Marston MS 220     England, s. XIII in and XIV 1
Petrus Comestor, Historia scholastica, etc.

I. 1. ff. 1r-150r  Hic incipiunt scolastice historie a secundo petro
edite.
[prologue:]  Reuerendo domino et patri suo uuillelmo [sic] dei gratia
senonensi archiepiscopo petrus seruus christi...benedictus deus.  Amen.
[text:]  Prologus super genesim. Prefacio et.  Imperatorie maiestatis est
tres in palacio habere mansiones...Translatus est enoch subuectus est helias
ascendit ihesus propria. sui uirtute.  [Additio 1:]  Hanc ultimam processionem
post ihesum representat ecclesia dominicis diebus egrediendo de ecclesia...Sed
multiplicatis solennitatibus [?] sanctorum sublata est solempnitas quinte ferie.
et processio translata est ad dominicam.

Petrus Comestor, Historia scholastica; Stegmueller, v. 4, nos. 6543-64;
PL 198.1053-1644.  Leaf with text missing between ff. 126-127.
Arts. 1-3 have extensive marginal glosses and schematic
drawings written by several hands, s. xiii-xiv, some of which exhibit strong
anglicana features; authors quoted include Franciscus de Marone on f. 125r
(Francis of Meyronnes, fl. xiv 1/4), Hugo of Vienna on f. 129r (d. 1355),
Nicolaus de Lyra on f. 151r.  Later hands have numbered each section with
different sequences of Arabic numerals as if for indexing.

2. ff. 150r-171r  Incipit historia actuum apostolorum.  Anno quintodecimo
imperii tiberii cesaris adhuc procuratore iudee pilato.  qui si legatur...et
in loco magis honorabili scilicet in cathacumbis.

Petrus Pictaviensis, Historia actuum apostolorum; Stegmueller, v. 4,
6565 and 6785; PL 198.1645-1722.

3. ff. 171r-173v  Incipit historia de tito et vaspasiano [sic].  Sciendum
est petrum imminente tempore passionis sue clementem sibi substituisse.
Precepit autem clementi per literas...Tytus itaque cum tali triumpho
iudeorum italiam copiose ditauit.  Explicit historia de tito et
vaspasiano.

Unidentified text about Titus and Vespasian.

II. 4. ff. 174r-192r  [Heading written in a different hand:]  Incipit prologus
beati Augustini de mirabilibus veteris et noui testamenti.  [text:]
Uenerantissimis urbiumque monasteriorum episcopis et presbiteris maxime
cartaginensium...monstraretur et ceteri exemplo huius castigarentur.

Augustinus Hibernicus, De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae,
in the long recension; PL 35.2149-2200.

5. ff. 192r-197v  Exameron ambrosij.  Cum esset moyses in aula educatus
regia. maluit tum pro amore...virtutum emulatorem cupidum celestium graciarum.
Explicit excepcio exameron ambrosij.

Extracts from Ambrose, Exameron; C. Schenkl, ed., CSEL 32,1 (1897)
pp. 3-261.


Composed of two distinct parts both written on parchment 357 x 240 mm.,
i (paper) + 197 + i (paper). 
Part I:  ff. 1-173, written space 202 x 117 mm.  2 columns, 46 lines. 
The intricate page format sometimes varies slightly but usually consists
of three vertical bounding lines to left and right of written space and
three vertical rulings between the columns; three upper and lower
horizontal bounding lines.  Two additional pairs of vertical rulings in
both inner and outer margins and a single additional ruling along upper,
inner and outer perimeter of leaf.  Ruled in lead or crayon.  Prickings 
prominent in all margins, including inner.  I-II 8, III-IV 10, V 4, VI 12,
VII 6, VIII-XIII 10, XIV 10 (-9), XV-XVII 10, XVIII-XIX 8.  Catchwords
near lower edge, right of center on verso.  Quires signed with Arabic
numeral in crayon lower right corner, recto.  Written in neat gothic
bookhand, above top line; glosses added by a variety of hands, some
exhibiting anglicana features.  Two illuminated initials in parallel 
positions on f. 1r, beginning mid-page and extending almost to the bottom of 
the leaf.  The first initial composed of a gold trellis edged in black with 
heads of a grotesque devouring the trellis at top and bottom, and foliage 
designs in green and white scrolling around the body of the initial against 
pink interior with white highlight and gold balls.  The whole on a rectangular
ground tapering to a point at bottom, with white designs.  The second initial,
somewhat narrower and less ambitious in design, gold edged in black with
blue interior and thin white design in center and two rosettes, one at
top, the other at bottom, and a third stylized floral motif in center, all
on a pink ground in the same shape as the first initial.  Also on f. 1r,
7-line initial divided red and blue with interior foliage designs in green
and white on parchment ground, and red and blue penwork designs around
exterior of letter.  For major text divisions, fine medium blue and/or red
initials, 9- to 6-line, with intricate penwork flourishes in red and blue,
each accompanied by several lines of oversize letters for the first few
words of text, with letters either in one color with designs in the other or 
alternating red and blue.  Small penwork initials, red or blue with modest 
design in the opposite color, throughout.  Headings, running headlines and 
vertical lines within text columns, in red.  Remains of instructions to 
rubricator (some perpendicular to text in gutter) and guide letters for 
decorator.  
Part II:  ff. 174-197, written space 206 x 115 mm.  2 columns, 52
lines.  Double vertical bounding lines to left and right of written space
and three vertical rulings between columns; double upper and single lower 
horizontal bounding lines.  Additional pairs of rulings along
upper, inner and outer perimeter of leaf and a single ruling in outer
margin near written space to delineate a column for commentary, notes,
etc.  Ruled in crayon.  Prickings (horizontal slits) in all margins,
including inner.  Two gatherings of twelve leaves.  Catchwords for first
quire, enclosed by red rectangle and stroked throughout with red.  Quires
numbered as in Part I.  Written in gothic bookhand with some marginalia by
contemporary and later hands.  One gold initial, 4-line, with purple
penwork designs on f. 194r.  Blue initials with red penwork, 9- to 2-line,
throughout.  Headings and initial strokes added, in brown and red,
unsophisticated drawings of birds, animals, leaves and grotesques in upper 
and lower margins.
Binding:  England, s. xviii-xix.  Brown calf, gold-tooled.  Striped
turn-ins.

Part I was written in England at the beginning of the 13th century and
Part II in the first half of the 14th century.  The two parts were
together by the 15th century when the quires were numbered consecutively
with Arabic numerals.  Part I was used and annotated heavily in the 13th
and 14th centuries.  Provenance unknown.  From the estate of Wilfred M.
Voynich (De Ricci, Census, p. 1848, no. 12; contents listed
incompletely).  "A 826" in pencil on front pastedown and "6505/ESZV" in
pencil on rear pastedown.  Purchased in 1959 from H. P. Kraus by Thomas E.
Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [cla]ritas, sicut lux

Bibliography:  De Ricci, Census, p. 1848, no. 12 (when in Voynich
collection); Faye and Bond, p. 89, no. 220.

Barbara A. Shailor