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MS. Bodl. 757

Summary Catalogue no.: 2529

Ambrose, Ps.-Ambrose, etc.; England, 15th century, first half

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 1)
Ambrose, Expositio de Psalmo CXVIII
Rubric: Exposicio sancti Ambrosij ... de Psalmo 118
2. (fol. 123v)
Ambrose, De poenitentia
Rubric: De penitencia contra Novacianos
3. (fol. 136)
Ps.-Jerome, Commentary on the Song of Deborah
Rubric: Ambrosius de Delbora
4.

Short treatises

(fol. 139)
Ps.-Ambrose, Libellus de dignitate sacerdotali
Rubric: Pastorale
Incipit: Si quis fratres oraculum reminiscitur
(fol. 141v)
De patriarchis
Rubric: De benedictionibus Patriarcharum
(fol. 148)
De apologia prophetae Dauid
Rubric: De David
(fol. 156)
De Ioseph patriarcha
Rubric: De s. Joseph patriarcha
(fol. 163v)
De Nabuthae
Rubric: De Naboth
(fol. 170)
De Helia et ieiunio
Rubric: De laude jejunii
(fol. 178v)
Ps.-Jerome, De decem tentationibus populi Israel in deserto
Rubric: \Incipit Ambrosius de decem temptationibus/
Incipit: Hec sunt verba que locutus est Moyses ... Hec sunt verba quibus corripuit Moyses ... Quas temptationes et obscure Moyses enumerat dicens: In solitudine, in qua ostendit eos pro aque penuria ... De prima temptatione ita in Exodo legitur: jurgatus populus contra Moysen
PL 23. 1319–22
Lambert 409
Stegmüller Bibl. 3411.
5. (fol. 179)
Ps.-Jerome, Commentary on Lamentations
Rubric: Lamentaciones Jeremie secundum Ambrosium
6. (fol. 185)
William of Saint-Thierry, Excerpta de libris beati Ambrosii super Cantica canticorum
Rubric: Exposicio sancti Ambrosii episcopi super Cantica Canticorum
Incipit: Librum de prouerbiis scripsit Salomon
Incipit: Osculetur me ... Constitue ergo virginem desponsatam multo tempore
Explicit: postquam in ortis passus est Christus
PL 15. 1851–1962 (here ending at 1960C)
ed. A. van Burink, CCCM 87 (1997) 199–384
Stegmüller Bibl. 3028.

At fol. 197v follows a dubious letter here ascribed to st. Ambrose = Migne's Patr. Lat. xvii. Appendix Epistt. iv, col. 749 (827).

Valerio, of Bierzo, De nouae uitae institutione (Ps.-Ambrose, Ep. 4)
Incipit: Dilecti fili dilige lacrimas
Final rubric: ... Ambrosii de moribus et honesta uita
7. (fol. 198)
Pelagius, De induracione cordis Pharaonis
Rubric: Liber sancti Jeronimi [?] de induracione cordis Pharaonis
Incipit: Perfectorum est ea que affluentissimo

In two books.

8. (fol. 209)
Ambrose, Hexaemeron

Preceded by a list of chapters.

10. (fol. 263)
Ambrose, De Officiis
11.

Short treatises

(fol. 301)
De mysteriis
(fol. 304v)
De Sacramentis

Regarded in the colophon as part of the preceding item.

(fol. 313)
Rubric: De septem tubis in Apocalypsi
Incipit: Tempus autem arbitror de tubarum specie dicere

Extract from De excessu fratris sui Satyri.

(fol. 315v)
De bono mortis
(fol. 333)
De viduis
(fol. 354v)
De fuga seculi
(fol. 361v)
Epistola ad Vercellensem ecclesiam (ep. 63, ep. extra 14)

Migne's Patrol. Lat. xvi. 1189

Incipit: Confiteor dolore
(fol. 371v)
De Jacob et vita beata.
Rubric: De praeceptis et exemplis virtutum

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii + 389 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 11.375 × 6 in.

Layout

2 cols.

Hand(s)

Several hands were employed in writing this volume, sometimes recurring, sometimes mixed on the same column. The only larger divisions are at foll. 139, 185, 209: the chief changes of writing are at foll. 81, 123v, 136, 151, 185, 198, 210, 263, 315v, 361v

Binding

Sooth white parchment on bevelled boards, clasps lost, 16th cent. English work. Title 'Ambrosius' on the fore-edge of the upper (left) board.

History

Origin: 15th century, first half ; English

Provenance and Acquisition

Oxford, Oxfordshire, Merton College: 'Liber domus scolarium de Mertone ex dono magistri Henrici Seuer sacre pagine professoris ac Custodis eiusdem, incathenatus in libraria ad communem vsum ibidem studere volencium, anno Domini Mmo cccc°. lxviij°' (fol. ii verso). (MLGB3: evidence from an ex-libris inscription or note of gift to an institution).

This was no. 250 at Merton in 1600, when dr. Thomas James catalogued it.

It may possibly have come to the Bodleian with the donation of the latter in 1601, but does not appear in any Library list till about 1655.

Record Sources

Description adapted (2024) by Matthew Holford from the Summary Catalogue (1922) with some additional description of contents and binding.
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 411
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 412

Bibliography

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-09: Description revised to incorporate all information from Summary Catalogue.