London, British Library, Additional 40165 A Cyprian, "Epistolae" (fragments); "OE Martyrology" (fragment) (fragmentary flyleaves from a monastic miscellany, Add. 40165B)
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Abstract
169. London, British Library, Additional 40165 A
Cyprian, "Epistolae" (fragments);
"OE Martyrology" (fragment) (fragmentary flyleaves
from a monastic miscellany, Add. 40165B)
[Ker 132, Gneuss 297/298, Lowe 2.178]
HISTORY: Add. 40165 A.2 is of A-S provenance (Wessex?), a late 9c or early 10c fragment of the "OE Martyrology" (on date see Kotzor 1981: 1.116*), a cut-down bifolium once serving as flyleaves, along with the remains of a quire from a late 4c copy of Epistles of Cyprian ( bishop of Carthage, d. 258), also of A-S provenance (Add. 40165 A.I), in a 12c monastic miscellany (Add. 40165 B). The volume was purchased by the B.M. from Sotheby's , 12 Dec. 1921 ( Lot 504) and the older elements removed by B.M. A printed bookplate on a modern flyleaf in Add. 40165 B says it was "bequeathed by the will of [Bernard] Edward [Howard, 12th] Duke of Norfolk (d. 1842) to remain in his family. Henry Howard & the Eyre Esq., Executors:' The former flyleaves were bound separately as ff. 1-7 in a modern portfolio in 1947. See the description to B.L. Cotton Julius A. x [200) for the history of the "Martyrology:'
[Note: The assemblage was removed from its medieval cover when accessioned to the B.M., allowing the Cyprian to be rearranged as far as possible according to its original disposition. The old leather cover is kept separately (shelfmark SAL Cup'd 118 a). It is a thick white leather cover, now brown on outside; total area front and back is 270 x 178 mm., with an inner leather spine reinforcement about 37 mm. wide and 175 mm. high. It was not a binding, but a folder or portfolio to which the flyleaves were sewn, the pattern of sewing holes on front cover matching the pattern of holes on f. 2. The front is 175 x 130, back is smaller , about 120 mm. wide from spine to fore-edge. Inscribed on front cover in black ink, early 13c, 'lib<er> iste | Glos [ ....s ]up(er) Cantica | [ ....] 7 alia multis | sententia s(un)t [ ........] | lib[ ... ]'.]