriptorium website at http://app.cul.columbia.edu. Note that this MS served as the copy text for the editio princeps. |