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

Merton College MS. 110

Former shelfmark: L. 2. 4

WILLIAM DURAND, VINCENT OF BEAUVAIS &c.; S. XIV ex.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

(fol. i)

fol. i blank. To the verso is pasted a fragment of paper with the remains of a table of contents, s. xvi1.

1. (fols. 1–273v; 274rv blank)
WILLIAM DURAND, Rationale Diuinorum Officiorum
Incipit: Quecumque in ecclesiasticis officiis rebus ac ornamentis consistunt
Incipit: Prius est ut de ecclesia et eius partibus uideamus
Explicit: pro peccatis meis deuotas oraciones effundant.
Final rubric: Explicit racionale diuinorum.

ed.CCSL cont. med. 140, 140A-B (1995–2000); Schulte 2. 155.

2. (fols. 275–326v)
Vincent of Beauvais, De Eruditione Puerorum Nobilium
Rubric: Incipit prologus opusculi.
Incipit: ⟨S⟩erenissime ac reuerentissime domine sue Francorum Dei gracia regine Margarite
Incipit: Nuper si bene recolitis
(capitula)
Incipit: De puerorum nobilium erudicione
Incipit: ⟨F⟩ilii tibi sunt erudi illos et curua [sic] illos a puericia
Explicit: cum in nobis incipiet uirginitas honorari amen. Explicit liber ...

Ed. A. Steiner (Cambridge MA, 1938); Kaeppeli 4003.

3. (fols. 326v-57v)
Vincent of Beauvais, Epistola ad Ludouicum
Rubric: Incipit prologus de morte amici consolatoria.
Incipit: ⟨D⟩ilecto Deo et hominibus illustrissimo domini in Christo sibi carissimo diuina fauente clemencia Francorum principi Ludouico
Incipit: Regie magestati nostre scribendi fiduciam
(capitula)
Incipit: ⟨I⟩n primis igitur aduertere debet illa que maxime personam nostram decet regalis prudencia
Explicit: modestiam regie magestatis amen.
Final rubric: Explicit epistola de morte amici consolatoria.

Pr. Rostock 1477, Basel 1481, chs. 1–3 only ed. P. von Moos, ‘Die Trostschrift des Vinzenz von Beauvais für Ludwig IX’, Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch 6 (1967), 173–218 (text at 178–98); Kaeppeli 4004.

4. (fols. 357v-80)
Vincent of Beauvais, De Morali Principis Institutione
Rubric: Incipit prologus.
Incipit: ⟨C⟩arissimis ac religiosissimis in Christo uiris et illustrissimis dominis omni honore ac reuerencia dignis principibus Ludouico regis Francie ac Theobaldo eiusdem fauente clemencia regi Nauarre et comiti Campanie
Incipit: Olim dum in monasterio regalis montis
(capitula)
Incipit: ⟨S⟩icut dicit apostolus ad Romanos vii. Multi unum corpus sumus in Christo
Explicit: si sola seruatur utilitatis fides.

Ed. CCSL cont. med. 137 (1995); Kaeppeli 4005.

5. (fols. 380–2)
Bernard of Clairvaux, De Praecepto et Dispensatione extracts
Rubric: Tractatus Bernardi de precepto et dispensacione
Incipit: (edn. p. 254 line 15) ⟨F⟩idei uestre non meo fidens ingenio abissum ingredior
Explicit: (fol. 381; p. 264 line 1)et inobediencie terminat culpam.
Incipit: (line 10) ⟨B⟩onus quidem obediencie gradus est si iuxta magistri nostri sentenciam pro metu Gehenne
Explicit: (p. 293 line 4) absens perfectio [sc. pro profecto] est.

SBO 3. 253–94. A series of short passages selected from within two longer sections.

6. (fols. 382–3v)
Bernard of Clairvaux, Epistola ad Robertum
Incipit: ⟨Q⟩uoniam huc usque frustratum
Explicit: quia mortuus mox coronaberis.

SBO 7. 1–11.

7. (fols. 383v-6v)
PETER OF BLOIS, De Periculis Prelatorum (Epist. 102)
Rubric: Quanta sunt pericula prelatorum
Incipit: ⟨R⟩euerendo patri et domini H. Dei gratia Radingis abbati
Incipit: Quociens recolo uerba collacionis illius quam inter nos nuper habuimus
Explicit: (fol. 385v) quia sine te nichil possum
Rubric: Responsio ad predictam
Incipit: ⟨T⟩ue conquestionis seriem pater fidelis sicut estimo recordacione collegi
Explicit: et epistola transiuit in librum. Explicit

PL 207. 314–26.

8. (fols. 387–96; 396v blank)
PETER OF BLOIS, Compendium super Iob
Incipit: ⟨H⟩enrici Dei gracia illustrissimo regi Anglorum
Incipit: Gracias ago gracie largitori
Incipit: ⟨V⟩ir erat in terra Hus ...; Tria hic ponuntur s. simplex rectus et timens Deum
Explicit: gloria que non transit quam nobis et uobis prestare dignetur altissimus altissimi filius I. C. qui ...

PL 207. 795–826; Stegmüller, Bibl. 6431; J. Gildea, ‘Extant manuscripts of Compendium in Iob by Peter of Blois’, Scriptorium 30 (1976), 285–7; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 418.

9. (fols. 397–408v)
Isidore, De Ortu et Obitu Sanctorum Patrum
Incipit: Quorumdam sanctorum nobilissimorumque uirorum ortus uel gesta cum genalogiis suis
Explicit: de significacionibus quorundam uirorum dictorum liber.

Ed. C. Chaparro Gomez (Paris, 1985); CPL 1191; Diaz 103.

10. (fols. 408v-14)
Isidore, In Libros Veteris et Novi Testamenti Prooemia
Incipit: De librorum noui ac ueteris testamenti plenitudine
Explicit: dum exprimitur imitatur

CPL 1192; PL 83. 155–80; Diaz 102.

11. (fols. 414–19v; 420rv blank)
HUGH OF ST CHER, Speculum Ecclesiae
Incipit: Dicit apostolus ad Ephesios vi. Induite uos armaturam Dei ...; Hec armatura est uestis sacerdotalis significatiua
Explicit: Et ideo dicitur in principio et eciam fine misse.
Final rubric: Explicit ordo misse qui dicitur Speculum sacerdotale.

Pr. Paris, 1480 &c.; Glorieux, Théol. 2aw.

At the head of fol. 420 are notes on art. 1 in a Continental cursive hand which annotates throughout; 420v blank.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: decreta diuinorum
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 422 leaves (i + 421)
Dimensions (leaf): 400 × 260 mm.
Dimensions (written): 280 × 190 mm.

Collation

a singleton at each end, 1–338, 3410, 356, 36–408, 416, 42–98, 506, 51–38; catchwords; quire-signatures of the usual late medieval form. At the head of fol. 420v is written ‘ultimus quaternus’.

Layout

Frame-ruled with crayon in 2 cols; written in c. 48 lines.

Hand(s)

An exceptionally elegant upright anglicana formata.

Decoration

Red and blue flourished initials; blue initials flourished in red; red paraphs, running heads, underlining and highlighting; highlighting also in yellow. Rubrics were supplied only spasmodically; there are no coloured initials from fol. 275 on.

Binding

Late medieval; bevelled oak boards, slightly projecting at the foredge, now bare and the spine covered with pigskin, s. xix; sewn on eight bands. Two straps from recesses in the front board to clasps at the back, all gone; formerly chained from the front board, at the foredge near the head and foot. Only the first of these (in brass) has left a mark on fol. i. Also formerly chained from near the foot of the rear board. The outermost leaves were formerly pastedowns.

History

Origin: S. XIV ex. ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

Made in England. It is not known when it reached the College prior to s. xvii.

On fol. iv is a sheet of paper with ‘D. 5, 9’ (canc.) and a table of contents, s. xvii. Above is ‘O. 1. 4. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced by ‘L. 2. 4 (CX)’ in red. Below is 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. 52; Powicke, no. 1239.

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

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