About four years ago I purchased, at the sale of the museum of Mr. George Bell of Whitehaven, a folio vellum MS. in Latin, written apparently in the fourteenth century: containing a Catena, or a series of notes on the Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians, selected from the Fathers of the Church, viz. Origines, Ambrosius, Gregorius, Jeronimus, Augustinus, Cassianus, Beda, Lambertus, Lanfrancus, Anselmus, and Ivo Carnotensis. As many of those authors were English, I infer that the volume was compiled in England for some English monastery. The beginning of each chapter is noted on the margin, but there is no division into verses. The sentences, or short paragraphs of the text, are written in vermillion, and the comments upon them in black: those comments are generally taken from one, but often from two or three authors; the names of each being stated. There are large handsome capitals at the beginning of each book, and the initials to the paragraphs are distinguished by a spot of red, but there are no illuminations. Two leaves have been cut out at the beginning of the volume; a few at two or three places throughout the volume, and at the end, by some former possessor. As the style of binding is very uncommon, I will describe it. It was bound in oak boards of half an inch thick; the sheets were sewed on thongs of white leather, similar to what cart harness is stitched with. Instead of the thongs being brought _over_ the back edges of the boards (as in modern binding), they are inserted into mortices in the edges of the boards, and then laced through holes, and secured with glue and wedges. The boards were covered first with allumed leather, and over that seal-skin _with the hair on_. The board at the beginning of the book had four feet, placed near the corners, of nearly an inch in height, half an inch in diameter at the base, and about a quarter of an inch at the point. Each was cast in one piece, with a circular base of about an inch and a quarter in diameter, and rising towards the centre; and they were each fastened on by three pins or nails. The board at the end of the book was ornamented with four circular brass plates about the size of a halfpenny, placed near the corners; having in the centre of each a stud, the head of which represented a prominent close flower of four petals. And in the centre of the board, there had been a stud or button, on which to fasten the strap from the other board to keep the book shut. Only one stud and one foot remained; but the places where the others had been were easily seen. I presume that the volume was meant to lie on a lectern or reading-desk, resting on its feet; and when opened out, the other board rested on its studs, as both were worn smooth with use.