1. (fols. 1r-254v) '[Prologue:] Cvm omnes prophetas spiritus sancti reuelacione constet esse locutos; ... primus homo infelix. qui abiit. stetit. sedit. sed secundus est. [Gloss:] Beatus. cui omnia optata succedunt. uir scilicet contra prospera & aduersa; firmus. qui non abiit. ... Uite eterne uox est. Omnis spiritus laudet dominum.' (Stegmüller, RB, no. 6637; Migne, PL, CXCI, cols. 55-1296B); lacking Pss. 6:8-10:4, 17:18-21:24, 31:7-35:3, 68:3-71:20, 76:15-79:6, 110:2-118:1, 118:145-124:3, and 139:6-144:12, due to the loss of quires after each of fols. 13, 25, 49, 111, 123, 195, 219, and 243 respectively; and lacking Pss. 45:3-50:6 due to the loss of ten leaves after fol. 74; the authorities 'Aug'(ustinus), 'Ca'(ssiodorus), etc., are indicated in red in the fore-edge margin; the psalms have rubrics, and are numbered in Arabic numerals in leadpoint; fol. 4 is a contemporary insertion, supplying the text of an extensive gloss on Ps. 1:5 which was omitted from fol. 3v.
2. (fol. 254v) Four lines of verse on the life of the BVM, added by a contemporary hand in the lower margin of the final page: 'Virgo parens uixit sexaginta tribus annis | … | Sex que decem sola postquam deus astra petiuit' (Walther, Initia carminum, no. 20534, citing the present manuscript; ed. from this manuscript and four others by Cameron Louis, ed., The commonplace book of Robert Reynes of Acle: an edition of Tanner MS 407, Garland medieval texts, 1 (New York & London, 1980), p. 153 no. 17); directly followed in the same hand by 'Tempore felici multi uocantur amici | Cum fortuna perit nullus amicus erit' (Walther, Proverbia, no. 31228).
Parted initials in red and blue, with blue and predominantly red pen-flourishing, usually the height of six lines of the Gloss text, at the start of Pss. 1 (fol. 2v), 26 (fol. 34r), 38 (fol. 58r), 51 (fol. 77r; 8-line), 68 (fol. 111v; 8-line), 80 (fol. 126r), 97 (fol. 160v), 101 (fol. 165r; 7-line), 109 (fol. 194r; without pen-flourishing), and 118:81 [sic] (fol. 208v); a similar 4-line initial to the prologue (fol. 1r); initials to psalms alternately in red with blue pen-flourishing, or vice versa; initials to verses alternately plain red or blue.
Parchment, c. 360 x 250 mm.; of uneven quality, with flaws and repairs; an omitted passage is written on a triangular piece of parchment, and pasted onto the margin of fol. 2r to cover a hole in the leaf. ff. 254, foliated in modern pencil except fol. 254, in 19th-century ink.
Quires originally of twelve leaves each: 112+1 (4th leaf inserted) (fols. 1-13), [quire missing], 212 (fols. 14-25), [quire missing], 3-412 (fols. 26-49), [quire missing], 5-612 (fols. 50-73), 712-10 (only the outer bifolium survives) (fols. 74-75), 8-1012 (fols. 76-111), [quire missing], 1112 (fols. 112-123), [quire missing], 12-1712 (fols. 124-195), [quire missing], 18-1912 (fols. 196-219), [quire missing], 20-2112 (fols. 220-243), [quire missing], 2212 (fols. 244-254 and the pastedown); each arranged with a flesh-side outermost; catchwords survive in a few quires (e.g. at fols. 73v, 87v, 219v, 231v, 243v).
Ruled in leadpoint, with a pair of vertical bounding lines in the gutter margin, and four further vertical lines in the fore-edge margin to guide the placing of the abbreviated names of the Church Fathers; the main ruled space c. 275-85 x 175-80 mm.; the biblical text written on alternate lines in variable shaped panels justified to the left, often surrounded on the three other sides by the Gloss (cf. C. F. R. de Hamel, Glossed books of the Bible and the origins of the Paris booktrade (Woodbridge, 1984), p. 22, fig. 14, pl. 10); prickings usually survive in the lower margin, less frequently in the other two.
Written with up to 48 lines of Gloss, written 'below top line', the biblical text written in a large rather rounded gothic script on alternate ruled lines; the Gloss written in a similar but smaller and somewhat less formal script on each ruled line; capitals touched in red; lemma underlined in red.
Secundo folio: 'in libro'.
'Henry VIII binding'. Sewn on five slit (alum-tawed?) bands, laced into thick oak boards with almost square edges nearly flush with the leaves; covered with 16th-century red velvet; each cover with five rather flat round bosses and four openwork corner-pieces; with vestiges of a title-piece between the middle and upper bosses on the front board, and the remains of two clasps at the fore-edge (only a few nails, and one catch-plate on the back board, survive); the lower fore-edge of the back board with the mark of a chain-staple; the bands broken or breaking at the front joint; the upper part of the spine-covering gone; the spine with a paper label printed '3[9]' (cf. under Provenance), and a blue-edged label inscribed '30[2]'.
1. Written in England.
2. Annotated in the 15th century, especially on the first several leaves; an erased inscription at the top edge of fol. 1r appears under a UV lamp to be a title rather than an ownership note.
3. The Benedictine abbey of the BVM and St. Egwin, Evesham, Worcestershire (see below; Ker, MLGB, 81; inscribed in the 16th(?) century 'Liber monasterij Evesham[ens]is', upside-down, at the bottom edge of the front pastedown; mentioned in passing by William Dunn Macray, ed., Chronicon abbatiæ de Evesham, ad annum 1418, RS, 29 (London, 1863), p. xxiii n., continued from p. xxii).
4. Henry VIII, on the evidence of the binding (Carley, The libraries of King Henry VIII, pp. xxxvii, lxxv); another Evesham manuscript from his library entered the Bodleian in 1604 (MS. Auct. D. 1. 15); others are BL, Royal MSS. 10 D.vi, 8 G.vi, and 4 E.ii.
5. Queen's College; doubtless acquired with MS. 303 and other MSS. in matching bindings; inscribed, 16th(?) century, with a title: 'Aug. sup(er) psalteriu(m).' (fol. 1r, top margin; cf. MS. 303); inscribed with an Old Library shelfmark '84.5.' on the front and back pastedowns; inscribed by Gerard Langbaine: 'Imo Augustini non est, sed rhapsodi cujusdam qui Augustinum, Cassiodorum, Remigium, alios defloravit' (fol. 1r, next to the 16th-century inscription; cf. MSS. 303, etc.); included in Langbaine's mid 17th century catalogue of Queen's MSS (Bodleian Library, MS. Langbaine 7, p. 412) mentioning the binding, with the shelfmark Arch. B. 1. 3; listed in the 1689 catalogue in MS. 555 with the erroneous attribution to Augustine (thus presumably copied from another catalogue); the front pastedown inscribed with the shelfmarks 'Arch. B. 1. 3.' and 'R. 39' (cf. spine), and 'C.8', each crossed through in pencil.
Bernard, CLM, p. 29 no. 927 (MS. 3).
Coxe, Catalogus, p. 70.
