Number 2788 is the wonderful Codex Aureus or Golden Gospels.  Its acquisition by Lord Oxford is chronicled in Wanley’s Diary in the year 1720.  On the 14th May he wrote: 

“Yesterday Mr. Vaillant (a bookseller) brought me a specimen of the characters of that Latin Ms. of the Gospels, which is to be sold at the approaching auction of Menare’s books at the Hague.  These characters are all uncials, gilded over with gold, and appear to be formed in very elegant manner.  Among them I observe A, G, V, M and E so shaped, which is not commonly seen in the body or text of old MSS., although frequent in the title or Rubrics.  In my opinion this most ancient and valuable book should be purchased at any rate.”

Lord Oxford gave orders for the Golden Manuscript to be secured, and commissioned Mr. Vaillant to buy it with all secrecy and prudence.  There are several entries in Wanley’s Diary concerning the negotiations for this purchase, and on the 27th June all was brought to a happy conclusion.

“This day the Codex Aureus Latinus was cleared out of the king’s warehouse, and delivered into my custody.”  On the 29th its solemn entry into the Harleian library is recorded, and on the 13th July of the following year, we find that “Mr. Elliot, having clothed the Codex Aureus in my Lord’s morocco leather, took the same home this day, in order to work upon it with his best tools, which he can do with much more conveniency at his own house than here.”  Wanley makes a note of this circumstance because of his “speedy journey to Oxford in case any ill accident should happen.”

This celebrated Ms. is written throughout in gold letters upon vellum, with the exception of the first lines of chapters in the Gospels and the first lines of the subsidiary articles, which are in red ink.  The paintings of the four evangelists are extremely interesting, and the title-pages are stained purple.  This codex is described by Sir Edward Maunde Thompson as French, of the time of Charlemagne, and we may add that its position in the Harleian may be compared to that of the Durham or Lindisfarne Gospels in the Cottonian library.

The manuscripts numbered 2820 and 2821 are further examples of partially purple-stained vellum, in imitation of earlier work.  They are of German workmanship of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.  The execution of the miniatures is condemned by Sir Edward Thompson as “very rude” and “hard,” but with all deference to so great an authority we must put in a plea for them, on the score of their extreme naivete and candour.