diff --git a/collections/Ashmole/MS_Ashmole_6.xml b/collections/Ashmole/MS_Ashmole_6.xml index 98d87013c5..b40c2e26a6 100644 --- a/collections/Ashmole/MS_Ashmole_6.xml +++ b/collections/Ashmole/MS_Ashmole_6.xml @@ -8,9 +8,8 @@ MS. Ashmole 6 MSS. Ashmole - Summary description - Elizabeth Solopova - Matthew Holford + Cataloguer + Charlotte Ross @@ -37,36 +36,152 @@ 6656 + Girdle book containing a folding calendar or almanac with astronomical and astrological tables, xv1 + 14 quarto leaves of parchment, the first 11 folded into 6 parts (2 x 3) and the remaining into 8 parts (2 x 4), gathered at one end into a back which forms a semicircular thumb-piece with a loop, enabling the book to be hung on a chain or girdle. One of 31 known English folding almanacs - listed as item 21 in Hilary M. Carey's List of folded almanac manuscripts (Carey 2003; 2004). Type V6l according to Gumbert (2016). - Calendar. - Latin and Middle English + (fol. i r-v) + Flyleaf, annotated in the late fifteenth century + A single leaf of fine parchment, unfolded, of the size of the folded sheets.

The recto contains two inscriptions in two late fifteenth century hands: the first a verse on the influence of the stars on emotions, Si stellae essent causae nostrum affectum (?) nos Essentivus(?) causae rum (badly faded); and the second a record of a death, R. Targette, My brother Richard Bataille told me her þat Thomas Mery of Bisshopis sfeld (Hatsfeld?) is disseasid & passid to God the last day of þe month of ffebruary anno domini 1491.

 + Latin and Middle English - - Astronomical tables and texts + + (fols. 1r-11v) + Calendar or almanac for January - December (missing September due to loss of leaf) + Pages made of a rectangular sheet of parchment folded twice vertically and once horizontally creating six equal panels. Each month occupies the inner side (verso) of one leaf, with the name of the month and prognostication of the weather written on the outer side (recto) of the leaf.

The folio containing September is excised with stub visible.

+

The content of the recto and verso of the folios is consistent across sheets (with exceptions listed below). Sheets described according to the orientation of the folded almanac when suspended from a chain or girdle, with lower referring to the edge of the page closest to the gutter and upper referring to the edge furthest from the binding. Panels distinguished by left, centre, and right.

+ + Latin and Middle English + + (fols. 1-11r) + Recto + The recto is titled with the name of the month in Latin, rubricated and framed in the lower right panel, positioned so that it is still visible when the sheet is folded. The text of the recto is divided into four parts: (1) in the three upper panels a comptus in prose showing the calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar from 1406 to 1937, in one or two columns; (2) the lower left panel and (3) the lower centre panel are predominantly blank with the exceptions listed below; (4) in the lower right panel the rubricated name of the month with the number of days, followed by the prognostication of the weather titled Tonitruum and a warning against the type of bleeding associated with the zodiac sign, titled with the Latin zodiac and beginning In isto signo caue. +

Exceptions to this pattern are: + + 1r: lacking the prose comptus in the three upper panels (1), replaced by a prose tract on the disposition of man in relation to the constellations, written in two columns; the lower centre panel (3) contains a table of seven columns showing on which days certain liturgical texts are first used according to the ferial letters A to G; lower left panel (2) contains several lines of Latin prose explaining the signs of the zodiac, in a single column written in a contrasting gothic textualis script + 2r: the lower centre panel (3) contains a table of two columns showing on which days certain liturgical texts are first used according to the ferial letters A to G + 3r: the lower centre panel (3) contains a table of nineteen columns in seven rows labelled horizontally with golden numbers and vertically with the ferial letters A to G, likely showing the age of the moon at Easter + 8r: lacking the prose comptus in the three upper panels (1), replaced by a prose tract on the disposition of man in relation to the constellations titled Tractus de disposcione hominis secundum constellaciones, written in two columns (as on folio 1r); lower centre panel contains a prose text with notes on Virgo in Latin, beginning Virgo est signum, in a different hand and ink but still of the fifteenth century. + 9r: lacking the prose comptus in the three upper panels (1), replaced by a prose tract on the disposition of man in relation to the constellations titled as on folio 8r; the lower left (2) and centre (3) panels contain a prose text in English in the same later hand and ink as the additions to folio 8r, containing a moral from Cyprian of Carthage beginning Ciprianus sayth Also þer be summe dayes vnhappy, followed by a list of dates + 10r: lacking the prose comptus in the three upper panels (1), replaced by a prose tract on the disposition of man in relation to the constellations titled as on folio 8r + 11r: lacking the prose comptus in the three upper panels (1), replaced by a table in nine columns listing the dominating planets for each year of three cycles between 1406 and 1462 +

+ + + (fols. 1-11v) + Verso + The verso is titled with the name of the month in Middle English, rubricated and framed at the centre-top of the sheet. The text of the verso is divided into three columns: (1) in the left panel (1a) a table titled Coniunctiones solis & lune which tracks the date and hour of the new moon(following the tradition of Roger of Hereford), divided into three columns each covering cycles of nineteen years (those beginning 1406, 1425, and 1444) with rubricated Golden Numbers, and (1b) a table titled Ortus solis in with the corresponding zodiac which shows the place of the sun in the zodiac, in three columns with rubricated Golden Numbers; (2) in the middle panel a calendar of the month with liturgical feasts and saint days, divided into four columns containing (2a) the ferial letters A to G, (2b) day number, (2c) nones or kalends, and (2d) the name of the saint or feast celebrated; (3) the right panel is divided vertically into two tables, the first (3a) consisting of four columns containing the Ascendens media nocte (degree of ecliptic over the horizon at midnight), the Medietatis noctis (time of sunrise), the Medietatis diei (time of sunset), and the Hora planetarum (length of planetary hour, given in degrees and minutes); the second table (3b) consisting two columns containing a Tabule permanente which records the dates and times of full moons in the first two cycles (those beginning 1406 and 1426). +

Exceptions to this pattern are:

+ + 4v: lacking the Tabule permanente in the third column (3b), ruled but incomplete + 8v: the space around the title of the month in the centre panel is annotated with several lines of Latin prose on the stars of August in a gothic textualis script, the same hand that annotates folio 1r (2). + + + + Folios 12 - 14 are made of a larger rectangular sheet of parchment folded thrice vertically and once horizontally creating eight panels (see Dimensions). Panels distinguished by left, centre-left, centre-right, and right. + + (fol. 12r) + Tables of moveable feasts and intervals + The recto is titled with Tabula Dionisii Tabula planetarum following the style of the calendar months, rubricated and framed in the lower centre-right panel and positioned so that it is still visible when the sheet is folded. The text of the recto is divided into two parts: (1) the upper panels contain one table, untitled, in twelve columns depicting the dates of moveable feasts and intervals with the vertical axis labelled with the ferial letters A to G and the horizontal axis with the months; (2) the lower centre-right panel contains the rubricated title and a Latin memorial verse on planetary oppositions. The remaining panels are blank, but a later fifteenth century hand has added a list of planets to the lower centre-left panel. Latin - + + (fol. 12v) + Tables of Easter days and dominating planets + The text of the verso is divided into two parts: (1) the left and centre-left panels form one large section containing (1a) a table of Easter days for a cycle of 532 years from 1406 - 1937 in eighteen columns titled Tabula Dionisii de magno ciclo paschali, with the vertical axis labelled with the ferial letters A to G and the horizontal axis with the years in arabic; and (1b) a prose explanation beginning Ista tabula dicitur tabula dionisii; (2) the centre-right and right panels contain (2a) a table showing the dominating planets for each hour in twelve columns titled Tabula Planetarum; and (2b) a prose explanation beginning In ista tabula docetur omnis planeta dominatur. + Latin + + + (fol. 13r) + Notes on weather prognosis + The recto is titled with Tabula docens in quo signo luna sit omni die . & in quo gradu signi rubricated following the style of the calendar months, in the lower centre-right panel and positioned so that it is still visible when the sheet is folded. The text of the recto is divided into two parts: (1) the upper panels form one large section containing seven prose notes on weather prognosis beginning Si in die dominica natale domini evenerit; and (2) the lower centre-right panel containing the title and a prose explanation beginning Notandum quod sunt in anno .32. dies. The remaining panels are blank, but a later fifteenth century hand (the same as folio 12r) has added a list of astrological signs with notes to the lower left and right panels. + Latin + + + (fol. 13v) + Table of the signs and degrees of the moon + The text of the verso comprises a single part: (1) a table of the signs and degrees of the moon according to its age in twelve columns titled Tabula lune ad sciendum in quo sit omni die & in quo gradu signi. + Latin + + + (fol. 14r) + Explanatory notes for eclipses + The recto is titled with Tabula docens eclipses solis pro tribus ciclis Tabula docens eclipses lune pro tribus ciclis, rubricated following the style of the calendar months, in the lower centre-right panel and positioned so that it is still visible when the sheet is folded. The text of the recto is divided into two parts: (1) the upper panels contain a prose explanation for the table on the verso, written in two columns and beginning Pro nocturna . + Latin + + + (fol. 14v) + Tables of the eclipses of the sun and moon + The text of the verso is divided into two parts: (1) the left and centre left panels form one large section containing (1a) a table listing the eclipses of the sun from 20.08.1411 to 21.11.1462, titled Tabula eclipsum solis pro tribus ciclis; and (1b) a table listing the eclipses of the moon in the first cycle from 1411 to 1424 titled Tabula eclipsum lune pro primo ciclo; and the centre-right and right panels form one large section containing (2a) a table of the moon in the second cycle from 1425 to 1443 titled Ciclis lune Secundo; and (2b) a table of the moon in the third cycle from 1444 to 1462 titled Ciclis eclipsum lune tertius. + Latin + + + (fol. ii r-v) + Flyleaf + A single leaf of fine parchment, unfolded, of the size of the folded sheets.

The recto contains a list of prognoses for the direction of the wind beginning Sunt quidam Philosophi ventorum & temporum, in the scribe's hand and rubricated in the style of the rest of the manuscript. The verso contains a Latin prayer in a different but contemporary fifteenth century hand.

 + Latin + + parchment + 14 leaves + + 205 + 175 + (size of a full sheet folios 1 - 11 fully opened) + + 195-200 + 220-227 + (size of a full sheet folios 12 - 14 fully opened) + + 105 + 58 + (size of a fully folded sheet, 1 - 14) + + 152 + 67-9 + (size of binding including thumb-piece and loop) + + The manuscript shows signs of heavy use but the parchment is in good condition with only minor tears at the fold of folios 1 and 14. The edges of the folded folios are discoloured and worn, in particular on the lower edge. For description of binding condition, see Binding. + Secretary with textualis titles + Rubricated initials, incipits, titles, and paraphs throughout. Headings for each folded sheet are boxed and written in red. Sections of prose open with two, three, or four-line rubricated lombardic capitols on folios 1r, 2r, 8r, 9r, and 10r. The prose explanatory texts on folios 12-14 are marked with flourished rubricated lombardic capitols. Tables predominantly display rubricated axes and borders. + An early reader, likely fifteenth century, has added numerous additions to the margins and empty spaces of the calendar in a notably darker ink. The names of saints and feasts have been added to the calendars on folios 3v, 4v, 7v, 8v, 9v, and 11v. +

The lower left panel of 4v and lower centre-right panel of 14r contain several lines of erased text in a dark black ink, illegible under UV light.

+

A later hand in a dark ink has added several dates to the margins: folio 3r upper right panel 1406 and folio 5r upper centre panel 1576. Possibly the same hand, in a similar dark ink, leaves Middle English inscriptions on folios 14v and the flyleaf ii r.

+

The rear flyleaf (folio ii r) contains a four-line inscription in a fifteenth century hand, badly worn and illegible.

+

Various shelf marks and catalogue numbers are recorded, all pertaining to the Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum: folio 2r lower centre panel, Lib: Museu Ashm: Oxon: A.6. and a contemporary Ms Ashmole 6; folio 4r lower right panel, A.6.; flyleaf i r, the Summary Catalogue number S. C. 6656; and the front cover contains two faded inscriptions A:6. and 6..

 + + The binding is remarkably intact, but the upper cover is damaged in the centre with a large tear/cut running the length of the text block and penetrating through the outer parchment, paper layer, and one layer of inner parchment. +

The manuscript retains its original binding: a thick tawed skin, without boards, which covers a layer of paper and two layers of parchment folded from one sheet (visible through a tear in the front cover). The cover is disproportionately short for the text block, sitting between 10 - 15 mm above the edge of the lower margin of the text block.

+

The edges of both covers are bound with a woven cord or band. To the lower edge of both covers is sewn the remnants of a strip of dark textile, comprising individual strands of cord which have been doubled and attached at the fold with long stitching in blue thread to create a band of tassels. This has been heavily trimmed and portions are missing, but stitching holes show that this textile once covered the full lower edge of both covers.

+

The covers are lined with contrasting fabrics, both of which extend into the spine and so are likely contemporary with the binding. The inside of the upper cover is lined with red silk, which has been turned under at the edges and sewn onto the cover with long stitching in white thread before the woven cord was added to the cover-edge. The blue stitching that attaches the tassel-band passes through the red silk layer too, further anchoring the lining to the cover. The red silk is likely reused or recycled from another purpose - on one side the fabric has torn to reveal the underside of the lining-fabric and the turn-overs, which shows that the fabric is an irregular shape with a sewn hem on some edges and contains a seam along one edge of the turned-under fabric. This seam and the hem are sewn with red thread, different to the stitching that attaches the lining to the covers, and thus likely pre-dates the binding.

+

The inside of the lower cover is lined with a pale woven fabric with a softer layer of piled fabric on top, now badly worn. It is attached to the cover using the same long stitching in white thread as the left cover, and also added before the woven cord was added. However the blue stitching does not pass through the lining on this side. The lining has a horizontal slit running nearly the full width of the cover, which has been reinforced with buttonhole stitching to create a pocket between the lining and the parchment of the cover. Remnants of rust on the lining suggest this may have been used to store metal tools or instruments, which may have been pinned or clipped on to the fabric. On the left side of the lining are the remains of two small loops of white thread, arranged vertically so that a long thin instrument could be stored. + The spine or thumb-piece tapers to a point with a loop for the insertion of a cord, so that the book may be worn on a chain or girdle. See Digital Images for image of the binding.

+ - 15th century (?) + First quarter of the 15th century, likely produced shortly before 1406, due to the inclusion of the 1406 cycle and the omission of the 1396 cycle. English + The latitude recorded in the calendar is that of Oxford, making this a likely place of origin. Van Dijk and Pfaff ascribe the manuscript to the Cistercian Calder Abbey, Cumbria, but there is no evidence to suggest this conclusion. + Based on the contents, form, and evidence of use, the manuscript was likely used as a mobile diagnostic tool for a medical practitioner. The calendar and detailed astrological information would have been useful to determine the season of the year and part of the lunar cycle at which the patient fell ill, which were essential in reaching a diagnosis. The tables could be used to select the best time for practices such as bleeding, purging, and medicating, as well as to indicate the appropriate time to pick herbs and prepare talismans. The proposed users of these types of almanacs ranged from doctors and physicians to astrologers and clerics (Carey 2004; Jones 1994; Talbot 1961). + On folio 8v in the calendar of August the obituary of Edward Woode is recorded on 19 August 1499 in a later hand, which suggests the manuscript was still in practical use at this time. This likely refers to Edward Wood or Woode, Grocer of London whose will is recorded in the Perogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions, dated 03 August 1499 (The National Archives, PROB 11/11/683). +

The name R. Targette, recorded on the flyleaf folio i r and who likely owned the manuscript in 1491, has not been associated to a specific individual. However, individuals can be suggested for the names mentioned in his inscription, Richard Bataille, and Thomas Mery of Bisshopis sfeld. Bataille may refer to the Richard Bataill recorded in a deed poll by Thomas Urswyk, chief baron of the king's Exchequer, signed in Essex on 10 February 1474 (TNA, E 40/13127). Mery may refer to Thomas Mery of Bishop's Hatfield, whose will is recorded in TNA PROB 11/10/417. This would likely place the manuscript in the Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire area in the fifteenth century.

 + The name Mr Brlinge is written on the lower centre-right panel of folio 14r in a sixteenth century hand. + The manuscript was later owned by Elias Ashmole, and bequeathed to the Ashmolean Museum in 1692 as part of his donation of 1,100 printed books and 600 manuscripts. + The manuscript was kept in the Ashmolean until 1860, when the collection was transferred to the Bodleian Library. - - Summary description abbreviated from the Quarto Catalogue (W. H. Black, A descriptive, analytical, and critical catalogue of the manuscripts bequeathed unto the University of Oxford by Elias Ashmole Esq...., Quarto Catalogues X, 1845). + Draft Description by Charlotte Ross (November 2023). Previously described in the Quarto Catalogue (W. H. Black, A descriptive, analytical, and critical catalogue of the manuscripts bequeathed unto the University of Oxford by Elias Ashmole Esq...., Quarto Catalogues X, 1845). Quarto Catalogue, col. 4 Quarto Catalogue, col. 5 Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 2, p. 1116 @@ -88,8 +203,12 @@ Printed descriptions: - S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 3: Rituals and Directories (typescript, 1957), p. 174 - + S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 3: Rituals and Directories (typescript, 1957), p. 174 + J. P. Gumbert, Bat Books: A Catalogue of Folded Manuscripts Containing Almanacs or Other Texts (Turnhout, 2016). + Hilary M. Carey, Astrological Medicine and the Medieval English Folded Almanac, Social History of Medicine, Volume 17, Issue 3 (2004), pp. 345–363. + Hilary M. Carey, What is a Folded Almanac? The Form and Function of a Key Manuscript Source for Astro-medical Practice in Later Medieval England, Social History of Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 3 (2003), pp.481-509. + Peter Murray Jones, Information and Science, Fifteenth-Century Attitudes: Perceptions of Society in Late Medieval England, ed. Rosemary Horrox (Cambridge, 1994), pp. 97-111. + C. H. Talbot, A Medieval Physician's vade mecum, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Volume 16 (1961), pp. 213-33.