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

St John's College MS 9

Glossed Gospels

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Fols. 1ra–253rb:
Incipit: Matheus ex iudea sicut in ordine primus ponitur […] [fol. 1rc, the gloss] Modus tractandi talis est Prius Genealogiam cristi describit […] [fols. 1va–2rb, the text] Liber generationis ihesu cristi filii dauid | filii abraham
Explicit: [fol. 252vc, the gloss ends] rerum plerumque uerba uideantur excedere fidem per yperbolem […] [fol. 253ra, the text ends] mundum \posse/ [later] capere \quantum ad intelligenciam/ eos qui scribendi sunt libros | Quid autem uirgo est iohannes conuenit future uite ubi neque nubent neque nubentur etc.
The Gospels,

with the normal prologues (Stegmüller, Bibl. 590, 607, 620, 624 respectively) and the ordinary gloss (Stegmüller Stegmüller, Bibl. 11827–30 [9:521–9]). Mark begins at fol. 76rb, Luke at 123ra, John at 202ra. The explicit cited comes from an extra gloss, with signe de renvoi but no apparent point of attachment to the text. The Gospels are separated by blank spaces: more than half of fol. 75v after Matthew, most of fol. 121v and all of 122 after Mark, about half of 201v after Luke, and all of 253, except the few lines at the top of the last text column.

The blanks at the ends of each Gospel, especially in conjunction with the separate numeration of the leaves in each, imply that each portion of the production was considered in some sense separable. Thus, at the foot of fol. 75v, probably the same hand which has added catchwords notes the number of leaves to this point, ‘75’. Similarly, fol. 121v has ‘46’, 201v ‘79’, and 252 ‘51 summa 251’ (i.e., ignoring the leaf with no text, fol. 122?). However, in structural terms, the book represents only two separate campaigns; the blank uncancelled leaf, fol. 122, at the end of the anomalous quire 10, marks the boundary between the two production units.

Added texts:

A considerable number of corrections, added glosses (increasing in John), and cross-references, s. xiii ex. Also a good many longer notes, including ‘Nota 12. effectus eucharistie’ (fol. 112v, upper margin); notes on Easter and on ‘alleluia’ according to various Fathers (fol. 191v); a distinctio on ‘euangelium’ and WIC 16027, ‘Quinque libros moysi Iosue iudicum samuelem | Et Malachin […] ’, a verse mnemonic for books of the Old Testament, concluding with discussion of the meaning of ‘apocriphum’ (fol. 201v), further verses erased (fol. 208).

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: fili abraham (text)
Secundo Folio: dicitur (gloss)
Form: codex
Support: Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).
Extent: Fols. ii + 253 + ii (numbered fols. iii and iv).
Dimensions (leaf): 375 × 255 mm.

Collation

1–912 1014 [fol. 122, a booklet] | 11–2012 2112(–12). Occasional catchwords in an informal hand, mostly cut away; no signatures.

Layout

In varying column formats, depending on the extent of glossing, most usually a writing area 228 mm high with the text-column of c.77 mm and a gloss column of c.60 mm along the leading edge, with 5 mm between columns, in 26 text lines to the page (52 lines for the half-sized gloss hand). A substantial number of surviving prickings for gloss lines; bounded and ruled in black ink.

Hand(s)

Written in two sizes of gothic textura quadrata, with rather club-headed tops to minims. The text is written below the top line, the gloss above it. Punctuation by point and occasional punctus elevatus.

Decoration

No headings. 12-line red and blue lombards on red flourishing at the heads of the books; alternating 1-line blue and red examples on flourishing of the other colour at the heads of chapters and some verse divisions.

Chapters marked by alternating blue and red roman numerals in the margin.

Running titles in alternate blue and red lombards with terminal flourishes in red and blue.

See AT no. 661 (66).

Binding

Brown reversed calf over millboards,? late s. xvii. Sewn on six thongs. A chain staple mark in Watson’s position 6. Two pairs of cloth ties to close the book. At the top of the spine a gold ‘9’, and a fragment of a pasted paper label ‘45’ on the back cover. A College bookplate on the front pastedown. ‘Gloss in eua 9’, in black ink on the leading edges.

Two modern paper flyleaves at front and rear.

History

Origin: s. xiii1 ; France

Provenance and Acquisition

‘Est hic Liber Glossae Interlinearis in 4or. Evangelia cum brevibus Commentis annexis’ (fol. ii, s. xvii).

‘Liber Collegii Sancti Iohannis Baptistae Oxon’ ex dono Venerabilis virj Guilielmi Laud Sacre Theologiae Doctoris Ecclesiae Cathedralis Gloucest’ \Decani/ et ejusdem Collegii Praesidis 1620’ (fol. 10). For Laud’s benefactions, see Hunt, 68; the MS appears as Laud Exhib. no. 9 (9).

MS 9 - Pastedowns

Pastedowns

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Frontab–rearab:
Incipit: || [the second line] ordinem timentis ad deum cui per vnum timorem ⟨m⟩agis appropinquat uel distat
Explicit: Timpanistria a timpanum dicitur hec timpanistria strie que canit cum tym- ||
Incipit: || -ro Tirocinium a tiro onis dicitur hoc tirocinium nij id est noua milicia officium tironis
Explicit: Tolerabilis a tolero ras dicitur hic et hec tolerabilis et hoc le Quod componitur intolerabilis le omnis genus ||
JOHANNES BALBUS of Genoa OP, Catholicon (Kaeppeli no. 2199 [2:379–83]), as in the unfoliated edn. (Mainz, 1460), Hain *2254, BMC 1:39, the first leaf beginning in ‘Timor’, the second in ‘Tiro’.

Physical Description

Dimensions (leaf): 375 × 255 mm.

Layout

In double columns, each column 305 × 85 mm. , with 18 mm between columns, in 54 or 55 lines to the column.

Hand(s)

Written in textura rotunda, s. xiv/xv.

Decoration

Alternate red and blue paraphs on frames of the other colour at the heads of individual entries.

History

Origin: s. xiv/xv

Additional Information

Record Sources

Ralph Hanna, A descriptive catalogue of the western medieval manuscripts of St. John's College, Oxford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact St John's College Library.

Bibliography

    Catalogue of Books Printed in the XVth Century Now in the British Museum, 8 vols. (London, 1909).
    An Exhibition of Manuscripts to Commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Archbishop Laud 7 October 1573–10 January 1634 (Oxford, 1973).
    L. Hain, Repertorium bibliographicum, 8 vols. (Stuttgart, 1826–38, repr. Milan, 1948), with Supplement by W. A. Copinger (London, 1895–1902; repr. Milan, 1950).
    Richard Hunt, 'St John's College Donors: Donors of manuscripts to St John's College Oxford during the presidency of William Laud 1611–1621'. In Hunt ed al. (eds.), Studies in the Book Trade in Honour of Graham Pollard. Oxford Bibliographical Society Publications NS 18 (1975), pp. 63–70.
    T. Kaeppeli, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum Medii Aevi, 4 vols. (Rome, 1970–93).
    Friederich Stegmüller, Repertorium Biblicum Medii Aevi, 11 vols. (Madrid, 1950–80).
    Hans Walther, Initia carminum ac versuum Medii Aevi posterioris Latinorum, 2nd edn (Göttingen, 1969).
    Andrew G. Watson, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Medieval Manuscripts of All Souls College Oxford (Oxford, 1997).

Funding of Cataloguing

Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Thompson Family Charitable Trust

Last Substantive Revision

2021-11: First online publication

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