Caxton's Polychronicon: Oxford, Bodleian Library, S. Seld. d. 7
Summary:
Physical Description:
Object Description:
Form: Codex
Material: Paper
Size: 278 mm x 194 mm (dimensions of all - size of leaves)
Collation:
- Imp. 22 ff. (all before 1, 2 and a f. in 55); has the blank at 28 bis, 2. Noted in Bod-inc that 'wanting gatherings a c and
leaf 55, 1; also leaves 1, 1; 1, 5 and the blank leaf 55, 8'.
Condition:
Rubrication and decorated initials:
- Number of hands: 3
- Summary: Marginal annotations in a sixteenth century English hand. Manuscript additions in a sixteenth century English hand on 55,
7v:
'On thy gladde days have in mynd | The vnware woe that comth behinde | While fortune with [] happely to thy ...' (c.1386
Man of Law's T. 427?);
'Tempore felici, multi numerantur amici, | Cum fortuna perit, nullus amicus erit':
'Quisquis amat dictis absentum(!) rodere vitam | Hanc mensam vetitam nouerit esse sibi';
'Love lettyths lawe, lawe lettyths lyberty, lyberty would be lawless';
'Qui mihi discipulus puer es cupis atque doceri | Huc ades hec annimo(!) consere dicta tuo';
5 distichs. Some bibliographical notes in different seventeenth century hands on the front endleaf and on 12t. Some marginal notes in black, mainly extracting keywords, in a sixteenth century English hand.
- Hand: Initials
- Scope: ()
- Hand: Marginalia
- Scope: ()
- Hand: Paraphs
- Scope: ()
Hand decoration:
Use of colour:Chapter numbers, peoples' names, ages and years added in red in a contemporary English hand; probably added in the workshop; nearly identical notes in another hand in the other copy. Initials and paragraoh marks are supplied in red.
Binding Description:
Seventeenth century calf; red edged leaves. Formerly chained: staple marks of a hasp at the head of the upper cover. '17' in black across the head ot the fore-edge. Rebacked. Two strips of parchment used for the binding are still visible. They consist of fragments from a liturgical manuscript written in an English hand of the fourteenth century, with an initial supplied in blue with red pen work docoration extending into the margin; other initials are supplied in red or blue, ruling in ink.
Accompanying Material:
History:
- Provenance:
- William Middleton (15/16th c.)
- John Selden (1584-1654)
- Acquisition: Presented to Bodleian Library in 1659
Image Gallery:
Administration Information:
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Original file created by Jennifer De Lillo. Updated by Lauren MacDougall, 25/06/2015.
Works referred: