Language(s): Latin
1. Fols. 1–67:
Rubric: Prologus magistri IACOBI episcopi acconensis in vita sancte marie de oegines
Incipit: Precepit dominus discipulis suis ut colligerent fragmenta ne pereant Quid est fragmenta […]
Rubric: [fol. 7v] De matrimonio eius
Incipit: Felicibus igitur eius actibus inuidentes cum esset annorum xiiij. eam
Explicit: quando erit deus omnia in omnibus et dederit regnum deo patri dominus noster ihesus cristus qui cum patre [form ending] Amen
JACQUES DE VITRY,
Vita Marie de Oegnies (BHL 5516), , ed. Acta, June 5:547–72; lacks 556 F16–557 D10, owing to a lost leaf. 2. Fols. 67–85v:
Rubric: Sequitur vita elizabeth de spalbeec |
Incipit: [fol. 67v] Qvoniam vt legitur in ecclesiastico 42o. gloria domini [space] opus eius et in tobia opera domini […] Porro in prouincia leodiensi prope quoddam famosum solemne monasterium
Explicit: necessitas occupacionum et propria corporis imbecillitas necessario clausit stilum
Final rubric: Explicit vita beate elizabeth de spalbec in comitatu loss’ prope claustrum monialium quod dicitur herkenrode Anno domini MmoCColxvjo v [space] migrauit ad cristum
Life of Elizabeth of Spalbeec BHL 2484, unpublished; other copies occur in BodL, MS Bodley 694; Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 138 and Jesus College MS 24.
3. Fols. 86–104:
Rubric: Prologus in vitam beate cristine de oppido sancti trudonis in hasbanio
Incipit: Memorabilis cristi virginis cristine vitam scribere disponentes illud in exordio […]
Rubric: [fol. 87] Incipit vita beate cristine cognomento mirabilis
Incipit: Igitur venerabilis cristi virgo cristina ex oppido sancti trudonis in hasbanio honestis parentibus oriunda fuit
Explicit: precedencium uel subsequencium scripto uel relacione percepimus In gloriam et laudem cristi Qui cum patre [form ending] Amen
THOMAS OF CANTIMPRÉ,
Life of Christina the Astonishing (BHL 1746), to par. 56 only, ed. Acta, July 5:650–9. 4. Fols. 104v–7:
Rubric: Incipit vita Sancte marine virginis
Incipit: Frater quidam secularis habens vnicam filiam paruulam conuerti cupiens commendauit eam cuidam parenti
Explicit: Vbi usque modo deus oracionibus sancte virginis multa facit mirabilia
Vita S. Marinae BHL 5528, , ed. Acta, July 4:286–7.
5. Fols. 107–13:
Rubric: Vita sancte eufrosine
Incipit: Fvit vir in alexandria nomine paphnucius honorabilis omnibus et custodis mandata dei
Explicit: in eodem monasterio a fratribus vsque in presentem diem glorificantibus deum patrem et filium [form ending] Amen
Vita sancte eufrosine BHL 2723, ed. Acta, February 2:537–41.
6. Fols. 113v–14v:
Incipit: Memor sum illustrissime virginis matildis que nostro tempore obdormisse probatur Hec filia regis scocie
Explicit: secundum fidem tuam sanus eris ab omni incommodo torqueris
An unidentified life of Margaret of Scotland,
not in BHL
7. Fols. 114v–23v:
Rubric: Vita simeonis siri sequitur
Incipit: Sanctus simeon ex vtero matris sue electus est a domino et meditabatur
Explicit: et commemoracionem eius fecerit mercedem ab altissimo recipiet Cui est honor [form ending] Amen
The life of Simon Stylites (BHL 7957), ed. Acta, January 1:269–74. 8. Fols. 123v–7:
Rubric: Sequitur vita sancti alexij confessoris
Incipit: Alexius fuit filius eufemiani viri nobilissimi romani et in aula imperatoris
Explicit: Obijt autem xvjo. kalendis augusti circa annos domini CCCxcviij
Life of Saint Alexius BHL 291, , from JACOBUS DE VORAGINE, Legenda aurea, ch. ed. Th. Graesse (1890; rept. Osnabrück, 1965), 403–6.
