• Detail of an inhabited initial 'V'(ocavit), with foliate motifs and birds, at the beginning of Leviticus., Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, with the Glossa ordinaria and interlinear glosses, imperfect at the end

pentateuc. E. vi. m'. (f. 1v); a similar inscription occurs in Royal 4 A VII, also from Rochester.The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 514' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Detail of a decorated initial 'H'(ec), with foliate motifs, at the beginning of Deuteronomy., Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, with the Glossa ordinaria and interlinear glosses, imperfect at the end

pentateuc. E. vi. m'. (f. 1v); a similar inscription occurs in Royal 4 A VII, also from Rochester.The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 514' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Detail of an inhabited initial 'L'(ocutusque), with foliate motifs and a dragon, at the beginning of Numbers., Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, with the Glossa ordinaria and interlinear glosses, imperfect at the end

pentateuc. E. vi. m'. (f. 1v); a similar inscription occurs in Royal 4 A VII, also from Rochester.The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 514' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Pen-flourished initial 'F'(ides) at the beginning of the first book with the ownership inscription of Worcester Cathedral Priory., Summa aurea (Summa super sententias Petri Lombardi) with an imperfect table of rubrics (ff. 200 r-v)

deum laudamus. Anno domini mcc tricessimo primo mense octobri' (f. 199v).Worcester Cathedral Priory: inscribed, 'liber monasterii wygornie'(f. 1).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 355' (f. 1); included in the inventory of books in the

• Detail of an historiated initial 'A'(lpha) of a teacher giving a lecture to his students, at the beginning of book 1., Summa super titulis Decretalium

super titulis Decretalium Perhaps written by a scribe called Johannes: inscribed 'Explicit liber secundus Copiose Joh[ann]is (f. 153v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 825' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Detail of an historiated initial 'P'(ater) of Christ blessing and holding a book, at the beginning of the Pater Noster., Gospel of Matthew, with the Glossa ordinaria

with penwork decoration, in red or blue, throughout the gloss. Gospel of Matthew, with the Glossa ordinaria The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): included in the 1698 catalogue of the library of St James's Palace (see [Edward Bernard],

• Decorated initial 'Q'(uatuor), at the beginning of Peter's the Chanter commentary., Diatessaron

brown (ff. 1, 2v, 3, 8v). Initials in red with blue pen-flourishing, or in blue with red pen-flourishing. Diatessaron The English Royal library: Westminster inventory number 'no. 1023' (f. 1), acquired by the Upper Library at Westminster after the inventory

• Text page with decorated initials., Commentary on the Psalms (51-100)

and Gilson 1921).Steven Speccot, perhaps of the Speccot family of Penheale, Cornwall: his name written on f. 223v.The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 678 '; included in the inventory of books in the Upper

• Framed initial 'Q' with foliate decoration., Commentary on the Psalms (51-100)

and Gilson 1921).Steven Speccot, perhaps of the Speccot family of Penheale, Cornwall: his name written on f. 223v.The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 678 '; included in the inventory of books in the Upper

• Initial 'C' with foliate decoration and display script. Decorated initials., Commentary on the Psalms (51-100)

and Gilson 1921).Steven Speccot, perhaps of the Speccot family of Penheale, Cornwall: his name written on f. 223v.The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 678 '; included in the inventory of books in the Upper

• Detail of inscription at the bottom of the folio., Epistola de vita S. Dunstani; Life of St Dunstan

press mark 'D VII' and title (f. 2); included in the 1389 catalogue.John Joscelin [Joscelyn] (b. 1529, d. 1603), OldEnglish scholar and Church of England clergyman, Archbishop Parker's secretary (with his annotations and supplements; see Tite, 1992, p. 117).?

• Decorated initial 'A'(pud) at the beginning of the Commentary on Psalms., Commentary on Psalms

St. Mary and St. Benedict, Ramsey: inscribed on a pasted piece of parchment, 'Liber monasterii Rameseye' (f. 1v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 1289' (f. 2), acquired by the Upper Library at Westminster after

• Zoomorphic initial 'S'(anctus) formed of a dragon, with foliate decoration, display script, and pen-flourishing in the margin, at the beginning of the prologue to the commentary on Psalms., Commentary on Psalms 1-50

liber s[anc]ti Albani q[ue]m q[ui] ei abstulerit aut titulum delev[er]it anathema sit' 13th or 14th century (f. 1).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'prima quinquagena Pulli s[upe]r psalteriu[m]', and Westminster inventory number 'no. 1359' (f. 1),

• Inhabited initial 'I'(n principio) with lions, at the beginning of Diatessaron., Diatessaron (or Unum ex quatuor), with glosses

Longland, bishop of Lincoln and confessor of Henry VIII, Royal Appendix 69, f. 6v (see Carley 2000). The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 895' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Decorated initial 'B'(eatus), at the beginning of Psalm 1, and two initials 'P'(rimus) and 'A'(biit) with penwork extensions, at the beginning of gloss divisions, and a drawing of a hand in the margin., Psalter, glossed, with 5 Canticles

/ ut Deus ignoscat, et parcat lampadis ori./', end of the 12th century (f. 137).Erased inscription (f. 137).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 695' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Inhabited initial 'P'(ur) with lions interlaced with a foliate scroll, at the beginning of the Roman de Rou., Roman de Rou, part 2

VIII (b. 1491, d. 1547), king of England and Ireland: the monogram 'HR' [for Henricus Rex] (f. 1).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 389' (f. 1), included in the inventory of books in the

• Detail of a marginal drawing of a scribe at work, in the upper left margin., Policraticus

beginning, 'Syn fortune hath forbarryt your presence | I can not oper wyse myn herte vnclose' (f. 114).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 697' (f. [ii]); included in the inventory of books in the

• Zoomorphic initial 'Q'(uo) with outline drawing of a dragon and foliate decoration., Lamentations of Jeremiah, with commentary

priory of St. Andrew, Rochester: inscribed 'Liber de Claust[r]o Roffens[is] per W. Roffens[em] ep[iscopu]m' (f. 3).All parts: The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 808'; included in the inventory of books in the Upper Library

• Zoomorphic initial 'Q'(uo) with outline drawing of a griffon and foliate decoration., Lamentations of Jeremiah, with commentary

priory of St. Andrew, Rochester: inscribed 'Liber de Claust[r]o Roffens[is] per W. Roffens[em] ep[iscopu]m' (f. 3).All parts: The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 808'; included in the inventory of books in the Upper Library

• Historiated initial 'O'(rem) with outline drawing of a mermaid and foliate decoration., Lamentations of Jeremiah, with commentary

priory of St. Andrew, Rochester: inscribed 'Liber de Claust[r]o Roffens[is] per W. Roffens[em] ep[iscopu]m' (f. 3).All parts: The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 808'; included in the inventory of books in the Upper Library