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

Merton College MS. 242

Former shelfmark: B. 1. 1

SERMONS &c.; S. XIII1, XIII in., XII ex.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

f. ii blank. On fols. iiv-iii is a table of the sermons in I, in a very rough anglicana hand, referring to the foliation.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: (f. 2) ad eum discipuli
Secundo Folio: (f. 130) uersus spiritum
Secundo Folio: (f. 149) ergo ne exponas
Three originally separate volumes, put together by William Reed, s. xiv med.
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 223 leaves (iii + 220)
Dimensions (leaf): 270 × 190 mm.
Savagely retrimmed with considerable loss of marginalia, and the top line of text in III. The parchment of III was prepared in the Italian manner. Foliation of s. xiv appears to have run right through the book, though cropped by the binder and no longer visible after f. 214.

Collation

a bifolium, 1–168 / 1710, 1810(lacks 10) / 19–278; 19–26 have catchwords. The medieval foliation shows that three leaves, probably a quire of 4 (4 canc.), are missing after 16, and the last leaf of quire 18.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. The mark of a central strap at the foredge of the front leaves. Fols. i and 220 are paper binding leaves. f. ii was a pastedown in an earlier binding.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

On f. iiiv are ‘Merton’, s. xv; ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis que emit a uenerabili patre Thoma Tryllek’ episcopo Roffensi. Oretis pro utroque’; mainly in the same hand, a table of contents to the whole book, referring to the foliation; ‘Liber scolarum de genere uenerabilis patris domini Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrie Oxonie successive studentium ex dono uenerabilis patris per custodem et rectorem domorum de Mertone et Stapeltone in Oxonia uel per earum librarios eisdem scolaribus iuxta facultates et merita ipsorum cuiusque ad tempus sub caucione iuratorum proinde liberandus.’ Above and below the last are erased inscriptions of two or three lines each, the one below beginning with ‘Liber’. At the foot of f. 148 ‘Liber M. Willelmi Reed episcopi Cicestrensis quem emit a domino Thoma Tryllek episcopo Roffensis oretur igitur pro utroque’, over an erased inscription, of which ‘reddit’ can be read; in the same hand, ‘Sermones antiqui mixtim de sanctis et temporali’. For William Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8. For Trillek, see MS 237.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with two tables of contents, s. xvii, ‘P. 3. 9. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with modern ‘B. 1. 1. (CCXLII)’ in red ink, and the College bookplate.

Merton College MS. 242 – Part I (fols. 1–128v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 1–128v)
PETER OF REIMS OP, Sermones de Sanctis
Incipit: Vide turbam magnam ...; Quadruplicem turbam uidit Iohannes
Explicit: (ends impf.) Ecce noua facio omnia ...; Hec dixit qui sedebat in thro[sic] Deus s. cuius dicere facere est ... uisceribus uirginis separata, et ideo completum

The table shows that one sermon on ‘Hodie salus huic domui’ (Luc. 19: 9), doubtless Peter of Reims 234, is missing from the end. Much marginal annotation in cursive hands of s. xiv, some probably Continental, others anglicana. Some of the notes seem to comprise whole extra sermons.

Schneyer 104–233.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 195 × 115 mm.

Layout

Ruled with pencil in 2 cols of 45 lines.

Hand(s)

A gothic rotunda bookhand, probably French.

Decoration

On f. 1 a red and blue initial flourished in red; otherwise plain red initials, highlighting and underlining.

History

Origin: S. XIII1 ; France

Provenance

Probably written in France.

Merton College MS. 242 – Part II (fols. 129–147v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

2. (fols. 129–43v)
ALAN OF LILLE, De Arte Praedicandi
Rubric: Summa magistri Alani de arte predicandi.
Incipit: Vidit Iacob scalam a terra pertingentem ...; Scala ista est uita catholici profectus
Explicit: nec in cor hominis ascendit amen.

Fol. 143v col. b is filled with notes in a Continental cursive hand little later than the main text: ‘Sacerdos debet esse in conuersacione sanctus ...’.

PL 210. 111–98; Stegmüller, Bibl. 951.

3. (fols. 144–7v)
ODO OF CHERITON, Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer
Incipit: Eloquia Domini eloquia casta ... ; Eloquia Domini ad tria precipue sunt utilia
Incipit: Pater noster qui es in celis. Antiquus populus dicebatur seruus quia pro temporalibus seruierunt
Explicit: diuina clementia collocare quod Ipse prestare dignetur ...

The remainder of f. 147v col. b is filled with notes in a Continental cursive hand of s. xiv.

Unpr.; Bloomfield 8240, 8275; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 404, listing four copies, not this one.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 230 × 145 mm.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 59 lines.

Hand(s)

A smaller early gothic bookhand, southern French or Italian.

Decoration

Red or blue initials, plain or stroked with the other colour.

History

Origin: XIII in. ; France, South or Italy

Provenance

Probably written in southern France or Italy.

Merton College MS. 242 – Part III (fols. 148–219v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

4. (fols. 148–72)
Parisian sermons
4.1.
Incipit: Omnis gloria eius filie regis. Celestis curie citharedus ad celestes nuptias introductus
4.2.
Incipit: Congregare illi sanctos eius. Vnde ergo cum superba presumptio
4.3.

Hilduin 25

4.4.

Comestor 109

4.6.
Incipit: Conuerte me ad uiam portae. Hic Ezechiel personam generis humani de lacu miserie
4.7.

Comestor 117

4.8.
Incipit: Maurice de Sully 90
4.9.
Incipit: Numquid cadit laqueus super terram sine aucupe. Ista uerba sunt Amos prophete
4.10-14.

Comestor 122, 144, 126, 114, 152

4.15-16.

Maurice de Sully 73, 74

4.17-18.

Comestor 136, 23

4.19.
Incipit: Militia est uita hominis. Oportet f. k. strenuum Christi militem fortissimam ciuitatem Nineuem insidientem
4.20.
Incipit: Beati pauperes spiritu. Scriptum est nam et catelli edunt de micis
4.21-23.

Comestor 87, 134, 59

4.24.

Hilduin 23.

5. (fols. 172–85v)
RICHARD OF ST VICTOR, Beniamin Minor
Rubric: Incipit liber Ricardi de Sancto Victore de xii patriarchis.
Incipit: Beniamin adulescentulus in mentis excessu
Explicit: humana ratio applaudit.

PL 196. 1–64; Stegmüller, Bibl. 7325.

6. (fols. 185v-6v)
HUGH OF ST VICTOR, De Quatuor Voluntatibus in Christo
Incipit: De uoluntate. Queris de uoluntate Dei et de uoluntate hominis
Explicit: quod autem uiuit uiuit Deo.

PL 176. 841–6; Goy, p. 175.

7. (fols. 186v-7v)
HUGH OF ST VICTOR, De Meditatione
Incipit: De meditatione. Meditatio est frequens cogitatio
Explicit: tempore suo apprehendat.

PL 176. 993–8; Goy, p. 205

8. (fols. 187v-209v)

Sermones et Sententiae, mostly by or ascribed to HUGH OF ST VICTOR

Incipit: De contemplatione. Quamdiu anima per contemplationem Deo adheret
Explicit: ad Iudeos gentibus caeteris.

