Egerton MS 2892

DE PLURALITATE beneficiorum, four lectures by Richard Rotheram, Fellow of Balliol College, Chancellor of Oxford University in 1440. Without title. Beg. "Necesse est ut scandala veniant Mt. 18. Condilecti karissimi sancta summaque caritate." Lect. iv ends imperfectly "victualia que non consueuerant." The author's name is given in a copy in Balliol College Libraary, MS. 80, which contains five lectures. The passage quoted in H. O. Coxe's Cat. Codicum MSS. in Coll. Oxon., i,p. 23, referring to Salisbury, does not seem to occur, but at f. 57b is a reference to privileges improperly enjoyed by the Canons of Hereford, where Rotheram held a predend in 1430 and was Tresurer (resigned 1434) and Chancellor (occurs 1435, 1441). Vellum ; ff. 81. 10¹/₄ in. x 7⁵/₈ in. Middle of XV cent. Gatherings of 8 leaves (last imperfect) with catchwords. Sec. fol. "sedicionis condempnacio." On f. 1 is a full border of English work, with initial N containing the arms of the see of Winchester (gu., two keys in bend sinister or and arg. addorsed and conjoined in the bows, interlacing them in bend dexter a sword arg., the point in cheif, hilt or) as given in T. Fowler's Corpus Christi (Oxf. Coll. Histories), 1898, p. 241, but varying from usual arms, where the keys are in bend dexter. Fine contemporary binding of oak boards covered with brown leather. The four stamps used, one of which reproduces a design employed in Winchester bindings of the 12th century and another a Durham design of the same date, are as follows: (a) a griffin passant to l. (19 x 15 mm.). On the front cover five impressions arranged vertically form the central panel, which is divided from the inner border by a three-line fillet broken by diagonal lines ; (b) a bird (swan ?) with tail ending in foliage, passant to r.

(17 x 17 mm.), cf. a stamp used in the binding of a Durham 12th century MS. now Add. MS. 24659. 19 impressions of this form the inner border; (c) a monster with human head (to l.), grotesque head to r., bird's feet and wings, and a tail to r. (20 x 17 mm.).

30 impressions of this form the middle border; (d) A curved branch or garland (?) (between for dots). with a peacock feeding across it (22 x 16 mm.), closely resembling a stamp used in the Winchester bindings of Mr. Dyson Perrin's Hegesippus (formerly Mr. Yates Thompson's no. 51. (Illustrations from 100 MSS. in the library of H.Y. Thompson, iv, 1914, pl. 2), the Winchester Doomsday belonging to the Society of Antiquaries (see Victoria County History, Hampshire, vol.i, plates facing pp. 528,520), and Add. MS. 15350. 33¹/₂ impressions of this form the outer border. On the front cover the birds' heads are outwards in the horizontal, inwards in the vertical rows, These borders are separated and enclosed by simple four-line fillets. The end cover differs very slightly in the number and arrangement of the stamps. The back has five bands and is decorated with fillets. Portions remain of two brass clasps, and the mark of attachment of a chain at the foot of the front cover. Sotheby's sale-cat., 27 July, 1911, lot 253.