Bible with prologues, in the usual order of 13th-century 'Paris' Bibles, except that Colossians follows, rather than precedes, I-II Thessalonians; with the common set of 64 prologues (cf. Ker, MMBL, I, pp. vii, 96-7; II, pp. 210-212; etc.). 'S.' numbers refer to Stegmüller, RB, see under MS. 52.
[Item 1 occupies quires 1-23]
1. (fols. 1r-272v) Prologues S.284 (fols. 1r-4r), S.285 (fol. 4r-v); Genesis (fols. 4v-27v); Exodus (fols. 27v-45v); Leviticus (fols. 45v-58r); Numbers (fols. 58r-75v); Deuteronomy, 'Incipit liber de vteronomii' (sic), the running-title usually also reading 'UTERONOMII' (fols. 75v-90r); prologue S.311 (fol. 90r-v), Josua (fols. 90v-101r); Judges (fols. 101r-112r); Ruth (fols. 112r-113v); prologue S.323 (fols. 113v-114v), I Samuel (fols. 114v-129v); II Samuel (fols. 129v-142r); I Kings (fols. 142r-156v); II Kings (fols. 156v-170r); prologue S.328 (fol. 170r-v), I Chronicles (fols. 170v-183r); prologue S.327 (fol. 183r-v), II Chronicles (fols. 183v-199r), with the prayer of Manasses (fol. 199r); prologue S.330 (fol. 199r-v), Ezra (fols. 199v-204r); Nehemiah (fols. 204r-210v); II Ezra (fols. 210v-217r); prologue S.332 (fol. 217r-v), Tobit (fols. 217v-222r); prologue S.335, Judith (fols. 222r-228r); prologues S.341+343, Esther (fols. 228r-234v); prologue S.344+357 (fols. 234v-235v), Job (fols. 235v-246v); Psalms, with tituli (fols. 246v-272v), none of the usual liturgical divisions emphasised.
[Item 2 occupies quires 24-39]
2. (fols. 273r-458r) Prologue S.457, Proverbs (fols. 273r-283r); prologue S.462, Ecclesiastes (fols. 283r-286v); Song of Songs (fols. 286v-288v); prologue S.468, Wisdom (fols. 288v-296v); S.26,1 ('Multorum nobis …') (fol. 296v-297r), Ecclesiasticus (fols. 297r-316v); prologue S.482 (fol. 317r, rubric on 316v), Isaiah (fols. 317r-340r); prologue S.487 (fol. 340r), Jeremiah (fols. 340r-367v); Lamentations (fols. 367v-370r), with the prayer of Jeremiah (fol. 370r), the prologue to Ezekiel S.492 (fol. 370r-v), and Ezekiel 1:1-4:2 (fols. 370v-371v) written in error before Baruch, marked 'vacat' in various places, and crossed through before rubrication; prologue S.491 (fol. 371v), Baruch (fols. 371v-375r); prologue S.492, Ezekiel (fols. 375r-399v); prologue S.494 (fols. 399v-400r), Daniel (fols. 400r-410r); prologue S.500 (fol. 410r-v); prologue S.507, Hosea (fols. 410v-414r); prologues S.511, S.510 (fol. 414r-v), Joel (fols. 414v-415v); prologues S.515, S.512 (fols. 415v-416r), S.513, Amos (fols. 416r-419r); prologues S.519, S.517, Obadiah (fol. 419r-v); prologues S.524, S.521 (fols. 419v-420r), Jonah (fol. 420r-v); prologue S.526 (fols. 420v-421r), Micah (fols. 421r-422v); prologue S.528 (fols. 422v-423r), Nahum (fol. 423r-v); prologue S.531 (fols. 423v-424v), Habakkuk (fols. 424v-425v); prologue S.534, Zephaniah (fols. 425v-426v); prologue S.538 (fols. 426v-427r), Haggai (fols. 427r-428r); prologue S.539, Zechariah (fols. 428r-432r); prologue S.543, Malachi (fols. 432r-433r); prologues S.547 (fol. 433r-v), S.553 (fols. 433v-434r), S.551, I Maccabees (fols. 434r-448r); II Maccabees, 'Explicit machabei liber secundus. Versus habens mille octingentos.' (fols. 448r-458r); fols. 458v-459v originally blank, fol. 459v now with an 'Index Noui Testamenti', with folio references, apparently by Crowe (see under Provenance).
