• Zoomorphic initial 'U'(re) with 3 heads and interlaced bodies at the beginning of Book I, Chapter i., Historum adversum paganos (the 'Tollemache, Helmingham, or Lauderdale Orosius')

Dee (b. 1527, d. 1609), mathematician, astrologer, and antiquary: noted by Hickes in 1689.Inscribed 'Joan Davysun', 17th century (f. i). John Maitland, duke of Lauderdale (b. 1616–, d. 1682), politician, by 1676-78: noted by Hickes in 1689, as mansucript 167

• Historiated initial 'F'(rater) depicting Jerome and Damasus (above), and Jerome and Ambrose (below), with the ownership inscriptions of Abbot Robert de Bello at the top of the page and under the feet of the peacock., Bible with prologues, without Psalms ('The Bible of Robert de Bello')

Additional 53710 and Stowe 378--both also from St Augustine's--from Sadler).Unidentified owner: with his number '61.' (f. ii, upper right corner).Sir John Saunders Sebright, (b. 1767, d. 1846), 7th baronet, politician and agriculturist: his sale 6 April 1807, lot 1186, bought

• Medieval binding of whittawed leather over oak boards with a flat spine and two projecting flaps, at the top and bottom. Fastened to a staple at the bottom of the front cover are three links of a chain. A white strap, secured by a decorated metal plate to the front cover, fits onto a pin in the middle of the back cover by means of a 16th-century metal loop. This is possibly a restoration of the original fastening, but previously two straps went from the front to the back, as is shown by the surviving sockets for them and their pins., Commentaries on Isaiah and Ezechiel

note on the contents, beginning 'Liber sancti edmundi in quo continentur', c. 1375 (f. 1).? Possibly notes of 'the librarian', John of Boston 'Boston Buriensis', a monk of Bury St Edmunds (said to have fl. c. 1410) (ff. 1, 159);

• Inscription in English., West Saxon Gospels (the 'Wessex Gospels')

Inscription in English. Copied, directly or indirectly, from Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodley 441, omitting some passages due to defects in the Bodley manuscript (Marc 16:14-20, Luke 16:14- 17:1, and 24: 51-53). The first and last omission was supplied with

• Initial 'P'(roxime), at the beginning of the prologue., Breviarium on the Psalms

Initial 'P'(roxime), at the beginning of the prologue. Originally in 3 volumes, each containing the commentary to 50 Psalms, now in 2 volumes, Royal 2 E XIII and Royal 2 E XIV bound together; the last volume containing Psalms

• Text page with large initials; Latin and Anglo-Saxon script., Grammar

Text page with large initials; Latin and Anglo-Saxon script. Greek numerals and alphabets (ff. 2v-3)'Excerptiones de arte grammatica Anglice': the Latin Grammar, in Anglo-Saxon, of Ælfric, Abbot of Ensham based on Priscian's Excerptiones. Imperfect at the end, breaking off

• Detail of a decorated initial 'P'., Theological texts

Detail of a decorated initial 'P'. Includes Ambrose, Commentary on Luke (ff. 2-105v), Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermones, attributed here to Anselm of Canterbury, imperfect (ff. 105-108), Honorius Augustodunensis, Gemme animae sive De divinis officiis (ff. 109-173v) and Tractatus de

• Initial 'V'(ocationem) with foliate decoration., Commentary on Leviticus

and included in the list of manuscripts from Lincolnshire houses entitled 'de historiis antiquitatum ac divinitate tractancium', perhaps composed by John Longland, bishop of Lincoln and confessor of Henry VIII, Royal Appendix 69 (see Carley 2000).The Old Royal Library (the

• Initial 'V'(ocavit) with foliate decoration and display script., Commentary on Leviticus

and included in the list of manuscripts from Lincolnshire houses entitled 'de historiis antiquitatum ac divinitate tractancium', perhaps composed by John Longland, bishop of Lincoln and confessor of Henry VIII, Royal Appendix 69 (see Carley 2000).The Old Royal Library (the

