Manuscript Description Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Ashmole 40 | |
| MS Appellation: | SC 6920 |
| Title: | Regiment of Princes |
| Author: | Hoccleve |
| Contents: | Regiment of Princes |
| Language: | English |
| Date Range: | 1400-1450 |
| Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.                 |
| Material: | Parchment |
| No of Folios: | 9 paper flyleaves + 97 parchment + 9 paper flyleaves |
| Pagination: | Modern pencil in upper outer corners recto. |
| Quiring: | 8s except for last quire of 10. |
| Signatures: | Signatures survive on many leaves beginning 'ai' through 'aiiij' in first quire in the usual place; note last quire is 10, so 'mj' through 'mv'. |
| Catchwords: | None although some leaves ruled for them. |
| Page Size: | 276 x 195 |
| Frame: | Purple ink: 6 x vertical double at either side of text with initials for lines written in the left one of these, and a separate ruled column in the outer margin for glosses; 6 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines and another in top margin for running titles; on some folios another two are ruled for catchwords; ruled within. Pricking survives on outer edges and rarely at bottom, never top. |
| Writing Space: | 190 x 110 |
| Incipits and Explicits: | On f97v, after text finishes, 'Explicit Egidius de regimine principum / Grace growith aftir gouernaunce no original title at beginning, and none added. |
| Marginal Headings: | Rubric headings centred above text for example on f48v 'Exemplum' and rubric glosses. |
| Illuminated Initials: | Huge 7-line gold initials on rose and blue parti-coloured ground with white highlighting. No sprays from these and no borders. |
| Paragraph Marks: | Blue paraphs before rubric glosses in outer margin column which is ruled for glosses. Paraphs extend to cover left side of the gloss when it runs more than one line. |
| Flourished Initials: | A blue initial begins each stanza, with red pen flourishing. Blue initials sometimes more than 1 line high. |
| Other Names (not owners): | 'Liber W. Browne 1612' top margin on f1 is the poet Wm Browne, and he wrote (himself) to supply missing text to replace missing leaves (60, 70, 74), and wrote more glosses in the gloss columns in very fine brown ink lettering; 'E. Wembley' top right corner f1. |
| Miscellaneous Info: | A very clear, bold and careful professional hand; almost always puts giant comma at ends of lines. |
| Further Information: | Ashmolean Catalogue, col. 62 |