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Manuscript Description
USA, Cambridge, MA, Harvard, Houghton Library, Eng. 920
 
Title:Treatise on the Astrolabe
Author:Chaucer
Contents:Chaucer, Treatise on the Astrolabe on ff3-37; Summa chiromantia, ff37v-60v, including drawings of hands on ff59v-60v
Language:English
Date Range:1420's?
Material:Parchment
No of Folios:1 blank flyleaf + 2 blank leaves numbered 1-2 + 58 text block numbered 3-60 + 1 blank flyleaf
Pagination:Modern pencil 1-60 arabic numbers in upper outer corners recto.
Quiring:1-4 (8) 5-6 (6) 7-8 (8)
Signatures:Signatures faint crayon(?) in lower outer corner of rectos first 4 (or 3) leaves each quire, eg 'a 2' on f4r
Catchwords:By scribe in same script and ink, running up close to right frame line with fine ink box around
Page Size:130 x 80
Frame:Drawn in ink and ruled
Writing Space:85 x 55
Marginal Headings:Red glosses in margins (fairly rare).
Title by Scribe:f3r at top rubric heading by scribe beginning with blue initial, 'Heere begynneth þe tretryce (or tretyyce) of þe decla / racioun vp on þe conclusiouns of þe astrelabie'
Paragraph Marks:Fine red double slash mark as punctuation
Flourished Initials:6-line red initial on f3r with red in centre (with white foliage patterns) and red ground (with white patterns); plain blue Lombard initials before rubric headings, alternating plain 2-line red and blue initials at beginnings of sections; plain blue before red headings; stroke of red in initials of new sentences.
Other Names (not owners):On fi added by later hands 'John Gowr' and 'F Fox' and 'Oct 11 1788 / pr. GD.; otherwise, just Harvard/Houghton bookplates inside front and back covers. Houghton bought from William Dawson & Son after 1953 as the gift of David P. Wheatland.
Further Information:Harvard catalogue on-line
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP