A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges

Merton College MS. 95

Former shelfmark: K. 3. 6

ISIDORE, BEDE &c.; S. XIV

Contents

Language(s): Latin

fol. ii is blank. On fol. ii, s. xvv is a table of contents, s. xv, including items now missing from the end: Epistola Cuthberti ad Cuthwinum de Obitu Bedae, Bede, De Natura Rerum and De Temporibus, Marianus Scotus ‘de uariis opinionibus contra Brunonem continens 24 c.’, ‘obiectiones contra dictum Marianum de passione et resurrectione Christi’, and Jerome, ‘de 7 ebdomadibus contentis in li. Daniel’. A hand of c. 1600 notes their loss; the Marianus texts were noticed by Bale (Appendix C, no. 30).

1. (fols. 18–133)
Isidore, Etymologiae
Rubric: Incipit epistola Ysidori episcopi ad Braulionem episcopum (5 letters)
Rubric: Incipiunt libri Ysidori iunioris Spalensis episcopi ad Braulionem Cesaraugustanum episcopum scripti
Incipit: En tibi sicud pollicitus sum
Explicit: ut uis morbi ignis ardore siccetur.
Final rubric: Pax legentibus et scribentibus in Christo amen. Expliciunt libri Ysidori ...

CPL 1186; ed. W. M. Lindsay (2 vols, Oxford, 1911).

There is a break in the text at fol. 71va, where it ends in mid-sentence of ix. 59, with catchwords in the usual position. A hand of s. xv notes 'Hic nichil deficit sed quere in proximo quaterno in secunda parte primi folii'. fol. 72 is blank, but the text picks up on the verso.

Preceeded by:

(fols. 1–17v)
Alphabetical subject-index to art. 1,

in 3 cols.

2. (fol. 133)
JEROME, Epistola ad Marcellam de Decem nominibus Dei (Epist. 25)
Rubric: Ieronimus ad Marcellam de decem nominibus quibus apud Hebreos Deus nominatur. epistola 99.
Incipit: Nonagesimum psalmum legens in eo loco quo qui scribitur
Explicit: in ligna nostra habere possumus.
Final rubric: GR. Salonas

CPL 620; CSEL 54 (19962), pp. 218–20.

3. (fol. 133v)
Ps.-JEROME, Epistola ad Damasum de Gradibus Romanorum (Epist. supp. 73)
Incipit: Decanus qui sit super x et quodcumque furtum in unitate factum fuerit
Explicit: satrapa uocatur.

unpr.; Lambert 373, listing six copies, of which this is the only English one.

4. (fol. 134rv)
WILLIAM OF NEWBURGH, Historia Rerum Anglicarum (prologue)
Rubric: Excerptiones de primo libro Willelmi parui doctoris in theologia et canonia regularis monasterii Noui Burgi de rebus Anglorum.
Incipit: Hystoriam gentis nostre id est Anglorum uenerabilis presbiter et monachus Beda conscripsit
Explicit: fabulator ille cum suis fabulis incunctanter ab omnibus respuatur.

The complete text ed. R. Howlett, Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I (RS, 1884–9), I, pp. 11–408, II, pp. 409–500, not citing this copy, which corresponds to his pp. 11–18. Noticed by Bale, Index (Appendix C, no. 14), and in his Scriptores i. 79.

5. (fols. 135–94v)
Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica
Rubric: Incipit prefacio uenerabilis Bede presbiteri in ecclesiasticam historiam gentis Anglorum ad regem Celwlfum
Incipit: Gloriosissimo regi
(capitula)
Rubric: Incipit liber primus ecclesiastice historie gentis Anglorum uenerabilis Bede presbiteri ad regem Celwlfum
Incipit: Britannia oceani insula
Explicit: ecclesia sancte institucionis utilia didicit ||
(catchwords eo tempore Naitonus rex) (ends impf. in v. 20)

CPL 1375; ed. B. Colgrave and R. A. B. Mynors (OMT, 1969), this copy at p. lvi.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: (index) Antella
Secundo Folio: (text, fol. 19) obscura reserare
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 199 leaves (ii + 196, incl. 31A)
Dimensions (leaf): 335 × 230 mm.
Dimensions (written): 265 × 170 mm.
The edges retrimmed and spattered with red.

Collation

A singleton, 1–1112, 124(4 canc.), 13–1712; catchwords in patterned frames; quire-signatures of the usual late medieval form.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 53 lines.

Hand(s)

A large bookhand with many anglicana forms. Book-numbers as running heads.

Decoration

Red and blue initials, probably intended for flourishing; red or blue initials and paraphs.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, rebacked; sewn on five bands; formerly chained from the usual position. Fols. i, 195–6 are paper binding-leaves; fol. 196 is from the same printed book as in MS 68.

History

Origin: S. XIV ; Script of English appearance

Provenance and Acquisition

On fol. iv, in the same hand as the table of contents, ‘Liber domus scolarium de Merton’ in Oxon’ ex legato reuerendi uiri domini Roberti K [the rest hidden, but Ketrinham supplied in the outer margin in a hand of s. xvii] quondam rectoris ecclesie Sancti Gregorii London’. Oretis igitur pro eodem et benefactoribus eiusdem ac fidelium animabus a purgatorio liberandis.’ The placename is Ketteringham (Norf.). He does not appear in the Merton records.

At the head of fol. 1 is the James no. ‘204’, s. xvii in. ‘15’ is inked on the foredge. Inside the front board are two sheets of paper: (1) s. xvii, with ‘N. 7. 15. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘K. 3. 6 (XCV)’ in red; (2) s. xvii, with ‘K. 2. 10’ (canc.) and a table of contents repeating that on fol. iiv and noting the absence of the lost works; the College bookplate.

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009.

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.

Bibliography

    Coxe, p. 49; Powicke, no. 525.

Funding of Cataloguing

Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .

Last Substantive Revision

2018-08-01: First online publication

See the Availability section of this record for information on viewing the item in a reading room.