Exeter College MS. 37
Augustine of Hippo, Enarrationes in psalmos 101–150; England, s. xiv¼
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl., 1463; pr. PL 37. 1293–1966; ed. E. Dekkers and J. Fraipont, CC 40 (1966). CPL 283. The loss of a quire between quires 9 and 10 (fols. 108/9) leads to a gap in the text, PL 37. 1585/30 to 1596/22, CC 40. 1763/17 to 1776/1. A corrector, s. xv, writing anglicana, inserted omitted passages in margins and wrote the opening words of each psalm in top righthand corners; he did the same in MS 38.
Fol. 224v is blank.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Two columns, 40–52 lines. Frame-ruled in crayon.
Hand(s)
Written in several anglicana hands, some showing secretary influence. Punctuated by low point, punctus elevatus, and punctus interrogativus.
Decoration
On fol. 1r is an illuminated 4-line initial extended to form a half-border. Main colours are blue and brown. A hole in the lower margin suggests that a coat of arms has been excised.
Before each psalm are 4/5-line lombards, blue flourished red. Lemmata underlined red; red stroking. Alexander and Temple, no. 426.
Binding
Sewn on five bands. Standard Exeter binding: simple and quite elegant, calf over millboards, the calf bearing blind decoration of a floral type, early 19th century. On the spine is a red leather label with the title in gold. Endbands are lost.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
It is not known when the volume came to Exeter but unless we suppose that this manuscript and MS 38 were together before coming to the College (for which there is no evidence) their sharing a common history in the fifteenth century, shown by the presence of the hand of that date that added the opening words of psalms (see above), makes it very probable that they were both in the College then. One of them may indeed be the book referred to in the Rector’s Accounts for summer 1419, ‘Item Vs pro vno libro beati Augustini.’ Both are recorded as being in the library c. 1600 (Ecloga, nos. 28 and 22 respectively) and at the end of the 17th century (CMA, nos. 29 and 22 respectively).
On fol. 109 (as in MSS 28 fol. 173 (172), 38 fol. 94 and 40 fol. 47) a tab to bear a title was created, all that can now be read on this one being ‘Aug… Ps…’.
Exeter library identifications are, on the front pastedown, ‘P8—6 Gall’ (deleted), ‘173–H–2’, ‘Ex: Coll: Oxon:’, ‘Coxe Cat. no. XXXVII’ and the book stamp. On the spine is a round paper label with ‘2’ on it.
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Exeter College Library.
Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Rector and Fellows of Exeter College.
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2020-04-29: First online publication