St John's College T.12 and 13 (James 480 and 481)
Copies of Papal letters dating from the Avignon period. French and Latin, c. 1700
'Recueil d'Epitres de plusieurs Papes qui ont tenu le Saint Siege a Avignon, Anagni et a Rome, avec les Remarques sur les dites Epitres faites par Mre L. D. L. Abbé [?or L. D. L'Abbé] Commendat're de L'abbaye du I.' (title on p. 1). There is an editorial introduction or 'Avertissement' at pp. 3 and 4, and substantial editorial comment throughout the two volumes. These volumes contain letters of Innocent VI (pp. 5-332), Urban V (pp. 333-90), Gregory XI at Avignon (pp. 391-618), Gregory XI at Rome and Anagni (pp. 619-1059), with at pp. 1060-76 five further letters 'écrites aprés la mort de Gregoire XI durant le Schisme'.
370x255 mm. T.12: ii+550+xiv (blank) pp.; T.13: vi+536 (numbered 541-1076)+xxx (blank) pp. (contemporary pagination). College bookplates (1937) inside front covers; a note by the Librarian, H. G[atty], in T.12 records that the plate was inserted in July 1945. T.1-18 were presented to the College by William Grove, a former Fellow of St John's, in 1762.
Single secretary hand. A clean copy. Paper, slightly damaged by damp. A plain, early eighteenth-century binding: leather on boards, with gold lettering. Spine titles: 'Letters des Papes'. Fragments of paper labels remain on both spines.