Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Manuscript codex made up of two parts: (A) Gregory the Great, Homiliae in Evangelia (f.1-69) and (B) Tabula to (A) (f.70-82) - plus endleaves (f.83-85, plus 85’s unnumbered stub). Physically quite distinct but related by content, (A) and (B) were presumably brought together at an early date. The point at which f.83-5 were recycled to be used as their endleaves and pastedown is unclear.
Modern pencil foliation.
Bound in Durham in the 18th century by Waghorn, calf panelled binding. Traces of the pink turn-overs from an earlier binding are visible on the former paste-down f.85v; also a small green-stained hole from metal fittings, towards the bottom of the page.
Inscription: .F Liber assignatus librarie monachorum Dunelm per magistrum Willelmum Ebchestre Priorem, f.1r, upper margin (William Ebchester, prior of Durham 1446-56).
Parchment: generally stout with occasional thinner leaves; even-toned. Arranged: FH, HF.
I12, II3 (structure unclear), II-VI12, VII6
Text-block: 242 x 150 mm. Two columns (width: 70 mm). Lines: 52 (space, 4-5 mm; height of minims, 3 mm). Pricking: awl; survives in upper and lower margins only. Ruling: ink. Single verticals flank the both columns (two in total in the intercolumnar space); no horizontals extended; all horizontals run across the intercolumnar space.
Written in Textualis libraria; spacious, fere-Rotunda. Rubrics in the same hand. Corrections, including missing rubric (e.g. f.16v), by several hands, generally in informal cursive.
Decorated initial, 6 lines high, heads (b)2: the letter-shape is formed from pink and blue panels and tubes with white highlights, set against a gold ground. The lection for and the incipit proper of each homily are headed by blue initials, 2+ lines high, flourished in red. The running headings are written in blue capitals flourished in red. Each entry in both capitula lists ((a) and (b)1) are headed by a blue initial, 1 line high, embellished in red.
Passages throughout flagged by pointing hands, and marginal lines that incorporate decorative motifs such as foliage (e.g. f.7v) and faces (e.g. f.30v). A dog’s head and a run of abbreviated forms for common words beginning with “q” were added to the margins of f.29v.
Written in France or England, first half of 14th century.
Continuous listing of 23 then 45 capitula, the numbering in red Arabic numerals.
Capitula list (numbered in black Roman numerals, with a space but not a rubric between items xx and xxi; the relevant biblical chapter numbers added later beside eighteen of them) followed by Prefatory letter. Running headings throughout: “OML” on versos, the relevant homily number on rectos.
Parchment: relatively low quality; thin and papery with pronounced H/F contrasts (H sides generally yellow with clear follicle marks).
I13 (12 + final singleton)
Text-block: 252 x 140 mm. Two columns: 65 mm. Lines: 51 (space, 5 mm; height of minims, 2 mm). Pricking: awl (preserved in upper and lower margins). Ruling: ink. Single verticals flank both columns (two in total in the intercolumnar space); a further vertical in the inner margin. First three and last two horizontals extended; all run across the intercolumnar space; two further horizontals in the upper margin (to support running headings), one in the lower margin.
The initial title/rubric written in Textualis, the main text in Anglicana.
The text is headed (f.70r) by a blue and red initial A, 3+ lines high, flourished in red and blue, with blue and red flourished extensions in the inner and across the upper margins. The first entry for each subsequent letter of the alphabet is headed by a blue capital, 3+ lines high, flourished in red. Each subsequent entry, and some of the homily references, are marked by a red paraph.
Written in England, 14th/15th century.
Extracts, alphabetically arranged (with full alphabeticisation) by key word. Reference is by Homily number plus a letter indicating the column within the homily. Running heading above each column gives the relevant letter(s) of the alphabet.
Parchment.
A singleton followed by ?a bifolium, followed by an unnumbered counterstub for the singleton. Recycled at an uncertain date, all these leaves were evidently stuck together, and f.85v was pasted to the back board of a previous binding. It is not clear whether f.83 had any association with f.84-5 prior to their re-use in this context.
Text-block (f.84-5): approximately 140 x 195 mm. Lines (f.84-5): 16 (space, 15 mm; height of minims, 3 mm - planned for a four-line staff). Pricking: lost. Ruling: lead and ink; pattern unclear.
Written in various hands.
The recto is blank bar one jotted note mentioning H de gandauo. The verso covered with recipes and notes:
1. Recipe sex vncias cinnamonii, quattuor de gingyuer, vnam de … aliam quartam de cardemonio, aliam quartam vncie de pipere longo.
2. Oleum de butero. Recipe butiri … postea deponantur ab igne et refrigeretur et erit oleum clarum optimum.
3. Hec sunt virtutes aquae vitae. Item aqua uita clarior et subtilior est et multo leuior …;
4. Si uis facere aquam ad de-?- ferrum, accipe unctam unam… et supradicta aqua benedictam.
5. Unguentum ad necandum vermes et scabrem in manibus, qui vocatur dert. Recipe ungentum [sic] album et misce cum sapone de yspana et … et transibit in brevi.
6. Preparationes ad custodiendum gyngeuer … Accipe folia petrofilli virid’ … optime custodiatur.
7. Preparatio gyngibrisad faciendum gingebras. Accipe gingiber … sufficiat.
8. Five sets of apothegms of two, four, three, two and three lines respectively, all damaged. The first ends, ‘per amare possis amari’; the last is, ‘[-?-]fueris qui vis si vis cognoscere quid scis, / [?-]spice mentem, respice mores, acta revolve, / [-?-]t in hiis et ab his poteris congoscere quid scis.
9-10. Prescriptions about weights of sulphur and salt.
11. Hic est differentia inter -?- et claretum. -?- fit de vino rubeo et melle, claretum de vino albo …
12. Draft document: … coram me rogo de tali loco rectore de tali loco nomine H de tali li [sic] loco… hunc testimento sigillum meum aposui.
13. Ad faciendum mede. Accipe mel …