Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Composite volume made up of three parts, containing flyleaves (fragment form Justinian's Digest); Aristotle's, Physica; De generatione et corruptione; Meteora; De anima, written in England (probably Oxford), in the later 13th century. The added note on f.192v indicates that (A) was associated with Thomas of Westoe not earlier than the 1270s. All items in both A and B received additional glosses from a single hand (possibly Westoe), indicating that they share an early common provenance. (A), (B) and the flyleaves had all been brought together by 1392 as they are cite together in the 1392 Spendement library catalogue.
Continuous modern foliation of the medieval leaves 1-196, but using ink for the flyleaves and endleaves (1-4, 193-196) and pencil for the main body of the book (5-192).
Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century)
Inscription: “[?Vltima] pecia [?physi]corum Aristotelis et -?- de generacionibus et vltima libri metheorum pro duobus -?- -?- thome de Wiuestou. anno domini Mo. Co.C. lxoxo-?- die sabbati proxima post festum sancti Iohannis ante portam latinam”, end of 13th century, written in an informal cursive, f.192v, lower margin, partially erased. Annotated by Thomas of Westoe, monk of Durham approximately 1272-1321 (e.g. f.5r-7r, 103r, 104v-108r, etc.).
Pressmark: “.S.”, 14th cnetury, f.5r, top left.
“.S”, later 14th century, f.1r, very top, centre (partly obscured by a stain). “.S.”, later 14th century, f.1r, top centre.
“Textus phisicorum”, 14th/15th century, f.1r, top left, the first word written over an erasure; amplified to include all current content, 15th/16th century, by Thomas Swalwell, monk of Durham : “Contenta – liber de generatione et corruptione – liber de anima – liber metheorum”.
Pressmark:
“2a 10i. M”, 15th century, f.1r top right. “.2.10.M”, 15th century, f.5r, now cropped.
Parchment: modest quality, with clear H/F distinction. The lower outer corner of fol. 1 has been torn away.
unclear
Written area: 168 x 100 mm. Two columns (width, 45 mm).
Lines: 34 (space, 5 mm; height of minims 1.5+ mm).
Pricking: knife.
Ruling: ink. Planned for all-round apparatus. Both text columns are flanked by double verticals (three in total in the intercolumnar space). The bottom three horizontals are extended; the number extended at top is unclear. Two further pairs of verticals divide the outer margin into three zones; one further pair of verticals divides the inner margin into two zones. Further horizontals were supplied on an ad hoc basis according to the needs of the gloss.
Written in Textualis libraria, small, but the individual letters are not unduly compressed. One hand was responsible for main text, rubrics (in red), and apparatus (where the script is sometimes of a slightly lighter gauge).
Each topic is headed by a red, green, or blue initial, 2 lines high, flourished in two colours; those that head books were treated exactly the same as the rest. Subdivisions are marked by red, green or blue paraphs.
Written in France or England, later 13th century.
Fragments from Books 39, 44 and 45, some passages excerpted; some contiguous and some non-contiguous leaves. Disordered (they would have occurred in their original book in the order: 1, 2, 194, 195, 3, 4, 193, 196). All leaves include a light apparatus copied integrally with the main text. Contemporary running heading in red.
Parchment: low quality with glaring H/F contrasts, differences in texture, obtrusive follicle marks, numerous edgecuts, holes, flaws and discoloration. Arranged FH, HF (except in quire XV, where FH, HF, FH, HF, FH, FH).
I-X12, XIII-XVI12
Main text-block: 196 x 98 mm. Written below top line.
Lines: 27 (space, 7 mm; height of minims, 3 mm).
Pricking: knife. Prickings intermittently preserved in the upper and lower margins; those in the outer margin lost.
Ruling: ink. Planned for all-round glossing. The main text-block is defined by double vertical boundaries to either side and by single extended horizontals at top and bottom. A further pair of verticals divides the inner margin into two zones; three further pairs divide the outer margin into four zones; three pairs of horizontals divide the lower margin into four zones. The lines in the margins are not always straight (sometimes as a result of following the irregular edges of the leaves in question).
Written in Textualis semi-quadrata, heavy, ungainly, poorly formed. Probably a single hand; compact at the start of item (a), becoming slowly but surely larger.
Main glossing hand in (a) and (c). A cursive documentary script, small and lightweight.
Main glossing hand in (b). A cursive documentary script, heavier and untidier than that of (a) and (c).
