Merton College MS. 6
Former shelfmark: A. 2. 6
SERMONS OF AUGUSTINE; S. XV1
Contents
Language(s): Latin
f. i blank; on the verso is a table of contents in an italic hand, s. xvi.
I (58 sermons) ff. 5–113v; II (39 sermons) ff. 113v-69; III (134 sermons) ff. 169–278.
I: Ps.-AUG. De Cantico Novo, De Quarta Feria, De Cataclysmo, Ps.-AUG. De Praedestinatione et Gratia (PL 45. 1665–78), 4. 14–34, 5–6, 363, 366, 14–15, app. 53, 16, 18, 17, 352, 20–4, 342, 10, 48–9, 42, De Vrbis Excidio, 46–7, 50 (beg. ‘In scripturis diuinis legimus Dominum dicentem’ ending in c. 6; Römer 1. 379), 35–7, 39, 41, 359, 344, 349, 385, 358, 357, 168, 348, Mai 122, 60, 38, De Patientia, De Gen. Eleemosynarum (PL 40. 1227–30), 294, 341, 360, Ps.-MAXIMUS 83, fr. erem. 57, JEROME, De Persecutione Christianorum, VALERIAN OF CIMIEZ, De Bono Disciplinae, app. 55.
II: 215, 56, app. 106, Hoc enim dicimus et hoc docemus k. quod Deus lux est non corporum (Römer 1. 378–9), De Disciplina Christiana (PL 40. 669–78), 9, app. 21, app. 154, fr. erem. 58, JEROME, Tractatus de Obedientia (CPL 605), 389, 180, 391, 347, app. 287, 351, 393, Ps.-JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, De Lapsu Primi Hominis (Chrysostomus lat. 7, with add. ‘Sic enim dilexit Deus hunc mundum ... regnum infinitum in euum’), app. 13, 230, Ps.-MAXIMUS 36a, 235–6, 228, 272, 259, app. 252, 140, 118 (beg. as PL 47. 1170), Mai 117, app. 128, 201, 200, 277, 276, PETER DAMIAN 63–4.
III: Diem nouissimum scimus uenturum (Enarr. in Pss. 36. 1–2), Aduersus Iudaeos (PL 42. 51–64), 369, 184, 190, 193, app. 210, app. 215, 317, 319, 315–16, app. 129, app. 131, 373, 204, app. 132, 202, 375, 374, 331, 368, 273, 275, 279, app. 190–1, 280–2, 2, 205, Sermones ined. IV. 2 (PL 47. 1142–4), app. 175, 11, 207–10, 392. 2–6, 8, 211, 390, 212, 59, 44, 218–23, 226–7, 233, 231, 240–1, 232, 234, 116, 237, 242–3, 246, 244, 230, 256, 249–51, 147, 253, Mai 93, 353, Mai 89, 265, 263, app. 183, 270, 378, 268–9, 288, 292–3, 380 (Omnibus sanum sapientibus liquet quod quietis et parua uox sufficere potest), 289, 291, 290, 379, Mai 46, Beati Iohannis Baptiste merita exordia natiuitatis ostendunt (Flor. Cas. 3. 370), Mai 48–9, app. 225, Fortis et humilis maximus et minus princeps (Caillau 2. 72), 296–7, 295, 381, 300–1, 318, Ad aquas Tabilicaudas (De Civ. Dei 22. 8–9), 302, 305, 304, Mai 56, app. 208, 306–8, 310, 309, 311, 313, 312, 64, 232, 285, 335, 330, 65, Per tanta gloriosa sanctorum martirum gesta (P. Verbraken, Études critiques sur les sermons authentiques de saint Augustin [Steenbrugge, 1976], no. 329), 333, 327, 334, 283, 172–3, 339, 383, 340, 325, 281, 326, 337, 336, Inter bona opera etiam quod propter Deum fiat hominibus, 51.
Very similar to the collection in Lincoln Cath. 166 (English, s. xv) which, however, breaks off unfinished in the first art. of part III.
Quire 15 is an afterthought, containing (a) ff. 174–82v a subject-index to the sermons (Abnegare. Quomodo homo abnegat et seipsum et perderet animam-de Ypocrisi), referring to parts, sermon-numbers and columns (a-d), (b) ff. 183–6 ‘Sermo beati Augustini contra Arrianos Manicheos et paganos. Inter pressuras atque angustias ...’. = QUODVULTDEUS, Serm. 4 (CSEL 60 [1976], pp. 227–58). f. 186v is blank. Preceding this insertion, III serm. 2 is made to end on f. 173. The verso is blank except for a catchword connecting with f. 187 (III serm. 3). Sermon-numbers in the margins and as running heads. As far as III serm. 2 the titulus to each sermon includes two numerations which do not correspond to those in the margins, e.g. f. 163 ‘Sermo Augustini de sancto Iohanne euuangelista. 39. 96’. The scribe first wrote the tituli in the lower margins before inserting them, in red, in the proper place. Sometimes the first version was then erased.
On ff. 278–9 is an index, listing the sermons in order of appearance, each part referred to as a ‘uolumen’; 279v-80v blank.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Frame-ruled with pencil or crayon in 2 cols; written in c. 50 lines (c. 60 ff. 174–86).
Hand(s)
A single neat anglicana as far as f. 172b line 37; an informal bookhand using some cursive forms, ff. 187–278a. The additional material on ff. 172vb lines 38–52, 173, 174–86, is in at least two uncalligraphic anglicana hands, writing in alternating brief stints. One of these hands is responsible for the index on ff. 278–9 and probably for the marginal numbers and running heads.
Decoration
Plain blue initials; red tituli , paraphs and underlining.
Binding
Late medieval, repaired by Maltby; oak boards with projecting squares and wide-bevelled edges, bared and backed with modern vellum, sewn on six bands. Formerly two broad straps from recesses in the front board to catches in the back. Near the foot of the rear board are the holes from the large iron chain-staple (Pl. 39a). Formerly brass chain-staples near the head and foot of the foredge of the front board. The outermost leaves were formerly pastedowns in this binding.
Accompanying Material
ff. 1–4 are waste leaves from a liturgical Psalter (Ps. 31: 24 — 33, 27: 8—30: 24, 41: 5—44: 8, 39: 5—41: 5), s. xv, lacking coloured initials and most rubrication. Written space 250 × 165 mm., ruled with ink in 2 cols of 36 lines, written in a large gothic textura quadrata.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
At the head of f. 4v is ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ ex dono magistri Henrici Seuer sacre pagine professoris ac custodis eiusdem incathenatus ad communem usum sociorum in libraria studere uolencium AD m.cccc.lxvi’. One of the gift of twenty-one books (Powicke, nos 943–60), made in 1466–8 by Henry Sever (BRUO 1672–3), fellow since c. 1423, warden 1456–71. The ex dono inscriptions are in the same hand as those in MSS 16, 20, 38–9, 67, 68, 111–12, 144, 189, 195–6, given by Hammond Haydok and Robert Wyght in 1468. Sever also owned Oxford, New Coll. 235.
On f. iv are ‘N. 1. 6. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘A. 2. 6 (VI)’ in red, and the College bookplate. At the head of f. 1, in a small hand, is ‘M A 9. 12’, s. xvii, canc. ‘6’ is inked on the foredge.
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2018-08-01: First online publication