St John's College I.24 (James 319, Wagstaff 3488)
Notes on St Matthew's and St Mark's Gospels. Greek, Latin and English, before 1598
Notes on the variety of English and Latin translations of the first two Gospels, arranged chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. The spine carries a title in the hand of William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520-98), somewhat worn: 'Observations (?) of the variete of translations by the English [at Rheims?] and the vulgar in England'. These notes include several references to the Rhemish Testament. St Matthew begins at p. 1, St Mark at p. 145.
208x160 mm. xiv+210+xxviii pp. On cover, in Wagstaff's hand 'This MS I bought out of my Lord of Aylesbury's library and was one of those that aunciently belong'd to the Lord Burleigh Cecil'. See Bibliotheca Illustris: sive Catalogus variorum librorum ... quorum auctio habebitur Londini ad insigne Ursi in Vico dicto Ave-Mary-Lane, prope Templum D. Pauli (London, 1687: Wing A801a), p. 90: a copy of this sale catalogue owned by Thomas Baker and annotated with prices and the purchasers of all MS items is at SJC Dd.9.1013. On the first flyleaf in Thomas Baker's hand: 'Liber olim ornatissimi viri Thomae Wagstaf', and 'Tho: Baker dedit Coll: Jo: Socius ejectus'. Small College bookplate (eighteenth century) at p. 5.
A single hand, not Cecil's, but with numerous variations used to distinguish between translations, and between notes and glosses. A clean copy with few alterations. Paper. Original limp vellum binding.