9. Fols. 127v–35:
Rubric: Incipit liber beati METHODIJ episcopi ecclesie paterensis et martiris cristi […] de principio seculi et interregna gencium et in fine seculorum […]
Incipit: Sciendum nobis est fratres karissimi quomodo in principio deus creauit celum et terram
Explicit: sine fine gloriabuntur et impij sine fine penam pacientur Vnde nos dominus eripere dignetur Qui cum deo [form ending] Amen
PS.-METHODIUS,
‘Apocalypsis’,
ed. Ernst Sackur, Sibyllinische Texte und Forschungen (Halle a. S., 1898), 60–96.
10. Fols. 135–47:
Rubric: Qvestio duracionis huius etatis mundi talis est
Incipit: Vtrum per duracionem et perpetuitatem motuum stellarum et vij. planetarum in suis circulis
Explicit: sic est finis huius mee questiuncule sub correcione tamen omnium subtilius et melius perscrutancium ad laudem altissimi dci nostri ihesu cristi In secula seculorum Amen
Final rubric: Explicit | [fol. 147v] questio duracionis siue finis huius etatis mundi compilata per excellentissimum necnon principem astrologorum magistrum IOHANNEM PAULUM DE FUNDIS publice disputata in sacratissimo studio Bononien’ Anno 1434.
John Paul de Fundis,
Questio de duratione huius etatis mundi TK 1661, apparently unpublished; see Thorndike, 4:232–35; the only other copy listed is Royal 8 E.vii, fols. 73–7v. The text is followed by an apology, which states that although John’s text is probing and controversial, it is included here as a corollary to the preceding item 9. The date in the colophon is that of the text, not the MS.
Secundo Folio: -lumna fortitudinis
Form: codex
Support: Vellum (FSOS/FHHF).
Extent: Fols. iii +
149 (numbered fols. 1–147, iv, v) + ii (numbered fols. vi–vii).
Dimensions (leaf): 185 × 128 mm.
Dimensions (written): 135 × 92 mm.
Collation
18+1? (–7, –8, their conjoints, fols. 1 and 2, both singles; +9, fol. 7, its stub preceding fol. 1; probably the result of textual correction and without text loss) 2–38 48 (–3, a small fragment visible) 5–168 178+1 (+9, fol. 135, its stub pasted to fol. 127) [the original end of the book] | 188 198 (–5 –6, blank stubs). Catchwords towards the gutter. Apparently all leaves in the first half of each quire signed with a letter and a roman numeral, although all early examples have been cut away, and the letters no longer survive on many leaves; quire 10 = k, 13–14 = n–o, 18–19 = s–t (the last pair later additions).
Layout
In long lines, 20 lines to the page. No prickings; bounded and ruled in red.
Hand(s)
Written in textura with many anglicana forms (g). Item 10 has been added, in a different ink; although very similar, this may be a different hand. Punctuation by point and punctus elevatus.
Decoration
Headings in the text hand underlined in red.
Texts introduced by 2-line blue lombards, on red flourishing through the first example on fol. 87 (the opening leaf of quire 12), thereafter unflourished.
Running titles in upper corners of rectos to indicate the subject.
Binding
A modern replacement. Sewn on four thongs. At the front, a marbled paper leaf (dated 1925 on the verso), a modern paper flyleaf and one medieval vellum flyleaf (another College bookplate on its verso); at the rear, a modern paper flyleaf and another marbled leaf (vi–vii).
The front vellum leaf (fol. iii) is waste, used as a pastedown in an earlier binding. It is half a calendar page for January (with the top at the leading edge), in textura semiquadrata, s. xv; feasts include Paul primus heremita, Wulfstan, Antony (in red). Fol. 7 may be a singleton half of the same sheet; the ruling (recto only) is for a calendar like (fol. iii).
Provenance and Acquisition
‘liber Wittham [Witham (Somerset, OCart)] quod Ioh’ blacman’ (fol. 1, lower margin) (Ker, MLGB 205, 317). The MS is in Blackman’s usual hand, not that illustrated in Watson, DMO (no. 596 [97–98], with bibliography) and plate no. 618 (b). For Blackman, see BRUO 194–5, which cites his list of donations to Witham, where our MS appears as no. xviii; seven of these volumes survive. For discussion see Roger Lovatt, ‘The Library of John Blacman and Contemporary Carthusian Spirituality’, Journal of Ecclesiastical History 43 (1992), 195–230.
Notes on contents (fol. iiiv, s. xvi2 secretary).
‘Liber Collegij Divi Johannis Baptistae ex dono Domini Gulielmi Paddei Militis et Collegii olim Convictor⟨ ⟩ 1634’ (fol. 2, upper margin).