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Professional scribe's copy of The ende of Nero and beginning of Galba and Life of Agricola translated from Tacitus by Sir Henry Savile, c. 1591

 Single Item
MS. Eng. hist. d. 240
Held at the Weston Library

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Professional scribe's copy of 'The ende of Nero and beginning of Galba' and 'Life of Agricola' translated from Tacitus by Sir Henry Savile, licensed by William James, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (fol. 13v) and used by the printer for the edition of 1591. The manuscript lacks the dedication 'To her most sacred Maiestie' and 'A.B. to the Reader' from the beginning, and 'A note of the editions used' from the end.

First copied on 41 quires, normally of 6, signed A-Z, ET, Aa-Qq, it was taken out of its binding and revised as follows: new leaves, copies by the same scribe, were substituted for A-C; the 'Life of Agricola', quires Ii-Ll, was removed to stand before 'Annotations', quires Aa-Hh; new material was substituted for quires Nn-Qq, seven leaves of the former copy being retained as fols. 221, 223-4, 232-5.

Annotated by Sir Henry Savile throughout, and (from sig. Aa) by Thomas Savile; fols. 212-18 are also in the latter's hand. Two other hands wrote sections of the revised material following the 'Annotations'.

Dates

  • Creation: c. 1591

Extent

243 Leaves

Language of Materials

  • English

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. Eng. hist. d. 240, fols. 1-2].

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Shelfmark:

MS. Eng. hist. d. 240

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 8771

Abstract

Professional scribe's copy of The ende of Nero and beginning of Galba and Life of Agricola translated from Tacitus by Sir Henry Savile, c. 1591.

Biographical / Historical

Sir Henry Savile, 1549-1622, was an English mathematician and classical scholar.

Custodial History

Sotheby's, 6 Feb. 1861 (Savile sale), lot 58.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Bought from W. H. Robinson Ltd., 1955.

Physical Facet

Within the text a leaf before fol. 59 and nine leaves after fol. 71 are missing (printed text p. 108, line 35-p. 118, line 33). Marks made by the printer in casting off the copy appear throughout. Loose inside the original cover when the manuscript was acquired, but now bound up. Some leaves have been cut across in the printing house. The cover of white vellum gilt is kept separately (MS. Eng. hist. d. 240*), and contains four small strips from a copy of Peter Lombard, Gloss on the Pauline epistles, I2th- 13th century.

Title
Professional scribe's copy of 'The ende of Nero and beginning of Galba' and 'Life of Agricola' translated from Tacitus by Sir Henry Savile
Status
Published
Date
EAD version 2019 by Alice Whichelow
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository

Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom