Cotton library
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The Cotton or Cottonian library is a collection of manuscripts that came into the hands of the antiquarian and bibliophile Sir Robert Bruce Cotton MP. The collection of books and materials Sir Robert
The Lindisfarne Gospels are one example of the valuable and prestigious works collected by Sir Robert Cotton. They are now in the British Library.
The Cotton Genesis was badly damaged in the Ashburnham House fire.
Nowell Codex
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The Nowell Codex is the second of two manuscripts comprising the bound volume Cotton MS Vitellius A XV, one of the four major Old English poetic manuscripts. It is most famous as the manuscript contai
Cotton library
…Cotton Nero A.x". In Cotton's own day, that meant "Under the bust of Vitellius, top shelf (A), and count fifteen over" for the volume containing the Nowell Codex (including Beowulf) and "Go to the bust of Nero, top shelf, tenth book" for the manuscript containing all the works of the Pearl Poet. The manuscripts…
Remounted page from Beowulf, British Library Cotton Vitellius A.XV, 133r
First page of Beowulf, contained in the damaged Nowell Codex (132r)
The codex, opened to a page of Beowulf