Further annotation of (a), (b) and (c), often using lines and to link the comments to the text. Textualis with some semi-cursive elements, bold, intermittently heavily abbreviated, 13th/14th century? Reappears as Part (B) scribe 3.
Bicolour (red and blue) initials, flourished in red and blue, head the individual items – that for (a) 7 lines high, that for (b) 4 lines high, that for (c) 6 lines high. Initials in the same style, 4-5 lines high, head the individual books within (a); in addition, an unflourished red and blue initial, 4 lines high, marks II.4. In (c) 2- to 3-line-high initials - randomly bi-colour flourished, bicolour unflourished, or one colour flourished - mark sections; spaces reserved for others remain unfilled.
Red and blue paraphs within (a), intermittent in (b), on the first page only of (c).
A type of wind rose diagram was informally added to the lower margin of f.163v (within (c)) as part of the glossing. The circle at its heart was originally drawn to a larger scale, then erased, and re-done smaller. The circle is framed by four sets of three lines projecting from its top, bottom, and both sides, converging to a point. Within the circle are written the names of the signs of the zodiac, unevenly space, with ‘6 aries’, at ‘12 o’clock’, followed by ‘pisces’, ‘aquarius’ etc., on round to ‘taurus’ at ‘11 o’clock’. The main words within the projecting lines are: (top) zephirus, fauonius, chorus; (right side) aquilo, boreas, circinus; (bottom) Eurus, Subsolanus, Uulturnus; and (left side) Affricus, meridies, noctius.
Occasional sketches of faces and hands are associated with the original glossing in all three items.
Written in England, Oxford?, later 13th century.
The first words of the text, presumably intended to be done in display script, were supplied only as guide-text in the upper margin. Now breaks off within VIII.8, owing to the loss of a final quire. Heavily glossed to f.99r, all-round and interlinear, mainly by a single contemporary hand (including occasional sketches))). Further light but persistent glossing was added throughout by a subsequent, much bolder hand - possibly Thomas of Westoe.
Heavily glossed on f.101r-103v by a contemporary hand (different from the contemporary active in (a)). Subsequent glosses added by the hand that may be Thomas of Westoe.
Heavy glossing, all-round and interlinear. Additional light annotation by the subsequent hand (possibly Thomas of Westoe).
Parchment: modest quality (superior to that in part A), with noticeable H/F contrast, percptible follicle marks. Arranged FH, HF
XI8, XII12
Main text-block: 208 x 130 mm. Written below top line.
Lines: 31 (space, 6-7 mm; height of minims 2+ mm).
Pricking: knife (prickings survive in the bottom margin only).
Ruling: ink. Planned for all-round gloss. The main text-block is flanked by a pair of verticals; the first one or two and the last one or two horizontals are generally extended. Double horizontals were supplied for each line of main text in the stint of scribe 1, single horizontals thereafter. A further pair of verticals divides the inner margin into two zones; another pair divides the outer margin into two zones. An additional pair of horizontals divides the upper margin into two zones; two further pairs divide the lower margin into three zones.
1. f.124r-128v/15: Textualis semi-quadrata, attenuated. Note the invocation, “Maria, iesus, katerina”, at the start of the stint. The scribe was sparing in his use of capital letters at subsections: some do start with a capital, but most have a double dash (subsequently covered with a paraph) followed by a lower-case letter.
2. f.128v/line 15-144r: Textualis semi-quadrata, neat and regular. Capitals are normally given calligraphic embellishment.
The text is headed by a red and blue initial, 7+ lines high, flourished in both colours; the flourishing is identical in style to that of the initials in (A). 3+ line-high red and blue initials mark the divisions on f.130r and f.138r (the former flourished, the latter unflourished). Plain capitals, 2-3+ lines high, alternately red then blue, head sections. Red and blue paraphs mark subdivisions throughout.
Added glossing throughout by (A), scribe 4
Written in England, Oxford?, later 13th century.
Planned for glossing. Light annotation throughout by the hand (?Westoe) that added additional glosses to (A).
Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis
dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at
various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including
catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss.
,
Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).
G. Lacombe, Aristoteles Latinus Codices (Leiden: Brill, 1957)
Foster, M., "Thomas of Westoe, a monastic book buyer at Oxford about 1300", Viator 23 (1992), 189-99
Piper, A. J. and Foster, M. R., "Evidence of the Oxford Book Trade about 1300", Viator 20 (1989), 155-60