Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Bound manuscript copy of the early version of the Wycliffite New Testament in English, written in England at the turn of 14th and 15th century. The manuscript was given by George Davenport to Bishop Cosin's Library ca. 1670. It was stolen from there in December 1998 and the present whereabouts of this manuscript is unknown.
Parchment, smooth, some flaws; quires with flesh-side outermost. Outer margins of f.96, 110, 147 and 161 cut away, also the top half of that of f.162. 17th century paper flyleaves.
Foliated 1-181.
1-58, 610, 7-88, 910, 10-218, 226 lacks 6 (blank?). John and Acts begin new quires, of 8 and 10, with f.79 col.b -79v col.b left blank except for column ruling.
No visible pricking for horizontal lines. Written space 132 x 80 mm; ruled in soft brown. 2 columns; 42 or, for item (3), 40 lines.
Written in small textura, by two hands, (I) item (2), with occasional cursive features (e.g. looped d, w), especially in the top line, with some ascenders elaborated; (II) item (3), neater, with elaborated descenders in the bottom line, and darker ink. Punctuation includes punctus elevatus and virgula in items (2) and (3).
In item (2) only. Underlining of alternative phrases in red. Capitulum-type paraphs to sections of chapters and marginal chapter numbers in red. Initials: (i) to chapters, 2 line, blue, with infilling and distinctive flourishing in red; (ii) to gospels, Acts, some epistles and Apocalypse, 3 or 4 line, as (i). Running titles. In red, on pages of item (2), by scribe (I).
Corrections in item (2) by the main scribe over erasures or in margins, e.g. f.118vb, 150va, 61, or, by scribe II, with interlineation or in margins, and with expunctuation, e.g. f.10. Repeated passages, f.118va, 133v, crossed through in red. Words and signs in distinctive cartouches in the margins of item (2), in ink and script similar to item 2, marking references to preaching and persecution, especially in Matthew and 2 Peter, e.g. “war beþ not deceyued” f.110v-111, “war antecrist” f.112ra, suggestive of Lollard sympathies; also “marke” and “war” repeatedly, and purely descriptive words (“men”, “wymmen”, “lordes”) or, f.157, “lo lo”.
Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf (but with additional diced Russia decoration) over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century). Edges of leaves stained blue green.
Written in England, 14th/15th century.
Illegible inscription, 15th/16th century, upside down, over 11 lines of erased text, f.169v; 3 line inscription of similar date, effectively erased, f.179v.
Inscription: “Thomas Maydwell | Viue ut viuas”, early 17th century, f.180v; also the same motto, with the name latinized (“de Virgineo fonte”), in the same hand on f.3, below the title page for the New Testament, and
notes, f.181v, early 17th century, identifying item (2) as Wyclif's version. A Thomas Maidwell was at Christ's College, Cambridge, 1596/7-1602, ordained (Peterborough) 1604 and beneficed in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire 1604-46 (Venn, I, iii,126).
Inscription: “Ryc: Baddeley”, 17th century, f.2v: the elder of the name came from Lichfield to Durham with Bishop Morton (1632-59), and remained, or returned under Bishop Cosin. Item (1), f.2, dated 2 August 1617, is in similar ink, but probably not in Baddeley's hand.
Inscription: “Geo. Davenport. 1666.”, f.2v. Ex-libris by Thomas Rud, f.4.
List of 9 theological arguments in item (3), followed by a title page in the same hand attributing the translation to John Wycliffe.
New Testament (Gospels, Acts, Catholic Epistles, Pauline Epistles, Apocalypse), in the Wycliffite Early Version. Lindberg states “Du is a standard manuscript of EV with some variants in common with other manuscripts” (Oxford New College 67 and Dublin Trinity College 74, respectively with and without prologues, as well as Rylands Eng.81).
Lollard selection of patristic dicta, quoting Gregory, Bernard, Ambrose, etc., and the Glossa Ordinaria. Van Nolcken describes as “little more than a list of authorities on subjects such as begging, manual work for clergy, Christ's law, church wealth, hypocrites and song, [that] draws upon several relevant entries [of the Floretum, the larger version of the Rosarium]”. Part of this treatise is also in Oxford Bodleian Library MS. Laud misc. 210, f.168-74. Nine theses found in the treatise are listed on f.2.
Three additions:
f.180 head “Jesus”, “Jesus Mercy” (and something
following, possibly “Mary Help”, cut out), “et non est <alius ?> qui adiuve<t ?>” (cropped), 15th/16th century.
f.180v “my lord my god y hope in the ... | y shal not confunde with owten ende”, (Psalm xxx.2 or lxx.1 in English),14th/15th century.
f.180v “Verses found on an olde Abby wall | Christ was the worde yt spake it | Hee gaue the breade & brake it | Looke what that worde did make it | That I beleeue & take it.”, statement of belief in the Real Presence, widely but probably wrongly attributed to Queen Elizabeth I, 17th century.
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]).
The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testament, with the Apocryphal books, in the earliest English versions made from the Latin Vulgate by John Wycliffe and his followers , ed. J. Forshall and F. Madden, (Oxford: OUP,
1850)
C. Lindberg, The Earlier Version of the Wycliffe Bible: The Gospels edited from MS Christ Church 145 (Stockholm Studies in English 81, 1994)
C. Van Nolcken, The Middle English translation of the Rosarium Theologie (M.E.Texts 10, Heidelberg, 1979)
J. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigienses: a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times (Cambridge: CUP, 1920-54)