MS. Bodl. 343
Summary Catalogue no.: 2406
The Bodley Homilies
Homilies and lives of saints; England, s. xii2
Contents
The text in the manuscript ends at Godden 1979, l. 132, p. 234.
The text begins at Godden 1979, l. 111, p. 238.
The text includes Clemoes 1997, ll. 1-61, p. 313.
The text ends at Godden 1979, l. 107, p. 271.
This note was inserted probably xiiex.
This note was inserted probably s. xii.
These are sixty-seven homilies on the gospels from Lent to Quinquagesima. Nine items are unique to the Bodley version of the homiliary. A transcription and collation is available in Conti 2004.
Five lines left blank at the end of fol. 11v.
Published with a facing-page translation in Napier 1894
The first eight chapters on sins and the appropriate punishments to cleanse them
Additions to a blank folio.
Additions to a blank folio.
On fol. 76v/30, there is Ælfric’s injunction: 'Circlice þeaƿæs forbeodoð to secgenne ænig spel on ðam ðrym sƿygdagas' (for a discussion, see Conti 2004, p. 43, n. 88)
"Circlice þeawas forbeodað to secgenne ænig spel on ðam ðrym swygdagas"
'About 100 English glosses of s. xv are interlined' (Ker, 1957, p. 368).
'An early addition' (Ker 1957 p. 368)
Here attributed to Gerbert (Pope Sylvester II).
Physical Description
(foliation in roman and arabic numerals: i-xxxix, 1-167, 169-74. Fol. 168 does not occur in the present foliation. The foliation was inserted in pencil on the top right corner of each folio. Fols vi-xxxix were formerly paginated 1-65. Fol. iii was the pastedown at the end: it is now placed, reversed and upside down, at the beginning. Fol. 173 is a medieval flyleaf. Fols i, ii, iv, v, 174 are post-medieval paper flyleaves.
Collation
Condition
The manuscript is in good condition, but the quality of the parchment varies. The Latin texts are written on rather thick material (Quires 3-6), suede-like, the same type of material appears from Quire 15 onwards. Holes appear towards the end of the manuscript, for example, fols 107, 109, 114 and 117-118. Because of the size of the manuscript and the writing frame, there are numerous folios which show uneven margins, and the finishing condition of the material is also dissimilar, see for example, fols 114, 119, 125, 127 and 128.
Layout
fols. vi r–x r: ruled space 240 × 142 mm.
Single frame. Flesh outer. Ruling in brown crayon on both sides of the folio. Single bounding lines. No visible pricking on external margins, but the ruled lines are 9 mm apart within the main frame. Small pricks appear on the top and lower margin to guide the ruling of the vertical bounding lines of the frame. Writing on the first line. See diagram.
fols. xi r–xxxix v: ruled space 240 × 67 mm.
Double columns. Ruling in pencil across the columns, but within the two external bounding lines. Single bounding lines. Small pricks appear on internal margin, near the gutter, and external margins ca. 6 mm apart to guide line ruling still visible, some have been cut prior to binding. Four small pricks appear on the top and lower margin to guide the ruling of the vertical four bounding lines of the columns, which are respectively 70, 9, 70 mm in width. See diagram.
fols. 1r–12/20–64r: ruled space 245 × 148 mm.
Single column. Ruling in pencil within the two external bounding lines. Double bounding lines 10 mm apart. Small pricks appear on the external margins ca. 8 mm apart to guide line ruling still visible, some have been cut prior to binding. Four small pricks, which are still occasionally visible, appear on the top and lower margin to guide the ruling of the vertical bounding line. The first three and last three ruling lines are ruled accross the frame. Fols 13-20 seem to have been pricked internally, bear the gutter. See diagram.
fols. 65r–154v: ruled space 255 × 160 mm.
Single columns. Ruling in pencil within the two external bounding lines. Double bounding lines 6 mm apart. Small pricks appear on the external margins ca. 7 mm apart to guide line ruling still visible, some have been cut prior to binding. Four small pricks appear on the top and lower margin to guide the ruling of the vertical four bounding lines. See diagram.
fols. 155r–170r: ruled space 255 × 160 mm.
Single columns. Ruling in pencil within the two external bounding lines. Double bounding lines 6 mm apart. Small pricks appear on the external and internal margins ca. 7 mm apart to guide line ruling still visible, some have been cut prior to binding. Four small pricks appear on the top and lower margin to guide the ruling of the vertical four bounding lines. See diagram.
fols. 165r–166v: ruled space 238 × 60 mm.
Double columns. Ruling in pencil across the columns, but within the two external bounding lines. Double bounding lines on both side of the column 7 mm apart. Small pricks appear on the external margin ca. 7 mm apart to guide line ruling still visible, some have been cut prior to binding. Seven small pricks appear on the top margin to guide the ruling of the vertical four bounding lines of the columns.
Hand(s)
Two main scribes copy the majority of the manuscript. One hand works on fols vi-xxxix and another fols 1-170 (see also Ker 1957, p. 374-5). However, other hands seem to be at work for example on fols x, 64v and 170r. On linguistic features of the two main English hands see a recent discussion in Dance 2011.
(fols 1–170) Probably in one hand, but there is some change in style after fols 64, 154. A small clear minuscule.
‘a’ is Caroline. ‘d’ is rounded, of the same size and shape as ‘ð’. In Latin ‘d’ is mainly upright. ‘e’ is Caroline. ‘f’ is Caroline. Insular ‘g’ is used for the spirant and caroline ‘g’ for the stop. A diagonal hair-line is attached to the base of Caroline and insular forms of ‘g’. ‘h’ is Caroline ‘r’ is Caroline. ‘s’ is Caroline, but sometimes it descends below the line, especially when doubled and before ‘t’. ‘descenders’ turn to the left, except ‘p’. ‘accents’ are used abundantly on both long and short vowels.
Abbreviation for ‘n’ or ‘m’ is marked by a superscript bar, usually straight but occasionally hooked. ‘cw’ with a superscript bar denotes ‘cwæð’. ‘discipˉlis’ denotes ‘discipulis’. A superscript bar over the ‘t’ in ‘driht’ denotes ‘drihten’. A crossbar through the ascender of ‘h’ in ‘heteȝæ’ denotes ‘heretoȝæ’ A superscript bar over ‘m’ denotes ‘men’. A superscript bar over the ‘c’ in ‘scs’ denotes ‘sanctus’. A crossbar through ‘þ’ denotes ‘þæt’. A hooked ‘d’ is used for ‘de’. The ‘tironian nota’ is used for ‘and’.
(fols vi–xxxix verso) The scribe uses a type of minuscule characteristic of the mid second half of the twelfth century.
The aspect is upright and engrossed. The hand extends below or above the line of writing in a proportionate way. The scribe mixes Caroline and insular letter forms, and a number of gothic features are also present. ‘f’ is insular. ‘g’ is insular. ‘h’ is insular. ‘r’ is insular. ‘s’ is insular. ‘ascenders’ are slightly wedged. ‘descenders’ are occasionally tapered to the left.
(fols x, 64v, 154v and the last two lines of 170.) s. xii/xiii.
Hybrid forms of ‘f’ and ‘F’. Insular ‘g’ is used beside Caroline ‘g’. ‘descenders’ are occasionally tapered to the left. ‘ascenders are slightly wedged.’
Music on a four-line stave, fol. x recto, fol. x verso, 64v
Decoration
Initials are mainly red, green, or black. The ornament consists often of red or black circles surrounded by dots. Titles are red or black in the script and hand of the text (Ker 1957, p. 375). Numerous decorated run over words on fols 1-170.
Drawing added, 13th century (?), fol. 173. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 182)
Latin annotation: ‘Gaude stirpe regia ... vere dei preciose’ and ‘lib' Gulle(lmo) rotori p(ro) trauayl ii s’, both written in a s. xiii. They appear on (fol. iii), which was originally on the back of the mansucript. The drawing of a bishop on fol. 173 is accompanied by the unexplained inscription ' thn biscopen than wolstane god' in an early thirteenth-century hand.
On fol. 173 there is a drawing of a bishop, perhaps representing Wulfstan with a mitre, probably datable to s. xiii (Madan 1895-1953, p. 354).
Binding
Bound, s. xviii.
Accompanying Material
An old Bodleian shelfmark ‘NE.F.4.12.’ with the leather of the spine, which was cut from the former binding is pasted onto the backcover.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
It has been suggested that the manuscript has a West Midlands provenance (Ker 1957 p. 375, referring to fols. iii, 173), although Kitson offers the Hereford area as an alternative on the base of some of the dialectal features (for a recent discussion, see Kitson 1992, p. 34 and Wilcox 2008, p. 71 and Conti 2011).
sir Robert Cotton gave 'Catholici Sermones lingua et charactere Saxonico' to the Bodleian in 1601: the writing on the first leaves, but not the rest, could be called 'Saxon'. Wanley 1705, p. 15'.
Record Sources
Adapted (March 2022) with permission from description created for The Production and Use of English Manuscripts 1060 to 1220 by Aidan Conti and Orietta Da Rold with the assistance of Helena Cooper and Hollie Morgan (2010; 2013).
Previously described in the Summary Catalogue (1922).Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Digital Bodleian (12 images from 35mm slides)
Bibliography
Online resources:
Printed:
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2025-04-22: Sebastian Dows-Miller. Added locus attributes and elements.