Fragment no. 5 - Bischoff Manuscript Collection

Fragment no. 5 - Bischoff Manuscript Collection

Melbourne, Mon. Uni. MS. Bischoff Frag. 005

MS 1832/3

Originally 2 columns, fragment contains 1 full column on each side plus approx 1/3 of another column. Written Area: 28 x 127mm. Column Width: 76mm. Number of Lines: 6. Line Height: 4mm. Column and line ruling in lead (?) Rubrication. Small Cursive.

Date, place, and text identified by Bischoff in pencil note (now missing?) John Balbus' (d. 1298) Catholicon covering nouns beginning with the letter 'O'. One side contains ordior and the other opusculum. In a letter dated 6/6/1994 Colker wrote that he had compared the fragment to the reprint of the 1480 Mainz edition and found that explanations of words were similar and some of the text were similar but "there is much divergence" between the printed text and the fragment. He believed that the fragment came from an adaptation of the text printed in 1480; however, the Catholicon's popularity meant that it was often abridged and adapted. Have Rosenthal's notes ('Manuscripts from the Collection of Professor Bernhard Bischoff', p. 4 no. 11, based on Colker's notes).

Place of Origin: England

From the Monash Rare Books collection of over one hundred fragments of medieval manuscripts and early printed books from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries that had belonged to the world-renowned authority on medieval palaeography (the study of handwriting), Professor Bernhard Bischoff (1906-1991).

Physical size: 1 small vellum fragment (28 x 148mm). Appears to have been inserted into or possibly glued to pieces of paper at some point.

Out of copyright