St John's College MS 173

Religious miscellany: Bernard, Augustine, Aquinas etc.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

1. Fol. 1

Incipit: || et eo noctibus a toto tempore huius seculi quod per quadragenarium numerum designatus

Explicit: Qui manducat et bibit indigne iudicium sibi manducat et bibit etc.

The fragmentary conclusion of a text; the first folio was once a pastedown and is not very legible. Fols. 1–8, probably to be associated with binding, are bounded but originally blank (fols. 1v–2, 3v, 7v–8v remain so), with Coleman’s later notes, in the main theological sententiae culled from named Fathers. The book includes a substantial amount of upper and lower margin material, much of it textual correction but a number of similar small sententiae; cf. such an addition as the lower margin, fol. 135v. ‘Femina fax sathane fetens rosa dulce venenum | Semper prona rei que prohibetur ei | Vrit in vultu visu risu cute cultu | Huius ab insultu quantum potes esto procul tu’ (Walther, no. 6370, here ascribed to ROBERT HOLCOT, not to Walther’s DROGO DE ALTAVILLA).

The ownership inscription (see Provenance) follows and below it ‘In septimo audere vehementer In octauo stri⟨n⟩gere’ (partly repeated).

2. Fols. 9–26v:

Incipit: De psalterio beate virginis marie Exempla valde motiua ad amorem illius que insuper sunt fide digna De qualitate confessionis et de modo meditandi in quinque lapidibus grossis patrioquij et in decem paruis Exemplum Predicante sancto dominico in ytalia feruentissime miles quidam inde compunctus petit confiteri

Explicit: ratio vero docens memoria quasi ministrans vtrique iii quid iubeat isti vnde doceat Finis

A series of exempla, ending with two paragraphs on theological subjects (the nature of ‘voluntas’).

Below the explicit are four verses, again ascribed to HOLCOT, ‘Vita breuis casusque leuis nec spes remeandi […] ’ (Walther, no. 20660).

3. Fols. 27–8:

Rubric: Incipit secreta Meditacio beati HIERONIMI

Incipit: Pensandum quippe est cum iam peccatrix anima vinculo carnis incipit absolui

Explicit: solumque adipiscende pcrfeccionis propositum indeclinabiliter custodire etc.

In fact PETER DAMIAN, ‘Institutio monialis’, opusculum 50.6, ed. PL 145:737–8.

4. Fol. 28rv:

Rubric: BERNARDUS de ingratitudine

Incipit: Peremptoria res est ingratitudo hostis gracie inimica salutis Nichil ita displicet deo

Explicit: consolari anima tua in alijs si vis in dei memoria delectari

Final rubric: Hec BERNARDUS

A series of four theological notes, the briefer final pair added later, three ascribed to Bernard, the third in the sequence to Augustine.

5. Fols. 29–31:

Rubric: Incipit libellus sancti AUGUSTINI de laude caritatis

Incipit: Diuinarum scripturarum multiplicem habundanciam et latissimam doctrinam sine vello errore comprehendit

Explicit: Oportet enim vt senilis sermo non solum sit grauis sed eciam breuis Explicit

AUGUSTINE, Sermo 350,

ed. PL 39:1533–5, but perhaps MAXIMINUS, since the text survives appended to his work, CPL 698.

6. Fols. 31–3v:

Rubric: Quedam ammonicio sancti AUGUSTINI quod debemus frequenter diuinam leccionem legere

Incipit: Propicio cristo fratres karissimi ita diuinam leccionem auido et sicienti corde

Explicit: fuerunt fulgebunt vt stelle in perpetuas eternitates Quod ipse prestare dignetur Cui viuit

AUGUSTINE

‘Ad fratres in eremo’, sermo 56, ed. PL 40: 1339–41.

7. Fols. 33–4v:

Incipit: Be it knowen to good crysten peple that desyren to come to euerlastyng lyf dyligently to kepe thyse v. poyntes

Explicit: þe better and be clenlyer and ryse deuoutlyer to the worshyppe of god Lyue as thou wolde deye

Jolliffe I.6, apparently unique.

8. Fols. 35–9:

Rubric: De quatuor gradibus scale spiritualis ex dictis beati BERNARDI a domino PETRO DE ALLIACO quondam episcopo cameracensi

Incipit: Qvatuor sunt spirituales gradus anime leccio meditacio oracio et contemplacio Hi gradus sicut

Explicit: vt diuine contemplacionis dulcedine et torrente voluptatis indeficientis repleamur Amen

Final rubric: Explicit de quatuor gradibus [as the opening rubric]

PSEUDO-BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, Scala spiritualis

Bloomfield, no. 4452, , ed. PETRUS DE ALLIACO, Opuscula spiritualia (Douai, 1634), 140–8.

9. Fols. 39–45v:

Rubric: Incipit epylogus de quadruplici exercicio spirituali editus a predicto PETRO DE ALLYACO

Incipit: | [fol. 39v] Anima deuota cupiens ad diuinam contemplacionem spiritualiter exerceri tria debet circa hanc

Explicit: vt sic tandem per hec exercicia spiritualia ad illius perducamur gaudia sempiterna Qui est deus benedictus in secula seculorum Amen Finis

Ed. Opuscula spiritualia, 148–60.

10. Fols. 45v–8:

Rubric: De quatuor in quibus incipientes deo seruire debent esse cauti si proficere volunt

Incipit: | [fol. 46] Qvatuor autem sunt in quibus nouicij et incipientes cauti debent esse si volunt proficere

Explicit: intrare in regnum dei Luce vltimo Oportet cristum pati et ita intrare in gloriam suam finis

DAVID OF AUGSBURG, ‘Formula de interioris hominis reformatione’ (part 2 of item 21 below), ch. 2 only, ed. MBVP 25: 881–2.

11. Fols. 48–50:

Rubric: De triplici statu religiosorum

Incipit: Beatus Bernardus in epistola ad fratres de monte dei describit tres status religiosorum

Explicit: studet paulatim accedere de infimo ad medium de medio ad summum

WILLIAM OF ST THIERRY, De triplici statu religiosorum (derived from that portion of the ps.-Bernardine epistle ascribed to GUIGO), ed. PL 184:315–17.

12. Fol. 50rv:

Rubric: De reformacione racionis

Incipit: Inicium ergo reformacionis racionis est fidem catholicam firmiter credere

Explicit: sed purissima mentis intelligencia deum in contemplacione videre

Unidentified.

13. Fols. 51–3:

Incipit: PETRUS BLESENSIS dicit Iuxta sentenciam cordis mei si paradisus in hac vita presenti est vel in claustro vel in scolis est

Explicit: sedebitis super sedes duodecim iudicantes duodecim tribus israel Amen

PS.-PETER OF BLOIS, 'Tractatus de beatitudine claustrali' (Sharpe, no. 1171 [418–23 at 423]), , ed. in Jacobus de Gruytrode, Colloquium peccatoris et crucifixi Ihesu cristi (Antwerp, 16 May 1487), in neither Hain, nor BMC, , sigs. b i–ii, and probably the prologue to ENGELBERTUS CULTRIFEX, De beatitudine claustrali.

14. Fols. 53–8:

Rubric: Tractatus diui aurelij AUGUSTINI de contemptu mundi ad clericos

Incipit: | [fol. 53v] Avdite fratres charissimi salutiferam patris nostri docrinam qui non terrenam sed eternam concupiscitis

Explicit: introducat ad nupcias vt de suis beneficijs sibi perennes reddamus gracias ihesu cristo domino nostro qui cum patre [form ending] Amen Finis

PS.-AUGUSTINE, 'de contemptu mundi',

ed. PL 40: 1215–18.

15. Fol. 58rv:

Rubric: Epistola exhortatoria sancti THOME AQUINATIS ad quendam in qua proponit idoneum modum salubriter acquirendi scienciam siue humanam siue diuinam

Incipit: Qvia quesiuisti a me in cristo michi karissime Iohannes qualiter te studere oporteat

Explicit: proferes ac produces Hec si sectatus fueris ad id attingere porteris quod affectas finis

THOMAS AQUINAS, ‘Epistola exhortatoria de modo studendi ad Fratrem Ioannem’,

ed. Raymund Verardo, Opuscula theologica 1 (Turin, 1954), 451.

16. Fols. 59–75v:

Incipit: Memoriam fecit mirabilium […] Esca ista de qua loquitur hic psalmus non inconuenienter intelligitur esca sacramentalis

Explicit: resurrexit a mortuis et ascendens in celum sedet ad dextram dei patris omnipotentis Finis

Not in Schneyer.

17. Fols. 75v–82:

Rubric: Incipit opusculum eiusdem sancti THOME videlicet exposicio misse quid signficant illa que fuerit ibi

Incipit: In virtute sancte crucis et sacramenti altaris magna est conueniencia et magna efficacia

Explicit: quando dicitur Agnus dei etc. in duobus primis est conueniencia in tercio vero est differencia finis

THOMAS AQUINAS, Exposicio misse

Opusculum 66, ed. Opera 28 (Paris, 1875) pp. 459–64. Fols. 83–4v are blank.

18. Fols. 85–131v:

Rubric: [the heading later over erasure] De Caritate dei et proximi De vnitate cordium et Communitate rerum Capitulum primum

Incipit: Ante omnia fratres karissimi diligatur deus deinde proximus quia ista duo precepta

Explicit: orans vt et ei debitum dimittatur et in temptacionem non inducatur Laus deo’

PS.-AUGUSTINE, ‘Regula secunda’ (the rule of Augustinian canons),

with HUGH OF ST VICTOR’S ‘Expositio’, ed. PL 32: 1449–52 and 176: 881–924 respectively. A contents table following the text (fol. 131v) enumerates the twelve chapters. Fol. 132rv is blank.

19. Fols. 133–43v:

Rubric: The xv. degrees of charite

Incipit: Thise make parfyte charite after poulis epistyll Be pacient contynuelly

Explicit: yeue praysyng to god whiche is euer pyetous and merciful in worlde wythouten ende Amen

As A. I. Doyle, ‘Thomas Betson of Syon Abbey’, The Library 5th ser. 11 (1956), 115–18, , first noted (118), a sequence of excerpts from THOMAS BETSON, A ryght profytable treatyse (STC 1978; Westminster, 1500; IPMEP 664):

(a) Fol. 133: ‘The xv. degrees of charite’ (IMEV 3558), ed. sigs. b vi^v–c i.

(b) Fol. 133: ‘Thise vij. thynges folowinge sholde we haue euer in our mynde The synnes þat we dayly do […] ’, not paralleled in Betson.

(c) Fols. 133v–8v: ‘A lityl instruction for theym that shal entre into religion drawen oute of the longe rule of seynt Iherom that he wrote to saynte Eustochium etc. Loue god aboue al thynge […] ’, ed. sigs. c i–c v^v.

(d) Fols. 138v–9v: ‘Here foloweth a shorte remembraunce for confessyon to al peple and in esspecial to all religiouse folke Seldom shal thou fynde tyme in al […] ’, ed. sig. a v^rv.

(e) Fols. 139v–40: ‘The vij. degrees of obedience The fyrst is to doo þat is commaunded of thy souerayne wythoute grudchynge […] ’, ed. sig. c vi^rv.

(f) Fol. 140: ‘Thees ben the degrees of humilite Caste thi syghte dounwarde And shewe mekenes […] ’, ed. sigs. b v^v–b vi.

(g) Fol. 140rv: ‘The vij. degrees of pacience The seuen degrees of pacience þou mayst beholde here For euyl doon to the […] ’, ed. sig. b vi^v.

(h) Fol. 140v: ‘Thise ben the iiii. cardinal vertues Temporaunce is a meane betwyx to moche […] ’, ed. sig. a iv^rv.

(i) Fols. 141–3v: ‘Saynte Bernarde to a newe begynner in relygion Iff thou entende to playse god […] ’, ed. sigs. a v^v–b ii; the text is mentioned by Edmund Colledge, ‘Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century English Versions of “The Golden Epistle of St Bernard”, Mediaeval Studies 37 (1975), 122–9 at 126.

20. Fols. 144–52:

Rubric: Sermo de religiosis

Incipit: Ascendens Ihesus in nauiculam … Luce v^o Deus omnia elementa creauerat munda sed ex vsu inhabitancium facta sunt immunda

Explicit: postquam mutatus est mente tunc eius anima a corpore soluta est deo gracias

Final rubric: Explicit hic sermo

JACOBUS DE VORAGINE, sermo de tempore, no. 140 (Schneyer, 3:231).

21. Fols. 152–71v:

Rubric: Sequitur Speculum religiosorum

Incipit: | [fol. 152v] Desiderasti a me karissime vt aliquem tibi scriberem ad edificacionem ex quo absens sum

Explicit: non diligi indignum diligi nec vllam reuerenciam ei exhiberi dignum est etc.

Final rubric: Explicit tractatus Speculum religiosorum vocitatus

DAVID OF AUGSBURG

'De compositione exterioris hominis' (Bloomfield, no. 4155), , ed. as book 1 of the ‘Formula novitiorum’, MBVP 25: 869–80. A medial break at fol. 164. Following the explicit (fols. 171v–2), Coleman has added a few excerpts, resembling those on fols. 1–8, in the main exempla from the Vitae patrum.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: prorsus (fol. 3)

Secundo Folio: gigantes (fol. 10)

Form: codex

Support: Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).

Extent: Fols. i + 172 + i (numbered fol. ii).

Dimensions (leaf): 190 × 135 mm.

Dimensions (written): 122 × 88 mm.

Collation

1⁸ [fol. 8, a booklet boundary] | 2⁸ 3¹⁰ [fol. 26, a booklet boundary] | 4⁸ [fol. 34, a booklet boundary] | 5–6⁸ [fol. 50, a booklet boundary] | 7⁸ [fol. 58, a booklet boundary] | 8⁸ 9¹⁰ 10⁸ [fol. 84, a booklet boundary] | 11–16⁸ [fol. 132, a booklet boundary] | 17¹⁰⁺¹ (+8) [fol. 143, a booklet boundary] | 18–20⁸ 21⁸ (–6, –7, –8). Catchwords within all multi-quire booklets. Similarly, in multi-quire booklets, all leaves in the first half of most quires signed with a letter or symbol and an arabic number; in this system, quire 5 = a, quires 8–9 = * and (., quires 11–16 = A–F, quires 18–20 = +, a, b.

Layout

In long lines, 24 lines to the page. No prickings; bounded in brown ink, unruled.

Hand(s)

Written in secretary (a major change of duct from fol. 144 to the end), the hand of John Coleman, brother of St Mark’s Hospital, Bristol; for him, see A. I. Doyle, ‘Book Production by the Monastic Orders in England’, in Linda Brownrigg (ed.), Medieval Book Production: Assessing the Evidence (Los Altos Hills, Calif: Anderson–Lovelace, 1990), 1–19, at 13; and A. C. de la Mare, Catalogue of the Collection of Medieval Manuscripts bequeathed to the Bodleian Library Oxford by James P. R. Lyell (Oxford: Clarendon, 1971), 105–7 (describing MS Lyell 38) and her plates vii (a, the monogram) and (c, the style of hand as here). (See Provenance) Punctuation by point and double point.

Decoration

At the head of longer texts, 3-line champes with bud sprays.

Otherwise at incipits and internal boundaries, 2- and 3-line blue lombards on red flourishing.

Headings usually in text ink but written in decorative textura.

Some texts broken with red paraphs and 1-line red lombards.

Frequent ochre-slashed capitals.

See AT, no. 632 (62).

Binding

A modern replacement. Sewn on five thongs. At the front, a marbled paper leaf at the rear, another marbled paper leaf (ii).

History

Origin: s. xvi¹ ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

The monogram IC, with motto ‘delectare in domino’ and the couplet: ‘Qui legit emendet scriptorem non reprehendat Iohannem Colman Cui deus alta tradat’ (in the blank between items 9 and 10 on fol. 45v).

‘Liber sancti Marci iuxta bristol’ al’ dict’ le q⟨.....⟩ ⟨ ⟩ missus cuidam viro nomine pynson in fly⟨tt strete⟩ ⟨ ⟩ london’ manenti’ (fol. 1) (Ker, MLGB 13, 231). In addition to our MS, Coleman wrote and donated BodL, MSS Bodley 618 (part only) and Lyell 38.

‘Liber Collegij Divi Ioanni Baptistae Oxon’ Ex dono Magistri Martini Okins Sacrae Theologiae Bacchalaurei ejusdemque Socij Anno Domini 161⟨ ⟩’ (fol. 2).

Record Sources

Ralph Hanna, A descriptive catalogue of the western medieval manuscripts of St. John's College, Oxford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002) with corrections of typographical errors in items 7, b, e, and g.

Availability

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

Bibliography

Alexander, J. J. G., and Elźbieta Temple, Illuminated Manuscripts in Oxford College Libraries, the University Archives and the Taylor Institution (Oxford, 1985).

Bloomfield, Morton W., et al., Incipits of Latin Works on the Virtues and Vices, 1100-1500 A.D., Including a Section of Incipits of Works on the Pater Noster (Cambridge Mass., 1979).

Catalogue of Books Printed in the XVth Century Now in the British Museum, 8 vols. (London, 1909).

Colledge, Edmund, ‘Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century English Versions of “The Golden Epistle of St Bernard”, Mediaeval Studies 37 (1975), 122–9.

Dekkers, Eligius, and Aemilius Gaar, Clavis patrum latinorum, 3rd edn. (Turnhout, 1995).

Despont, P., and M. de la Bigne (eds.), Maxima bibliotheca veterum patrum et antiquorum scriptorum ecclesiasticorum, 28 vols (Lyons, 1677).

Doyle, A. I., ‘Book Production by the Monastic Orders in England’, in Linda Brownrigg (ed.), Medieval Book Production: Assessing the Evidence (Los Altos Hills, Calif: Anderson–Lovelace, 1990), 1–19.

Doyle, A. I., ‘Thomas Betson of Syon Abbey’, The Library 5th ser. 11 (1956), 115–18.

Fretté (ed.), Doctoris angelici divi Thomæ Aquinatis Opera omnia (Paris, 1875).

Hain, L., Repertorium bibliographicum, 8 vols. (Stuttgart, 1826–38, repr. Milan, 1948), with Supplement by W. A. Copinger (London, 1895–1902; repr. Milan, 1950).

Ker, N. R., Medieval Libraries of Great Britain: A List of Surviving Books. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks. 2nd edn. (London, 1964), extended by Andrew G. Watson, MLGB: Supplement to the Second Edition. RHS Guides and Handbooks 15 (1987).

Lewis, R. E., N. F. Blake, and A. S. G. Edwards, Index of Printed Middle English Prose (New York, 1985).

de la Mare, A. C.,Catalogue of the Collection of Medieval Manuscripts bequeathed to the Bodleian Library Oxford by James P. R. Lyell (Oxford: Clarendon, 1971), 105–7.

Migne, Jacques-Paul (ed.), Patrologia Latina 32 (Paris, 1845).

Migne, Jacques-Paul (ed.), Patrologia Latina 39 (Paris, 1846).

Migne, Jacques-Paul (ed.), Patrologia Latina 40 (Paris, 1845).

Migne, Jacques-Paul (ed.), Patrologia Latina 145 (Paris, 1853).

Migne, Jacques-Paul (ed.), Patrologia Latina 176 (Paris, 1854).

Migne, Jacques-Paul (ed.), Patrologia Latina 184 (Paris, 1854).

Schneyer, Johannes Baptist, Repertorium der lateinischen Sermones des Mittelalters für die Zeit von 1150-1350, 11 vols. (Münster i. W., 1969-90).

Sharpe, Richard, A Handlist of the Latin Writers of Great Britain and Ireland before 1540. Publications of the Journal of Medieval Latin 1 (Turnhout, 1997).

Verardo, Raymund (ed.), S. Thomae Aquinatis Opuscula theolgica 1 (Turin 1954).

Walther, Hans, Initia carminum ac versuum Medii Aevi posterioris Latinorum, 2nd edn (Göttingen, 1969).

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

2023-10: First online publication

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