Advanced Search   *   Manuscripts   *   Scribes   *   Authors   *   Letters
Home   *   About the Project   *   Bibliography
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council
Find What? Search by
Manuscript Description
Scotland, Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland, Advocates' MS 18.2.8
 
MS Appellation:The meroure of Wisdome
Title:The meroure of Wisdome, Mother of God
Author:Hoccleve and John Ireland
Contents:Meroure of Wisdome, John Ireland; Mother of God, Hoccleve (20 stanzas) which begins half way down 112v and ends half way down 115r.
Language:English
Date Range:1475-1500
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:i old paper flyleaf + 1-358r paper + 358v (now with writing on) + paper stub + 359 blank recto with obit on verso for Alexander Guthrie + 360 which is remnants of old folio now mounted on a paper guard + i old flyleaf
Pagination:Modern pencil foliation upper outer corner recto.
Quiring:First quire of 8 thereafter 12s.
Catchwords:Some remnants which have survived cropping eg on ff218v, 230v.
Page Size:287 x 220
Frame:2 x vertical; 2 x horizontal brown crayon ruling
Incipits and Explicits:In 'Meroure' incipits in ink of text, explicits in red ink; for Chaucer in red ink 'Incipit oratio galfridi chaucer' and in the ink of the text 'Explicit oratio galfridi chaucer'.
Table of Contents:Summary of chapters on ff1-6r; each summary ends with a red explicit; initials of summary in red ink capitals, unflourished.
Flourished Initials:Space left for initials at the beginnings of chapters and books; initials not entered just a small red ink letter to indicate what should be there; for the Chaucer an upper case 'M' in red ink is entered into the 5-line space left for initial.
Other Names (not owners):The Advocates' Catalogue records the following: 'The manuscript belonged to Sir Alexander Guthrie of Guthrie, whose signature occurs on several folios. There is a signed inscription recording his gift of the volume to the church of Guthrie (f7v), and a note recording his death and that of Alexander Strathachin of Balmady at Flodden in 1513 (f359v). A note in a different hand states that the gift was made by David Guthrie: Ex honorali [sic]viro domini david Guthrie de eodem dedit istum Codicem cogle (collegio?) de guthre' (f359v). Sir Alexander's son David was also killed at Flodden'. 'The date 1543 occurs on ff180, 183, 192, 226. There are some scribblings and pentrials, including a prayer (f1), a form of absolution (f358v), and a Latin verse (f360)'.
Miscellaneous Info:The colophon on f358v has the date 1490.
Further Information:From the Advocates' Catalogue comes the following: 'The work was written in 1490 for the instruction of James IV, but this may not be the copy intended for presentation to the King. It has been edited by C. Macpherson, F. Quinn and C. McDonald, 'The Meroure of Wyssdome by Johannes de Irlandia, Scottish Text Society, new ser. 19 and 4th ser. 2 and 19, Edin. and Aberdeen, 1926-90'. 'R.J.Lyall dated the ms on the basis of the watermarks as ca. 1492x in 'Fifteenth Century Scottish Manuscripts: a revised checklist' (unpublished typescript, Glasgow, 1980)'.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP