Bod-Inc: M-233
Mirk, John
Liber festivalis [English].
Analysis of Content
[*1v] [Prologue.] Incipit: ‘The helpe and the grace of almyghty god . . .’
[*2r] Mirk, John: Liber festivalis. Mirk's Festial, ed. Erbe, with variants. On the textual variants see M‑232; Powell, Prolegomena, 18 notes that this edition was based on a different ‘B' text from that used by Caxton in his 1483 edition (M‑232, above). The homily for St Margaret (no. 48) has been omitted.
Imprint
Imprint: [Oxford: Theodoricus Rood], 19 Mar. 1486/7. Folio.
Remarks: Dated 14 Oct. 1486 by Duff, Oates, and BMC. The colophon reads: (1486) ‘the day aftir ſeint Edward the kyng' and is taken by Duff, Oates, and BMC to refer to St Edward the Confessor (whose translation was honoured on 13 Oct.), rather than to St Edward, King and Martyr, honoured on 18 March (Madan, Pr, Sheppard). Rood used the style of the Incarnation, starting the year on 25 March (Sheppard).
Collation
Collation: [*] a b8 c6 d dƺ8 e6 f8 g4 h8 i6 k l8 m6 n o8 p6 q8 r6 s8 t v6 x8 y6 z4.
Illustrations: Woodcuts.
References
ISTC: im00620500
Hain: H 7030;
BMC: BMC XI;
Proctor: Pr 9755;
Others: Duff 300; Oates 4172; Sheppard 7506-7; STC 17958.
LCN: 14455923, 14456036
Copies
Copy number: M-233(1)
Wanting all before leaf g2; also wanting g4, h1, i6, k1.8, 3.6, l3.6, 8, p6, r5, 6, t1.6, gathering v, leaves x1, 2, 6, 8, y1.6, 3.4, gathering z.
Leaf h2r, col. 1, l. 4: ‘ . . . meruelous . . .’
Binding: Nineteenth-century blind-tooled red morocco; marbled pastedowns; bound identically to item 2 (see below), so presumably for the Bodleian Library.
Size: 300 × 200 × 25 mm.
Size of leaf: 291 × 186 mm.
The homily for St Thomas of Canterbury has been crossed out. On l1r: ‘There was a man and he was semper idem | And by his trade he was Mercator quidem | He had a wyfe was neyther tall nor brevis | But in her Carriage she was somewhat levis | When he had gave what she desired satis | Then for the same she made him Cuckhole gratis [ ] [ ] William Wickham'.
Provenance (of sheet y2.5): John Bagford (1650-1716). Thomas Hearne (1678-1735); inscriptions in Hearne's hand on y2r: ‘About Almes. It is a Fragment of a Book printed by Caxton. I had it of Mr. Bagford'; and on y5r: ‘Of St. Katheryne. It is the ffragment of a Book printed by Caxton. I had it of Mr. Bagford.' H [ ] [ ]; inscription on the rear endleaf in a nineteenth-century hand: ‘The last two leaves I found in a book of fragments of T. Hearne'. Provenance (of the rest of the item): William Wickham (sixteenth century); name on l1r. William Herbert (1718-1795); anonymous armorial book-plate and his signature on front endleaf. Edward Vernon Utterson (1776-1856); his monogram on front endleaf; sale, lot 730. Purchased for £6. 10. 0; see Books Purchased (1852), 29.
Former Bodleian shelfmarks: Caxton Press Q; Auct. R sup. 7.
SHELFMARK: Arch. G d.36.
Copy number: M-233(2)
Wanting the first unsigned gathering of 8 leaves; also wanting c3.4, g4, k4.5, o4.5, r5, s3-6, z1.4, z3.
Leaf v2 mutilated. Gatherings h and i differently set. Leaf h2r, col. 1, l. 4: ‘ . . . maruelous . . .’
Binding: Nineteenth-century blind-tooled red morocco; marbled pastedowns.
Size: 290 × 210 × 30 mm.
Size of leaf: 283 × 192 mm.
At the beginning, five leaves of manuscript containing the missing text in the same hand that supplied leaves in the Spencer-Rylands copy. Bibliographical note by Falconer Madan.
Provenance: William Little (sixteenth century); inscription on y5r: ‘Wyllyam Lyttell howes thys book'. Purchased from Thomas Rodd for £6. 6. 0; see Books Purchased (1832), 15; Library Bills (1829-32), no. 351.
Former Bodleian shelfmark: Auct. R sup. 5.
SHELFMARK: Arch. G d.34.
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