Royal MS 4 C VI

COMMENTARY ON WISDOM, anonymous, in Latin, in 213 chapters. Beg. 'Dominus petra mea et robur meum'. At the end (f. 215) are two indices, one with references to the pages of the text, the other without them. Vellum; ff. i + 227. 1 ft. 2.1/4 in. x 10 in. Early XV cent. Written in England. Gatherings of 12 leaves, with catchwords; the first six leaves of each are marked with a plummet or (from f. 97) with red ink. Double columns. Sec. fol. 'deuota'. Initials flourished in red and blue. An illuminated border on f. i contains a representation of the donor and two coats of arms, one (az., three escallops or) that of Reading Abbey (cf. Coates, History of Reading, p. 246), the other (gu., a fesse between six pears or) that of the donor. Written by John Lutton (colophon, f. 215, 'Qui scripsit scriptum Ion Lutton est sibi nomen : Dignus est operarius mercede sua'), and presented by Thomas Besforde to the monastery of Reading, of which he was a member ('Hunc librum dedit frater Thomas Besforde Monachus Radingie fratribus claustralibus ad studendum; quem qui alienauerit uel fraudem de co fecerit uel uioliauerit, anathema sit. Precium lx s. Orate pro anima eius', f. i b). Perhaps in cat. of 1666, f. 16; CMA. 7774.