Manuscript, on vellum, in a single hand, of English statutes, many from the reign of Edward I. The volume opens with a table of chapters in the principal statutes, headed "Magna carta," followed by a copy of the Magna Carta as confirmed by Edward I (ff. 17-26) and a copy of his confirmation of the Carta de foresta. This is followed by copies of statutes including the Statutes of Westminster I and II; Quia emptores (Statute of Westminster III); statutes of mortmain and champerty; and Frangentibus prisonam
Description:
In Latin and Middle French., Part of the Anthony Taussig Collection of English Legal Manuscripts (OSB MSS 184).Taussig catalog number: MS 81.7.14 (number 3 in main catalog numbering)., A complete description of the contents is found in Baker and Taussig, Catalogue (London: 2007), pp. 4-7., Layout: single column, 16-19 lines., Script: contemporary Anglicana hand., Decoration: Initials mostly in blue or burnished gold; 23 larger initials in burnished gold on red and blue grounds. One large illuminated initial with ivy-leaf border including a dragon., and Binding: contemporary stitching on three double bands; later vellum over pasteboard binding.
Subject (Geographic):
England, Great Britain, Connecticut, and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Edward I, King of England, 1239-1307., Taussig, Anthony., and England. Parliament.
Subject (Topic):
Forestry law and legislation, Feudal law, Law, Manuscripts, Medieval, Mortmain, and Maintenance and champerty
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Statuta capituli generalis, with the years 1158 and 1180-1190 mentioned in red. 2) Liber usuum. 3) Super instituta generalis capituli apud Cistercium. 4) Liber usuum conuersorum. 5) Carta caritatis
Description:
Probably produced at the abbey of Fontaine-Jean in Northern France, to which it belonged in the late 16th century. The Cistercian abbey of Fontaine-Jean, near Montargis, between Sens and Orleans, was a daughter house of Pontigny founded in 1124., In Latin., Script: Written by one scribe in large, even bookhand. Additions by various hands, 13th-17th centuries; some lost due to trimming., Four large initials, ff. 1v, 38r, 86r, and 93r (12-, 29-, 8-, and 9-line), light brown with crude running pattern of clover-leaf-like forms in brown ink, filled with brown, green and red spiral foliage with flowers and dragon-head terminals, on blue and red grounds decorated with triplets of white dots. One elaborate, but crude, calligraphic initial, f. 118v, 9-line, divided red and green, accompanied by red and green foliate motifs, framed in green. Numerous initials throughout, 7- to 2-line, red or blue, and occasionally green, with blue, red or green foliate penwork, some extensive. 1-line initials, red or blue, alternating. Rubrics throughout, some in text, others in margins. Wavy red line-fillers., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Brown calf, blind- and gold-tooled, with mottled, mauve paper sides. On spine: "Constitutions du monastre de Fontaine-Jehan".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cistercians.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Monasticism and religious orders
Manuscript, on parchment, in multiple hands, of a complete set of the statutes of England from 1327 to 1427. In Law French with Latin headings
Description:
In Law French and Latin., Numerous contemporary marginal annotations in a number of hands., Ownership inscription: "Wilelmo Elwys" on first leaf (1r) and final leaf (269v)., Ownership inscription: "T. Butler 1759" on first leaf (1r)., Layout: single columns of 30-36 lines., Script: several secretary scripts., Decoration: blue initials with red penwork., and Binding: early flexible binding, designed to accomodate further additions of leaves, with stiff leather covers stitched on with leather thongs; original bands and sewing visible. "Edw. Bennett" cut into upper cover in a later hand.
Subject (Geographic):
England, Great Britain, Connecticut, and New Haven.
