• Decorated initial 'D'(ixit) combined with a full foliate bar border including interlace at the beginning of Psalm 38., Psalter, imperfect

is blank and ruled. Large initials in colours and gold combined with a full foliate bar border including interlace (Psalm 1 (f. 8), Psalm 26 (f. 39v), Psalm 38 (f. 59), Psalm 52 (f. 78), Psalm 80 (f. 118v), Psalm

• Miniature of Aeneas with the Sibyl at the entrance to the Underworld; with Charon in his boat and Cerberus at the gate, with faceted initial below, at the beginning of book VI of Virgi's Aeneid., Bucolica (index Bucolics, Eclogues)(ff. 1-16v); Georgica (index Georgics)(ff. 17-58), with argumenta; Aeneis (index Aeneid)(ff. 58v-244v), with argumenta and verse preface, omitting 2:567-588 ('The King's Virgil')

cornucopiae, dolphins, sphinxes, masks, trophies and heraldic decoration, in colours and gold, at the beginning of texts or books (ff. 1, 17, 26v-27 [miniature f. 26v, accompanying border f. 27], 37, 47v, 59, 73v, 88, 101v, 115, 131v, 148v, 164,

• Puzzle initial and inhabited initial at the prologue and beginning of Judith., Bible (with Psalms) and Interpretation of Hebrew Names, imperfect

until 1659, inscription (f. 1), see transcription below.John Covel (b. 1638, d. 1722), chaplain of the Levant Company at Constantinople 1670-1676: inscribed in 1659 'Joh[ann]es Covel xpti. Coll. Soc. 1659 mnemosunon [in Greek] Tho: Hu:’ (f. 1). No. XXVI (f.

• Alchemical recipe, added in the ? 15th century., Apocalypse (in Wycliffe translation), with commentary

with penwork decoration (e.g. f. 97v) Apocalypse (in Wycliffe translation), with commentary Various inscriptions (ff. 1, 2, 109, and in margins), including alchemical recipe (f. 1); 15th century. Mathew Goodryk: inscribed with his name, early 16th century (f. 109v).David Norkin

• Title page with display capitals, ivy leaves and pen scrolling line fillers in gold., Letters and sonnets

Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, inscribed as usual by their librarian, Humfrey Wanley ‘Janu. 9 1725/6’ (f. 1). Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta, née Cavendish Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime

• Decorated initial 'P'(rebuerat) at the beginning of book 6 of Ovid's Metamorphoses., Metamorphoses, imperfect

a parchment flyleaf. f. 118 is an unwritten flyleaf. 2 leaves missing after f. 11, 1 after f. 59 (see Munari 1957).Some outer margins have been excised.Quire marks. Large initial and red and brown ink with penwork decoration in the

• Detail of an historiated initial 'I'(gitur) with heads of saints and foliate decoration., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Detail of a decorated initial 'I'(gitur), with geometric and foliate motifs., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Zoomorphic initial 'M'(agnitudo) in dark brown ink, red and green and some blue, with knot-work and foliate motifs, in the shape of a grotesque(s)., De mysteriis (ff. 1-4v); De sacramentis (ff. 4v-16v); Sermo de corpore et sanguine Domini (serm. 17, ff. 16v-18v); Contra Iouinianum (ff. 18v-69v); Hypomnesticon (ff. 69v-90)

shape of a grotesque(s). Erased inscription on f. 2*v. In the manuscript 'De mysteriis' begins imperfectly (leaves lost before f. 1), 'Sermo de corpore et sanguine Domini' is ascribed to Isidore of Seville and has the running header 'De Mysteriis'

• Zoomorphic initial 'I' in dark brown ink, red and green and some blue, with knot-work and foliate motifs, in the shape of a bird., De mysteriis (ff. 1-4v); De sacramentis (ff. 4v-16v); Sermo de corpore et sanguine Domini (serm. 17, ff. 16v-18v); Contra Iouinianum (ff. 18v-69v); Hypomnesticon (ff. 69v-90)

shape of a bird. Erased inscription on f. 2*v. In the manuscript 'De mysteriis' begins imperfectly (leaves lost before f. 1), 'Sermo de corpore et sanguine Domini' is ascribed to Isidore of Seville and has the running header 'De Mysteriis'

• Decorated initials 'Q'(uattuor) and 'B'(ello) at the beginning of the text., Antiquitates iudaicae

century (?) hand Initials in colours with penwork decoration at the beginning of the prologue and the five books (ff. 1, 22, 30v, 40, 49). 3 small initials in red and one in blue (ff. 49, 53, 64, 66). Rubrics

• Detail of a zoomorphic initial 'O'(rtaris) with fish, faces, animal heads and hybrid creatures at the beginning of the prologue to the life of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, identified by the title in red., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Detail of an historiated initial 'T'(emporibus) with hybrids, a portrait bust (emperor Julian or his minister?), and mask, at the beginning of the life of Gordian, and catchword 'presbiter' ('priest') in the lower margin., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Detail of an inhabited initial 'B'(eatus) with heads and hybrid creatures wrestling at the beginning of the life of the early Christian martyr Germanus., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Detail of an historiated initial 'T'(emporibus) with Michael the Archangel, who holds the scales to weigh the souls at the Last Judgement and spears a dragon below his feet, at the beginning of the life of Alexis, celebrated on the 17th calends of July., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Coloured initial 'P'(rimus) at the beginning of notes on the compotus, and below, an added list of the archbishops of Canterbury., Treatise on the compotus, 'Ratio Gai cesaris de ordine anni', instructions for the discovery of the age of the moon, a table of moveable feasts, and other texts

'51' (f. 1).John Dee (b. 1527, d. 1609), mathematician, astrologer, and antiquary: his 'Jupiter' sign (top righthand corner of f. 1); his annotations (ff. 60v-61). William Cecil (b. 1520/21, d. 1598), 1st Baron Burghley, royal minister; his sale, 21 November

• Zoomorphic initial 'O'(rtaris) with fish, faces, animal heads and hybrid creatures at the beginning of the prologue to the life of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, identified by the title in red. The small word 'incipit' in the page's lower right corner is a note of the first word on the next page made to help assemble the pages of the book when it was made., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Coloured initials in a text page of the chronicle., Chronicle, AD 1-1135 (ff. 34-61), with additions up to 1266 (ff. 61v-73)

Coloured initials in a text page of the chronicle. The life of Thomas Becket in verse was composed c. 1184. It is based on one by Robert of Cricklade (d. c. 1174), prior of St. Frideswide's, Oxford, now lost.

• Historiated initial 'T'(emporibus) with hybrids, a portrait bust (emperor Julian or his minister?), and mask, at the beginning of the life of Gordian, and catchword 'presbiter' ('priest') in the lower margin. The rubric also gives the date on which Gordian was commemorated, on the 6th in the ides of May (6 May)., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero

• Historiated initial 'T'(emporibus) with Michael the Archangel, who holds the scales to weigh the souls at the Last Judgement and spears a dragon below his feet, at the beginning of the life of Alexis, celebrated on the 17th calends of July., Passionale (Lives of the Saints), imperfect

title-page to the 12th-century manuscript (part 1), added by Sir Simonds d'Ewes.f. 84 has been vertically cut in half. f. 99* is a parchment strip with added 17th-century letters 'PAS'.ff. 145v-146 are blank.Part 1 was originally bound with Cotton Nero