| Description | Manuscript volume, 15th century, containing astrological, astronomical and religious texts, preceded by a calendar. In her 'Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts' Dorothy Coveney suggests that at least some portions of the manuscript were written by a scribe, A D (perhaps Antonius de Meer), at Hertogenbosch in Brabant.
The texts are written by different hands in 15th century scripts, mostly cursive. It. is rubricated throughout, with red initials, highlights and underlining. The text is accompanied by tables and diagrams in ink, frequently coloured. On ff. 22r, 26rv, 29r are circular tables with adjustable portions attached (volvelles). On several folios, miniatures which had apparently been pasted in have been torn out and there are holes in some of the diagrams indicating that they may also have been volvelles. There is still a roughly executed coloured ink drawing on f. 11.
Manuscript on paper, except for the Calendar at the front which is on parchment.
Contains the following [based on Coveney's list of contents]:
ff. 1r-39r Calendar, followed by astrological and astronomical tables and calculations. Some show the movement of the sun and moon and include moveable parts (volvelles). Includes calculations of solar and lunar eclipses, a diagram of the signs of the zodiac and their relationship to the human body, and tables showing the movement of the planets. There is a terra orbis (T and O or Isidoran) map on f.27v.
f. 39v blank.
f. 40r Prophete Danielis (followed by other entries in Latin, poor legibility).
f. 40v Verse in Low German (possibly on the sufferings of Christ, legibility is poor).
ff. 42r-43r Motet "Gaude flore virginali"
ff. 43v-46v Prayers and chants
ff. 47-51v Rosarium beate marie virginis [Hail Mary].
f. 52v Septe dolores beatte mate
ff. 53-54 Oratio de passione domini
ff. 54-56 Latin rhymes, beginning "Stabat mater dolorosa..."
ff. 57-60 Oratio pro castitate acq'reda (followed by prayers).
f. 61 Oratio data beato bernardo ab angelo.
f. 63 Oratio sancti augustini.
f. 66 (in minuscule) Oratio de beata v'gie ma (foll. by prayers, etc., in another hand, cursive).
f. 68-128v De sancto laurentio, etc., (foil. by orations and prayers in Latin. Fols.104"-107" bear Latin verse).
ff. 129-136v Devota preparatio ad sacram communionem, (foil. by prayer to Virgin in Low German).
ff. 137-143v "Quidecem orationes de passione dal beate virgini brigitte"
ff. 155-179v Prayers.
ff. 180-181 Prophetie danielis.
f. 182v Prayers in Latin.
f. 183v die XII vridaghen (in Low German).
f. 183 Several miscellaneous entries, one dated 1489.
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| CustodialHistory | According to a note in French on a loose slip of paper in the MS., the MS. was sold at the sale of Alstein's Library, Gand [Ghent], May 1863, Catalogue p. 97, lot 1311, " sans relieure." i.e. unbound. It subsequently formed part of the library of John Thomas Graves (1806-1870), mathematician and Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London, whose collection included manuscripts dating from the 15th to the 19th century, relating mainly to mathematics. Formerly Graves 1291 and 141.a.4. Probably rebound by Graves. |
| FindingAids | Dorothy K Coveney, 'A Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of University College London' (London, 1935) and N R Ker, 'Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries' (London and Oxford, 1969), which summarise the contents of the manuscript; handlist at University College London Special Collections. |