Manuscript on parchment of the Statutes of the Confraternity of Corpus Christi, Our Lady of Peace and St. Ildefons at Toledo, under the patronage of the King of Castile and the Archbishop of Toledo, renewed during the reign of Henry IV, King of Castile (1454-1474), with an addition dated 11 July 1461. The latest date in the earlier statutes is 24 January 1417
Description:
In Spanish., Script: Written by one hand in bold Southern Gothica Textualis Formata with Spanish features; the addition on f. 17rb-va is by another hand in the same script., In art. 2 red paragraph marks. In art. 3 fine 2-line flourished initials with marginal extensions, alternately in red with blue penwork and blue with red penwork. Large littera duplex of the same type and in the same colours on f. 6r. Art. 4 is not decorated. On f. 1v, full-page miniature depicting the King of Castile and four noble members of the Confraternity in adoration of the Resurrection. On f. 2r, full-page miniature showing the Archbishop of Toledo and five clerics in adoration of the Virgin, who hands the chasuble to St. Ildefons Archbishop of Toledo. Both miniatures are set in a courtyard and are framed at the outer and lower side with a border of large acanths in gold and colours. The slight smudge in the middle of the paintings is probably caused by the noble and clerical members swearing an oath of fidelity to the Confraternity and touching the appropriate page., and Binding: ca. 1600. Blind-tooled light brown leather over pasteboard made from waste paper. The covers are decorated with fillets making a double lozenge in a rectangular frame, decorated with impressions of a star-shaped tool. Traces of two leather ties.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Spain
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Confraternities, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Religious life and customs
Manuscript on paper of Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254-184 B.C.), Stichus, in an Italian adaptation in verse
Description:
In Italian., Script: copied by one hand in Humanistica Cursiva., Written in campo aperto in one narrow column of mostly seven 6-line strophes on the page., No decoration. There are numerous pointing hands with exaggeratedly long forefingers, generally accompanied by the name of a character., and Binding: loose grey paper cover.
Manuscript on parchment (thick, furry) of Stimulus amoris, translated into English by Walter Hilton from a Latin devotional text often attributed to Bonaventure. Followed by an anonymous devotional treatise
Description:
In Middle English., Script: Written by a single scribe in bold, upright gothic textura; commentary added in an inelegant cursive (16th century)., One 4-line initial (f. 2v) gold, edged in black, against a blue and red cusped ground with white filigree, attached to a bar border in outer margin, gold, blue, and pink, with white highlights and leafy sprouts at divisions and terminals, orange, blue, red, and gold; the leaves with black hair-spray vines, both straight and in spirals, with small gold leaves and touches of green, filling upper, outer, and lower margins. Six initial I's (ff. 7v, 31v, 36v, 38v, 61v, 83v), 11- to 7-line, gold against blue and red grounds with white filigree and straight hair-spray vines, as above. 2-line gold initials, against blue and/or pink grounds, with white filigree and hair-spray, as above. Gold or blue paragraph marks with blue or red penwork and flourishes. Gold and blue line-fillers, straight, zig-zag, and wavy, some up to 3/4 of a line long. Headings, occasional underlining, and crossing out, in red., Trimming has affected some marginal commentary; f. 108 badly mutilated with loss of text. Leaves at beginning and end of codex stained and repaired., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Red edges. Brown goatskin, blind- and gold-tooled.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Jacobus, Mediolanensis, active 13th century.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of Guido da Pisa, Fiorita d'Italia
Description:
In Italian., Script: copied by one hand in Italian Gothica Hybrida Libraria with looped d (a form of Mercantesca)., Red headings, chapter numbers and stroking of majuscules; the latter form of decoration is missing on many pages. Headings and chapter numbers are missing for the final part of Book I. Tables of Contents in red. Space and guide letters for 2-line initials were provided, but no initials were executed., and Binding: quarter binding s. XIX: marbled paper and parchment over cardboard. Green morocco title label with gold-tooled inscription: “STORIA D'ITALIA - MANUSCRIPT. SAEC. XV”.
Manuscript on parchment of Petrus Cantor (d. 1197), Distinctiones (Summa Abel); with various sermon and treatise material on virtues and vices (artt. 1-4).
Description:
In Latin., Script: The main text (art. 5) is copied by perhaps one hand in a small early Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria; while artt. 1-4 are copied by another hand in similar script and light brown ink., Decoration: In Art. 5, there is red stroking of majuscules; alternately red and blue 1- to 3-line plain initials at the opening of each lemma; the first initial of each letter of the alphabet is a large flourished initial or littera duplex (but N.B. initial “B” missing on f. 14v); and the lemmata are connected with their various explanations by means of wavy red lines. Artt. 1-4 have red headings, red stroking of majuscules and 2- or 3-line plain, decorated, or flourished initials entirely in red., and Binding: Twentieth century white pigskin over cardboard. Both covers blind-tooled with a frame of stamps, and with interior space divided into 25 rectangles, each decorated with lozenge-shaped foliate stamp. The spine has five raised bands, and most compartments are blind-tooled with a quadrangular stamp.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Abel (Biblical figure). and Petrus, Cantor, approximately 1130-1197.
Manuscript fragment on parchment of a section of Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in two different small, highly abbreviated gothic scripts; the first hand, on the first seven lines of the recto, is a littera textualis; the second is littera textualis currens with occasional use of cursive "d", frequent abbreviations, and wide word spacing., and Decoration: there are spaces for 2-line initials and for paragraph marks, but they have not been added; 1-line initials within text are brown; punctuated with the punctus.