• Initial 'Q'(ocationem) with foliate decoration at the beginning of Book 2., Commentary on Leviticus

and included in the list of manuscripts from Lincolnshire houses entitled 'de historiis antiquitatum ac divinitate tractancium', perhaps composed by John Longland, bishop of Lincoln and confessor of Henry VIII, Royal Appendix 69 (see Carley 2000).The Old Royal Library (the

• Puzzle initial 'M'(atheus) at the beginning of the commentary on Matthew's Gospel and ownership inscription., Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew (f. 1) and John (f. 81), the Apocalypse (f. 173) and the Catholic Epistles (f. 187)

pen-flourishing in red. Paraphs in red or blue. Underlining in red. Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew (f. 1) and John (f. 81), the Apocalypse (f. 173) and the Catholic Epistles (f. 187) Master William Pykenham (d. 1497), Archdeacon of

• Puzzle initial 'H'(ic) at the beginning of the commentary on John's Gospel., Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew (f. 1) and John (f. 81), the Apocalypse (f. 173) and the Catholic Epistles (f. 187)

pen-flourishing in red. Paraphs in red or blue. Underlining in red. Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew (f. 1) and John (f. 81), the Apocalypse (f. 173) and the Catholic Epistles (f. 187) Master William Pykenham (d. 1497), Archdeacon of

• Initial 'M' with penwork decoration in leaf patterns and capitals on coloured grounds., Symbolum fidei, Registrum; Recantation of 1079

Initial 'M' with penwork decoration in leaf patterns and capitals on coloured grounds. An addition in a later hand of the mid-12th century contains a narrative of the schism in the papacy, 1159, and the peace of Venice by

• Text page., Symbolum fidei, Registrum; Recantation of 1079

Text page. An addition in a later hand of the mid-12th century contains a narrative of the schism in the papacy, 1159, and the peace of Venice by which Pope Alexander III and the Emperor Frederick I were reconciled

• Large initial 'V' with penwork decoration (incomplete)., Symbolum fidei, Registrum; Recantation of 1079

Large initial 'V' with penwork decoration (incomplete). An addition in a later hand of the mid-12th century contains a narrative of the schism in the papacy, 1159, and the peace of Venice by which Pope Alexander III and the

• Decorated initial 'T'(enetis) with pen-flourishing at the beginning of the twenty-seventh sermon., Sermones super Cantica canticorum

Decorated initial 'T'(enetis) with pen-flourishing at the beginning of the twenty-seventh sermon. Quire signatures in the form of Roman numerals at the end of each quire except for the first. 1 framed zoomorphic initial in gold and colours with

• Framed zoomorphic initial 'V'(obis) with display script at the beginning of the first sermon., Sermones super Cantica canticorum

Framed zoomorphic initial 'V'(obis) with display script at the beginning of the first sermon. Quire signatures in the form of Roman numerals at the end of each quire except for the first. 1 framed zoomorphic initial in gold and

• Large initial 'P'(utamus) with pen-flourishing at the beginning of the seventeenth sermon., Sermones super Cantica canticorum

Large initial 'P'(utamus) with pen-flourishing at the beginning of the seventeenth sermon. Quire signatures in the form of Roman numerals at the end of each quire except for the first. 1 framed zoomorphic initial in gold and colours with

• Large puzzle initial 'F'(ulcite) with pen-flourished partial border at the beginning of the fifty-first sermon., Sermones super Cantica canticorum

Large puzzle initial 'F'(ulcite) with pen-flourished partial border at the beginning of the fifty-first sermon. Quire signatures in the form of Roman numerals at the end of each quire except for the first. 1 framed zoomorphic initial in gold

• Text page with initial 'P'(ROVIDE) with penwork decoration at the beginning of the edict of King Alaric., Variae (abridgement of the last five books)

Text page with initial 'P'(ROVIDE) with penwork decoration at the beginning of the edict of King Alaric. Cassiodorus Senator (c.490-583) was a Roman statesman and writer, who, after retiring, became a monk at the monastery of Vivarium, which he