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Manuscript Description
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Laud misc. 735
 
MS Appellation:SC 1504
Title:Hoccleve, Series, Lydgate, Dance of Death,Hoccleve, Regiment of Princes
Author:Hoccleve and Lydgate
Contents:Hoccleve's series (begins f1) Complaint, Dialogue, sequence; Lydgate's Dance of Death (begins f52v); Hoccleve's Regiment of Princes (begins f62).
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.
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Material:Combination; mixed paper and parchment; 14-leaf quires with inner and outer bifolia of parchment, 5 bifolia of paper in each
No of Folios:2 original parchment flyleaves + 134 leaves + 1 heavy parchment flyleaf and stub of another
Pagination:Modern arabic ink foliation in upper outer corners recto, turns to larger pencil foliation in the Digby foliator stylized manner from f71 onwards to end; note also medieval arabic numbers set between periods in upper outer corners count ?? books of the text?? eg 1 on f1, 5 on f22, 7 on f28, 8 on f29, 10 on f41' 65 on f108.
Quiring:14s
Signatures:Signatures in almost every quire so little cropped. They begin 'a' in first quire and 'a.iiij' on f3 so perhaps a leaf missing near beginning? 'b.i' on f14, 'c.i' on f28, etc to 'k.viii' on f133 with only 134 after that, with both 133 and 134 parchment so perhaps rest of this quire cut away?, begins' 'k.i' on f126.
Catchwords:Not always, but usually, lower margin running up to right frame line or not quite running up to it, written by scribe, three quarters down lower margin, no embellishment.
Page Size:302 x 216
Frame:Simple brown square with lines extending to edges, not ruled within, so number of lines varies.
Writing Space:Ruled for 209 x 107 leaving very wide margin at outer edges for glosses; text usually fits within this but rhyme markers sometimes extend beyond right frame line.
Incipits and Explicits:Rubric explicits by the scribe.
Marginal Headings:In rubric by the scribe and marginal rubric glosses. Sometimes the scribe has to write very small to fit the space so possibly writing rubric later eg f51v two lines of rubric heading squeezed into single line space left for it.
Title by Scribe:Added in a 16th century hand upper outer corner f1 'Thomas Occleve maker of / this boke one of the prevy / seale'.
Paragraph Marks:Alternating red and blue paraphs with unusual j-curve at bottom, or in margins beside glosses blue with waving left edges extended to cover all left edge of the gloss.
Flourished Initials:On f1r a 6-line blue lombard initial with red penwork flourishing, extenders in top margin elaborate becoming spray with opposing leaves, etc. but all red ink; on f1v a much more elaborate 9-line initial 'A' in thick black with thick black elaborate strapwork and red penwork forming leaves, sprays etc; further blue 5-line initials eg f5v with red penwork scalloped extenders and elaborate tendrils ending in spirals. Other main texts f52v and f62r begin with 5-line blue initials with red penwork of same sort. No other large black as on f1v.
Other Names (not owners):'Thomas creyks [or creyke?] ys my nyme' in right margin of f71 in a clumsy 15th century hand, also f1 'Thomas Cerykes hand' in right margin, also clumsy 15th century.; lower margin f90 'Danwyne / skylltone
fii recto 'Jera Hampden' or Jerome Hampden; Laud's usual ownership inscription bottom f1 with date 1633; lots of marginal annotation especially a long one taking up most of right margin on f2, 17-19 century?
Miscellaneous Info:NB. Original boards, thongs (5 across spine) and repaired clasp single leather strap front to back. NB. Same contents as Bodley 221, same layout, decoration, and mixed parchment and paper.
Further Information:Coxe, H. O. Bodleian Library Quarto Catalogues, II, Laudian Manuscripts. Oxford: Bodleian Library, 1858-85, reproduced with corrections and additions, and an historical introduction by R. W. Hunt, 1973. Laud catalogue col. 522-3
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP