St John's College MS 126
Letters: Arnulf of Lisieux, John of Salisbury excerpted, Peter of Cella; Jerome, ‘Interpretatio nominum Hebreorum’
Physical Description
Binding
A modern replacement. Sewn on five thongs. At the front, a modern paper flyleaf (with a College bookplate on the verso); at the rear a modern paper flyleaf (iii).
History
Provenance and Acquisition
‘Hic liber est ecclesie Sancte Marie de Suwicha Quem qui ei uiolenter auferre uel titulum istum dolo dolere presumpserit nisi eidem ecclesie condigne satisfecerit sit anathema Maranat⟨ ⟩ amen amen amen’ (fols. 153v–4, lower margin in rubricator’s red). The erasure following item 4 (fol. 146v) apparently removed a similar statement of ownership; legible under ultraviolet light in the first line is ‘prior⟨.⟩ Sut⟨ ⟩’.
Manuscript 1 = Fols 1–81
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Sharpe, no. 132 (64), , ed. Frank Barlow, The Letters of Arnulf of Lisieux, Camden Society 3rd ser. 61 (1939); see especially pp. lxxxiii–lxxxvi and the table on pp. lxvii–lxx for the unique contents of this MS., These include about forty extra items at the end, most grouped by Barlow at 161–217, although the explicit is letter 10 (14). Fols. 1–2 have a table for the letters, s. xii/xiii; fol. 2v was originally blank but ruled, now with an added index for item 2. Fols. 71v–2v are blank but ruled. Dietrich Lohrmann, ‘Der Tod König Heinrichs I. von England in der mittellateinischen Literatur Englands und der Normandie’, Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch 8 (1973), 90–107 at 99–101, 107 edits Arnulf’s poem for one of Henry’s tombs from the correspondence.
ed. PL 201:151–170 A7. The prologue is numbered as the final epistle of item 1. Fol. 81v is blank.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
In long lines, 31–3 lines to the page (with considerable variation). Prickings; bounded and ruled in black ink.
Hand(s)
Several hands, all writing gothic textura semiquadrata, s. xii/xiii or xiii in.:
scribe 1 = fols. 1–34v;
scribe 2 = fols. 45–71;
scribe 3 = fols. 73–81.
The quire fols. 35–44v appears to have been copied by a committee. Scribe 1 punctuates by point and punctus elevatus; scribes 2 and 3 by point, medial point, and punctus elevatus.
Decoration
Red headings and epistle numbers.
Alternate red and green two-line arabesque initials, a few flourished in the other colour.
At the head, a blue seven-line capital with red flourishing.
History
Manuscript 2 = Fols. 82–94
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Sharpe, no. 408 (157), unprinted as such; see Anne Duggan, Thomas Becket: A Textual History of his Letters (Oxford, 1980), 95–8. The collection breaks off at a quire end in the 110th selection, John’s description of Becket’s martyrdom.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
In long lines, 28–33 lines to the page. Prickings; bounded and ruled in black ink.
Hand(s)
A variety of mixed protogothic bookhand/gothic textura hands, s. xii ex., often writing very short sections. The final scribe (fols. 93v–4v) appears to be spacing out his writing in an attempt to produce a join with a quire no longer present. Punctuation by point and punctus elevatus.
Decoration
Headings and some marginal notes in red.
Two-line arabesque initials, at some points simply red (occasionally flourished in green), at others alternate red and green or alternate red and text ink.
History
Manuscript 3 = Fols. 95–146
Contents
Language(s): Latin
ed. C. Messiter, Epistolae Walteri abbatis Dervensis, Caxton Society 10 (1850); cf. PL 202:405–636, where the incipit = ep. 13 (col. 415) and the explicit = ep. 66 (col. 513). The attribution was corrected by Heinrich Hohenleutner, ‘Die Briefsammlung des sogenannten Walter van Dervy (Montier-en-Der) in der Oxforder Handschrift St John’s College MS 126’, Historisches Jahrbuch 74 (1954), 673–80. Beneath the explicit on fol. 146v are eight erased lines in red (see Provenance below).
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
In long lines, 31–7 lines to the page (increasing at the end). Rare prickings; bounded and ruled in brown and black ink.
Hand(s)
Written in incipient gothic textura (above top line), with a change of hands at fol. 128 (and perhaps more scribes), s. xiii in. Scribe 1 punctuates by point, medial point, punctus elevatus, and punctus flexus; scribe 2 by point, occasional punctus elevatus and punctus interrogativus.
Decoration
Red and alternate red and gold 1- and 2-line arabesque capitals.
Red rubrics, a substantial number of spaces for them unfilled.
History
Manuscript 4 = Fols. 147–52
Contents
Language(s): Latin
ed. PL 162:538 C2–543 A2 (excerpted).
ed. PL 162:233–4 C 3.
There are only four lines on fol. 152v, which is not ruled.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
In double columns of varying format, at the start each column 190 × 54 mm. , with 9 mm between columns, in 39 lines to the column. No prickings; bounded and ruled at the start in brown ink.
Hand(s)
Written in several gothic textura semiquadrata hands, s. xiii in.: one to fol. 148rb / 7, another of an older aspect to the end of item 5; item 6 in a third hand; the first hand then returns through fol. 149vb, after which there appear a succession of different writers. Punctuation by point and occasional punctus elevatus.
Decoration
Red-slashed capitals and some text ink paraphs, occasionally also red-slashed.
Three 2- or 3-line lombards, two dark blue on red flourishing, one red and unflourished.
History
Manuscript 5 = Fols. 153–75, ii
Contents
Language(s): Latin
CPL 581, , ed. Paul de Lagarde, CC 72 (1959) 59–161., Following the explicit, added material (fol. 175rab): notes of other etymologies in Jerome, first entries for the Song, not treated in the text, then five etymologies from Adversus Iovinianum. Fols. 175v and ii are blank.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
In double columns, each column 168 × 57–60 mm. , with 8 mm between columns, in 40 lines to the column. Fairly regular prickings; bounded and ruled in brown ink.
Hand(s)
Written in early gothic textura semiquadrata, above top line, s. xiii in. Punctuation by point, occasional punctus elevatus and punctus interrogativus.
Decoration
Headings in red.
Alternate red and blue 1-line initials for the individual entries.
Three-line alternate red and blue arabesque capitals on flourishing of the other colour at the head of the prologue and the text.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact St John's College Library.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Thompson Family Charitable Trust
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2023-01: First online publication