Manuscript Description Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Ashmole 39 | |
MS Appellation: | Life of Our Lady |
Title: | Life of Our Lady |
Author: | Lydgate |
Contents: | Lydgate, Life of Our Lady |
Language: | English |
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: | Parchment pastedown with writing + 109 paper leaves and parchment pastedown with writing. |
Pagination: | Modern pencil foliation in upper outer corners recto. |
Quiring: | 12s, though some appear incomplete and some are longer. Parchment stub between 7-8, 11-12, 23-24, 37-38, 49-50, 61-62, 75-76, 90-91, 97-98, 103-104 |
Signatures: | No signatures remain. |
Catchwords: | 7v, 15v, 31v, 43v, 55v, 67v, 83v, 97v in a smaller font than the text, not as formal and written by the scribe. |
Page Size: | 288 x 205 |
Frame: | A plain square extending to edges of folios in fine grey/brown |
Writing Space: | 207 x 110 ruled space, but scribe uses 183 x 90 |
Marginal Headings: | In rubric, by the scribe, in space between stanzas. Initials touched with red and initials of glosses and chapter numbers in outer margins also touched with red. Looped underlining for glosses. |
Table of Contents: | Sub-headings for portions of text rubric with initials; list of chapters by main scribe's hand on ff1-3; text begins f3v, possibly initials in strapwork in upper margin of f3v. |
Title by Scribe: | Rubric heading on f1, 'This boke was compiled by Daun John Lydgate monke of Bury at þe exitacion & sterynge of oure wyrshipfull prince kyng henry the vth in the honoure & wirship of the birthe of þe most glorious maide wyf & modir of oure lord Ihu Crist Ahapitrid & markid aftyr this table that foloweth'. |
Flourished Initials: | Black initials 2-3 lines high with red shadow strokes. Both black and red form strap-work above the letter. Pine-cone patterns free-standing to the left of the letters. |
Further Information: | On boards with white leather, probably not the original binding since clearly covers knobs where clasps attached on previous binding which never came through the current leather cover. |