Marston MS 255     England, s. XV med
Nicholas Upton, De officio militari

1. ff. 1r-46v  [Prologue:]  Summum opificem alpha et oo [sic] in essentia
vnum et trinum in personis invocans ipsum clementissime exoro...libellus de
militari offitio.  Incipit primum capitulum prime partis huius libri de
officio militari.  Famosissimus ille pater legum et doctor eximius
dominus Bartholus de saxo ferrato...et que corrigendo viderint animo 
violenti animo sed benigno corrigant et emendant.  Et hic est finis deo 
gratias.  ff. 47r-48v blank

Nicholas Upton (d. 1457), De officio militari libri IV; E. Bysshe 
[Bissaeus], ed. (London, 1654) pp. 1-259.  Manuscript is defective in Book IV:
missing text between ff. 24-25 ("...ab incarnatione domini quingentesimo 
[catchwords:] xl v to // Iohannis portare pro eo..."); between ff. 39-40 
("...in campo asorio ut hic quo quidem // tunc vocantur in gallico..."); 
between ff. 43-44 ("...cum vno simplici scuto // talentis is eodem Et 
gallice...").  Books I and II have chapters numbered with Roman
numerals; Book IV contains a series of painted coats of arms numbered 
consecutively with the same number entered next to the corresponding text.

2. ff. 49r-61v  Summaria compilato [sic] metrificata docens quid communis 
[?] et vtilius continetur in vnoquoque capitulo tocius biblie vnum quodlibet 
verbum vnius capituli summam [?] tenet.  Incipit liber Genesis et habet versus
9 et capitula 50.  Sex .1. dierum opera/ Prohibet 2 fructum ligni scientie [?]
boni et mali./ Peccant .3. Adam et Eua/...[concludes with Apocalipsis habet
versus 4 et capitula 22:]  Sponsam 21 ornatam viro suo/ Venio iam 22 dicit
sponsus.

Metrical summary of the Bible based on Alexander of Villa Dei,
Summarium Bibliae, arranged by books and chapters (cf. Stegmueller, nos.
1175-82, where similar biblical summaries and commentaries are cited);
here the text is written in three columns.

3. f. 62r  .1. Genesis habet versus .9. capitula .50./ .2. Exodus habet
versus .7. capitula .40./...56 Apocalypsis versus .4. capitula 22.
f. 62v blank

Tabular chart for art. 2.

4. ff. 63r-73v  Prohemium testamentorum vndecim patriarcharum.  Hec
abscondita et celata fuerunt per longa tempora ita quod tam doctores et
antiqui...ad honorem dei in lucem prorumpunt.  Testamenta duodecim filiorum
Iacob et Primo de Ruben.  Testamentum Ruben de hijs que habebat in mente
de fornicatione/...Testamentum Beniamin de mente inuidia [sic].  Incipit
tabula testamentorum vndecim Patriarcharum.  Aduentus christi in 
Iuda/...Zabulon pietas et miseria in zabulon.  Explicit tabula testamentorum 
xii patriarcharum.  [text, f. 64r:]  Transcriptum testamenti ruben quecumque
mandauit filijs suis priusquam moreretur...in terra egypti vsque ad diem
exitus eorum de terra egypti.

Testamenta XII Patriarcharum, Lat. tr. of Robert Grosseteste; see
S. Harrison Thomson, The Writings of Robert Grosseteste (Cambridge, 1940)
pp. 42-44; Stegmueller 87.7; PG 2.1038-1150.  Text here is defective; two
leaves with portions of Testaments II-III missing between ff. 64-65.

5. ff. 74r-80v  In primo creauit deus celum et terram et statim cum
deei [sic] primo articulo fecit deus lucem spiritualem et materialem
et naturam angelicam...et hoc vsque ad Rothomagum in Normannia. f. 81r-v
blank

World chronicle, beginning with the creation and ending with John of
Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (1389-1435).

Parchment, ff. ii (paper) + 81 + ii (paper), 294 x 200 (220 x 145) mm.
2 columns, 50 lines (art. 2 = 3 columns; art. 3 = 11 columns).  Single
horizontal and vertical bounding lines; ruled in crayon.  Remains of
prickings.
Binding too tight for certain collation.  Perhaps:  I-II 12, III 12,
(-1; -11, no loss of text), IV 12 (-6, 11), V 4, VI 12, VII 12 (-5, 6),
VIII 12 (-12).
Written in small neat secretary script with anglicana features; cf. Parkes,
Cursive Book Hands, pls. 11 (ii) and 20 (i).  Headings in large gothic
bookhand.
One decorative initial, 8-line, gold with border of gold and colors
extending across upper and down inner margins; details of illumination
marred by extensive damage.  Blue initials with intricate red penwork flourishes
throughout.  Headings underlined in red.  Nicely painted heraldic shields, art.
1; paragraph marks alternate red and blue, arts. 2, 4-5.
Severe water staining throughout the text affects decoration, which has
faded or bled, but rarely obscures the text.
Binding:  England, s. xix.  Red, hard-grained goatskin, blind- and 
gold-tooled, with arms of Elmhirst on both covers (later addition).  Title
arranged in panels down spine:  "Tractatus varii. viz./ I. Upton De re
militari./ II. Summaria metrificata./ III. Test. XI. Patriarcharum./
IV. Chronicon ab orig. mundi/ Ad Ann. 1332."

Written in England in the middle of the 15th century,
sometime after 1435 (see. art. 5).  Unidentified early painting (mark of
ownership?) consisting of a single green leaf with red diagonal bar through
the center and the number "4" written in red below, lower margin of f. 2r.
Belonged to Henry Fitzalan, 12th earl of Arundel (1511?-80;
inscription "Arundel" in upper margin, f. 1r); the manuscript presumably
passed through his daughter to the Howard family when she married Thomas
Howard, 4th duke of Norfolk.  It was subsequently owned by their son
Lord William Howard of Naworth (1563-1640; E Bernard, Catalogi
librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae [1697], no. 35).  The codex 
remained in the family until the sale of the library of the Earl of Carlisle,
Naworth Castle, Cumberland (Sotheby's, 28 Oct. 1947, no. 528).  For more
information and bibliography on this early provenance see A. S. G. Edwards
and B. A. Shailor, "Marginalia," Gazette 65 (1991) pp. 190-91.
Armorial bookplate of Edward Mars Elmhirst (b. 1915);
bookplate added after 1939 when Dr. Elmhirst was granted
the bastardized arms appearing therein:  Elmhirst quarterly with those of
Elmhirst-Baxter (Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952, p. 755).  Purchased from
L. C. Witten (who bought it from E. P. Goldschmidt, London?) in 1959
by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  ff [sic] de constitutis

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 94, no. 255.

Barbara A. Shailor