De contemplatione. Quamdiu anima per contemplationem Deo adheret .... Schneyer 276 (ed. R. Baron [Tournai, 1957]; Goy 479–80). De fine bono et malo. Est quidam finis bonus et est quidam finis malus ...; De spiritualibus inimicis. Quosdam spirituales inimicos habemus ...; De timore. Non est seruilis timor nisi constitutio legis ...; De misericordia et ueritate Dei. Misericordia Dei est qua parcit ueritas qua corrigit ...; Quod iustus aduersus presentem felicitatem. Vox iusticie presentem felicitatem despicientis ...; De perfectione forma uiuendi. Perfecta hic nobis forma uiuendi prescribitur ...; De uirtute huius uersiculi. Consideranti mihi huius uersiculi uirtutem ...; De donis et eorum auctore. Que sunt dona Dei ...; De oratione peccatoris alios orando docentis. Audite peccatores orantem peccatorem ...; Debet in scilentiis. Dum medium scilentium tenerent omnia. Tria sunt silentia. Primum silentium est ignorancia .... Schneyer 95; prob. = De Verbo Incarnato: Collatio I (unpr.; Goy, pp. 81–7, not this copy), 93, 244, 377, 53, 182, 173–4, 55, 148, 205, 160, 130, 50, 52, 239, 101–2, 389, 375, 396, 264, 295, 235, 408, 68, 156, 354, 164, 77, Humana natura ita omnifariam incomprehensibilis probetur, 126, 136, 161, 309 = De Vnione Corporis et Spiritus (Goy, pp. 958, not this copy; PL 177. 285–9); Quid dicat uocalis sermo? Vocalis sermo dicit sequere me ...; Quod errorem suum quedam muniunt ex quibusdam scripture locis. Sunt qui ex quibusdam scripturarum locis munimentum erroris dicere putauerunt ... ; f. 198rv Iohanni quondam Yspanensi archiepiscopo Vgo seruus crucis Christi. Quid, f. k., quid dicam tibi? Si ceperimus loqui tibi forsitam[sic] moleste accepies ... nisi ostendas conuersionem (PL 176. 1014–18; Goy, p. 447). Followed by Schneyer 366, 272 = De Potestate et Voluntate Dei (PL 176. 839–42; Goy, p. 179), 63 (PL 157. 818–20), 142, 388, 359, 409, 119, 315, 176, 303, 277, 374, 286, Cum quibusdam est Deus per fauorem gratie, 307, 285, 221, 72, 259, 90, 288, 353, 373, 98, 323, Cor est ager, sensus radix, Duplex sapientia est, una inferior et altera superior, Quedam sunt ita mala ut nunquam licite fieri possit, Solus Deus est cuius bonum est, 398, Duo denarii que in procuratione uulnerati expenduntur, 212, Homo nudus nascitur, Exiui a Patre et ueni in mundum, 91, Defectus Symeonis defectus ueteris hominis, 223, 306, Dominus dixit In quacumque die comederis, 169, 222, 231, 274, 208, 247, 35, 89, 116, 280, 392, 301, 331, 405, 378, 293, 170, 12, 110, 138, 268, 105, 78, 166, 92. fols. 204v-6v Beatus uir ...; Quinque sunt modi exercendi humilitatem. Primus in secularium rerum abdicatione ... ad Iudeos gentibus caeteris.

Short sections of commentary on scriptural passages, interspersed with sententiae; it is difficult to know whether this is a single work.

(fols. 208v-9v)

Extracts from works of Augustine

13. (fols. 209v-19v)
Parisian sermons
Incipit: Apprehenderunt vii. mulieres...; Ad litteram desolationem Iudee propheta ... adipisci maereamur quas uobis prestare dignetur qui ...
Incipit: In festo omnium sanctorum. Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius ...; Magna et celebris est solempnitas ...

Comestor 8, 5, 69, 10, 44, Gebuin of Troyes 23, Comestor 53, 52, 97, Hilduin 36, Bodl. Libr., Laud. misc. 453, art. 69, the last serm. not recorded by Schneyer.

Arts 4–13 are copied more or less as a single item, or as an undifferentiated series of smaller ones.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 195–215 × 120–70 mm.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 40–8 lines.

Hand(s)

A hand of the same type as in Part II: smaller early gothic bookhand, southern French or Italian.

Decoration

Red or blue initials, plain or stroked with the other colour.

History

Origin: XII ex. ; France, South or Italy

Provenance

Probably written in southern France or Italy.

Additional Information

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009. (Faulty numbering of item 13 not corrected.)

Availability

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

Bibliography

    Coxe, pp. 94–5; Powicke, no. 560.

Funding of Cataloguing

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

Last Substantive Revision

2019-10-01: First online publication

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