Marston MS 245     Bohemia, s. XV 1
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus

1. ff. 1r-165r  Incipit prephacio sancti ieronimi presbiteri in
parabolas.
Iungat epistola quos iungit sacerdotium.  ymmo carta non diuidat...seruauerunt.
Explicit prephacio.  [Stegmueller 457; text, f. 2r:]  Incipit liber salomonis
parabole.  Capitulum.  Parabole salomonis filij dauid regis israel ad sciendam
sapientiam...opera eius.  [f. 42v:]  Incipit prologus beati Ieronimi in
librum Ecclesiastes.  Nemini [sic; m written by rubricator above initial
N] me ferme hoc quinquennio cum adhuc rome essem...consectarer. 
[Stegmueller
462; text, f. 43r:]  Incipit liber Ecclesiastes.  Capitulum primum.  Uerba
ecclesiastes filij dauid regis ierusalem.  Vanitas vanitatum...siue malum sit.
[f. 58r:]  Incipit liber Canticorum Salomonis.  Capitulum primum.  Osculetur
me osculo oris sui...aromatum.  Explicit liber canticorum Beati
Ieronimi.
[f. 66v:]  Incipit prologus.  Liber sapiencie aput hebreos nusquam 
est...exprimitur.  [Stegmueller 468; text:]  Incipit liber sapiencie Capitulum
primum.  Diligite iusticiam qui iudicatis terram...assistens eis.  [f. 96r:]
Incipit prologus Beati Ieronimi super Ecclesiasticum.  Multorum nobis et
magnorum.  per legem et prophetas...vitam agere.  [Stegmueller 26; text, f. 97r:]
Incipit liber Ihesu filij Syrach Capitulum primum.  Omnis sapiencia a domino
deo est.  et cum illo semper...mercedem vestram in tempore suo.

Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus,
preceded by prologues as noted above.

2. f. 165v  O bone Iesu O dulcis Iesu O Iesu fili virginis marie plenus
misericordia et ueritate...ne perdat me iniquitas.  f. 166r ruled, but blank

Cf. Lyell Cat., p. 386, no. 246.

3. ff. 166v-167r  [S]tabat mater dolorosa iuxta crucem lacrimosa dum 
pendebat...paradisi gloria.   f. 167v blank

RH 19416.

Parchment, ff. 166 (i = front flyleaf; modern foliation 1-165) + ii
(contemporary parchment, ff. 166-167), 128 x 85 (80 x 50) mm.  2 columns, 25 lines.  Single
vertical bounding lines; two additional rulings for running headlines in
upper margin.  Ruled in ink.  Prickings in upper, lower and outer margins.
I 12 (1 = front flyleaf), II-XII 12, XIII 16, XIV 6.  Remains of
catchwords in lower margin near gutter, verso.  Quires signed with Arabic
numerals, mostly trimmed, center of lower margin, verso.
Written in hybrida script by a single scribe.  Arts. 2-3 added by later 
hands.
For prologues and beginning of each book partial borders constructed of
a thin bar, unburnished gold, pink or green with burnished gold balls,
terminating in sprays of stylized foliage, green, pink, and blue with gold
accents.  One large illuminated initial, f. 1r, 13-line, blue with light blue
foliage shading against a red and pink ground; foliage serifs in green.  6 
smaller illuminated initials, blue, pink, green or gold against blue or pink
ground with white or gold filigree and/or gold crosshatching.  Numerous
pen-and-ink initials, 2-line, alternate in blue with red penwork designs and
gold with blue penwork designs.  Running titles in red and blue.  Headings in
red.  Initials touched with yellow.
Binding:  Bohemia, s. xv.  Sewn on three supports, with two half bands near
head and tail, fastened to wooden boards.  Yellow edges and kermes pink place
marks.
Covered in brown calf, blind-tooled with floral designs, with a central and
four large corner fittings on each board.  Spine:  supports defined with double
fillets; four leafy flower bud tools pointing inward in the two central
panels.  Two fastenings, the catches on the upper board and the lower one cut
in for tawed skin, cream colored straps (only stubs remain).  Small pieces
of liturgical manuscript (Northern Italy, s. XIV) used for front and rear
pastedowns.  Head and tail of spine and the upper joint very unobtrusively
repaired.

Written in Bohemia in the first half of the 15th century, given the close
similarity of its script, decoration and binding to Oxford, Bodleian Library
MS Laud. Misc. 516, a New Testament written in Czech (Paecht and Alexander,
v. 1, no. 161).  16th-century inscription of Heinrich Schkor von Stranov
on verso of front flyleaf:  "1542/ diss puechle gehert zu dem Edlen vnd 
Vesten [?] hainrichen schkor [followed by hole in parchment] von stranoff 
[Stranov in Bohemia] derzait haubtman zu prukh an der layta [Bruck an der
Leitha, Southeast Austria]/ 15 A 47 [sic]...".  Belonged to the Bibliotecha
Thallensis in 1776 (inscription on front flyleaf, verso).  Acquired from B. M.
Rosenthal in 1959 by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [dog]matum confirmandam

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 92, no. 245.

Barbara A. Shailor