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

MS. Bodl. 311

Summary Catalogue no.: 2122

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 1)
Poenitentiale Theodori (versio Canones Gregorii)
Rubric: Incipit Penitentiale sancti Gregorii papę urbis Rome ...
Incipit: I. In ordinatione episcopi ipse debet missam cantare. II. In ordinatione presbiteri uel diaconi
Explicit: Qui manducat & postea communicat vii dies penitentie

Preceded by a list of the 214 chapters

2. (fol. 20)
Gregory the Great; Augustine of Canterbury, Libellus responsionum
Rubric: Interrogatio beati episcopi Cantoriorum Augustini ecclesię
3. (fol. 33)
Penitential
Rubric: Incipit sancti Basilii Penitentiale ad Comiani Longii ...
Incipit: (prologue) De remediis uulnerum secundum priorum patrum diffiniones dicturi
Explicit: (prologue) cohercere se debuit
Incipit: (cap. 2) Incipit de gula. Inebriati igitur uino
Explicit: ad omnem idololatria. Amen Deo gratias

Preceded by a list of the 223 chapters. The penitential is made up as follows:

Poenitentiale Theodori (versio Umbrense, excerpt, 20.1–4 and 20.6–10 )
4. (fol. 62)
Ps.-Jerome, De septem gradibus ecclesiae (extract, on priests)
Rubric: Incipit opuscula sancti Heronimi presbiteri ad Damascum papa
Incipit: Sextus seniorum ordo
5. (fol. 64v)
Poenitentiale Oxoniense II (CPL 1893g)
Rubric: Incipit Concilio Pęniteniae haec est qui iudicaverunt. ccc. xviii. sancti patres episcopi in Concilio Niceno ...
Incipit: (prologue) Qui post baptismo peccauerunt

Prologue includes a form of confession.

Incipit: (text) De eis qui habent uxores

Preceded by a list of the 75 chapters.

Explicit: In corde suo tam diu & peniteat. iohannes me scripsit

A small piece was cut out of the text of fol. 73, soon after it had been written.

Old English gloss, fol. 1r (Ker)

Language(s): Old English

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: iv + 88 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 14.125 × 7.5 in.

Hand(s)

Written by Johannes (art. 5, colophon).

Decoration

Coloured capitals.

Binding

Stamped white sheepskin (about 1602) over older sewing and boards.

History

Origin: 10th century second half ; France, north or north-west (Gneuss and Lapidge, no. 565)

Provenance and Acquisition

In England by c. 1000: inscription, fol. 1, '............u(?)lf sancta marian for ælfgy(?)þ ...... hys gemreccan' (Ker).

Exeter Cathedral: identifiable in catalogues of 1327 and 1506 (MLGB3).

Presented by the dean and chapter of Exeter in 1602.

Record Sources

Description adapted (June 2020) from the Summary Catalogue (1922), with additional reference to published literature as cited.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2020-06-03: Description revised to incorporate all information in SC.