[Items 3-5 occupy quires 40-53]
3. (fols. 460r-583v) New Testament: prologues S.590, S.589 (fol. 460r), Matthew (fols. 460r-475v); prologue S.607 (fols. 475v-476r), Mark (fols. 476r-486r); prologue S.620 (fol. 486r-v), Luke (fols. 486v-504r); prologue S.624, John (fols. 504r-517r); followed by the usual prologue to Acts (S.640), and Acts 1:1-3:14 written in error, breaking off abruptly mid-word, and crossed through (fols. 517r-518v); the last 8-9 lines of the second column on fol. 518v unwritten; the facing page with John 21:17-25 also apparently written in error (fol. 519r); yet these verses of John are marked 'vacat' on fol. 517r; prologue S.677, Romans (fols. 519r-525r); prologue S.685, I Corinthians (fols. 525r-531r); prologue S.699, II Corinthians (fols. 531r-535r); prologue S.707 (fol. 535r-v), Galatians (fols. 535v-537v); prologue S.715, Ephesians (fols. 537v-539v); prologue S.728, Philippians (fols. 539v-540v); prologue S.747 (fols. 540v-541r), I Thessalonians (fols. 541r-542r); prologue S.752, II Thessalonians (fol. 542r-v); prologue S.736 (fols. 542v-543r), Colossians (fols. 543r-544r); prologue S.765, I Timothy (fols. 544r-545v); prologue S.772, II Timothy (fols. 545v-547r); prologue S.780, Titus (fol. 547r-v); prologue S.783, Philemon (fols. 547v-548r); prologue S.793, Hebrews (fols. 548r-552v); prologue S.640 (fol. 552v; cf. fol. 517r), Acts (fols. 553r-569r); prologue S.809, James (fols. 569r-570v); I Peter (fols. 570v-572r); II Peter (fols. 572r-573r); I John (fols. 573r-574v); II John (fols. 574v-575r); III John (fol. 575r); Jude (fol. 575r-v); prologue S.839 (fols. 575v-576r), Revelation (fols. 576r-583v).
4. (fols. 583v-625v) Stephen Langton, Interpretations of the Hebrew names: 'Hee sunt interpretatationes hebraicorum nominum a remigio composite .ii.(?)', in the common version from 'Aaz. appredendens …' to 'Zu [recte Zuzim] consiliantes …' (S. 7709).
5. (fol. 626r-v) List of Gospel readings for the year, for the Temporale from Advent to Dominica XXV after Pentecost; and the Sanctorale from St. Andrew (30 Nov.) to St. Valentine (14 Feb.) only, in three columns, ending incomplete towards the bottom of the second column; fols. 627r-628v blank.
Two historiated initials in gold, red, blue, green, white, and grey:
(fol. 1r) Initial 'F'(rater), with Jerome (not nimbed), dressed in a grey habit, with knotted cord, writing his letter to Damasus; he appears to have written 'ALE | VIA'; the face damaged; the head of the initial nine lines high, the trunk extending the full height of the text into the lower margin.
(fol. 4v) Initial 'I'(n), with seven Creation scenes; the full width of the inter-columnar space, and extending above and below the text area (Alexander & Temple, pl. XLI).
Four- to seven-line parted initials in red and blue, infilled with with red (or red and purple) penwork, and purple (or purple and red) flourishing, to each remaining book; two- and three-line initials alternately in red with purple flourishing, or blue with red flourishing, with 'J'/'I'-shaped motifs alternately red and blue running the height of the text, to prologues, chapters, etc.
Parchment, c. 245 x 190 mm., good quality, prepared in the southern manner.
ff. i (paper) + 627 + i (paper), re-foliated in modern pencil: i-v, 1-628; formerly foliated in 17th/18th-century ink 1-458 in the Old Testament and 1-166 in the New Testament.
Quires mostly of twelve leaves each: 14 (fols. ii-v) | 2-1312 (fols. 1-144), 14-1614 (fols. 145-186), 17-2012 (fols. 187-235), 21-2214 (fols. 236-263), 2310-1 (8th leaf cancelled, leaving a wide stub) (fols. 264-272) | 24-3812 (fols. 273-453), 396 (fols. 454-459) | 40-5312 (fols. 460-627); no catchwords or quire signatures; leaf signatures consisting of one to four horizontal strokes followed by v and vi in quires 47 (fols. 544-555), and 52 (fols. 604-615), in red ink.
Ruled in brown 'crayon' in, the top line extending the full width of the page, each column between single vertical bounding lines; the ruled space c. 170 x 120 mm.; prickings occasionally survive in the upper margin.
Written with two columns of 44 lines, 'below top line', in a neat rather rounded gothic script.
Secundo folio: 'noui psalmi'.
Sewn on four bands, and bound in early 18th-century brown reversed calf over pasteboards; the spine lettered in gilt capitals 'Biblia | Sacra'; the spine with a paper label printed '18'.
1. Written in the second half of the 13th century, probably in southern France, to judge by the parchment and script; the scribe apparently had an exemplar which had Acts after the Gospels, and Colossians after II Thessalonians, and was trying to rearrange the books in his copy according to the 'normal' order of books.
2. Marginal notes on errors in the order of texts, etc. (fols. 199r, 217r, 370r-371v, 426v, 517r,-518v), e.g. 'hac superflua' (fol. 370r) perhaps by the hand that wrote the table of contents on fol. 459v, or the foliation.
3. Benjamin Crowe, of Queen's College (on whom see BROU: matriculated 1707 aged 18; B.A., M.A.; vicar of Gilling, Yorkshire, 1742): signed 'Benja. Crowe' (upper pastedown).
4. Queens College, given by Crowe in 1736: below his signature has been added '1736 | Bibliothecæ Coll. Reg. Oxon | dono dedit | V. R. Benjam. Crowe A. M. non ita pridem | socio-commensalis'; and inscribed with the former shelfmark 'E. 18', crossed-through in pencil (fol. iv).
Coxe, Catalogus, p. 11.
Alexander & Temple, College libraries, no. 710, pl. XLI (fol. 4v, detail) ('French (?)'
