Copy number: M-175(1)

Wanting the blank leaf [h4].

Binding: Eighteenth-century gold-tooled red morocco; the spine tooled with urns and fleurons (similar tool on spine of Auct. L 5.27, Bod-inc. F‑106), triple fillets on both covers; gold-tooled turn-ins, gilt-edged leaves previously red, azure silk bookmark, and marbled pastedowns; the gold stamp of the Bodleian Library on both pastedowns; both covers stamped with the arms of George John, 2nd Earl Spencer, impaling Bingham quartered with Turberville, motto: ‘Dieu defend le droit'.

Size: 190 × 140 × 20 mm.

Size of leaf: 187 × 130 mm.

On [a1r] a four-line initial ‘O' is supplied in gold within a square blue ground with white pen-work decoration, with foliate extensions of various colours into the margins and gold dots to form a border. The area defined by the letter is decorated with an unidentified coat of arms: azure, six billets in pile or, on a chief argent a lion passant (or statant) gules. A three-line initial is supplied in blue on [c5v].

Provenance: Unidentified early coat of arms; see above. George John, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758-1834); cancelled accession number ‘3550'; purchased at his sale (1821), lot 250, for £3. 10. 0; see Books Purchased (1821), 10.

SHELFMARK: Auct. L 4.20.