Lost Manuscript

Babel MS 33

Two near-complete folios survive as pastedowns in one binding. Their appearance suggests a workmanlike copy of Bersuire's encyclopaedia, with the scribe correcting and annotating his work.

Textual Information
Subject
Natural History
Author of work
Pierre Bersuire (Petrus Berchorius)
Title of work
Reductorium morale
Language
Latin
Palaeography
Type of script
Gothic
Script detail
Textura rotunda
Place of production
England (?or Paris)
Date of production
s. xiii 2
Material Information
Material
Parchment
Layout
Bicolumnar
Decoration

Paraphs against marginal notes, alternating in red and blue.

Ruling
visible ruling for frame in plummet, a tramline at the left of the text block and again in the lower margin, all lines going to the edges.
Dimensions
Page

343mm (h) x 234+mm (w)

Number of lines
50
Number of columns
2
Height of minims
3mm
Space between lines
5mm
Height of written space
258
Upper margin

33

Lower margin

52

Inner margin

50

Width of text 1

74

Reservation 1

10

Width of text 2

74

Outer margin

26

History and further information
Information on dismantling

The latest date for the roll on the binding is recorded by Oldham as 1542 which suggests that this book was imported to England from Basel and bound soon after its publication in 1540. This gives a fairly precise date for the dismantling of this manuscript.

Number of folios represented
2
Author: David Rundle_
Constituent Fragments
Colchester Harsnett H.g.17 ii
Colchester: University of Essex Library, Harsnett H.g.17 ii
Colchester Harsnett H.g.17 i
Colchester: University of Essex Library, Harsnett H.g.17 i