MS. Bodl. 83

Summary Catalogue no.: 2287

Elizabeth of Schönau, Visiones (recension of Roger of Ford)

Visiones

(fol. 21v)

Liber uiarum Dei

'Liber uiarum Dei', 'qui annuntiatus est ab angelo Dei altissimi Elisabeth ancille Christi & Dei uiui in quinto anno uisitationis eius'; 'erat in anno Dominice incarnationis . m°. c°. l°. vii' (titles from fols 21v, 67, 86, the middle one with an adjuration)

Then come a few more visions

(fol. 70)

Reuelationes de sacro exercitu uirginum Coloniensium

Rubric: Sermo Elizabeth de undecim milibus uirginibus ... Colonie

Incipit: Vobis qui pios affectus

(fol. 83v)

Episolae

(fol. 86v)

Roger of Ford, Elegiac poem in praise of the Virgin Mary

Incipit: Orbis opes pereant

With a short preface stating that Roger sent this revised poem, being uncertain whether the first form, sent some time before with Brother Symund, had reached Ford

Roger states in his preface (fols 1-2) that the manuscript is a copy of one he sent to his former master B(aldwin) abbot of Ford. Roger copied it c. 1170 from an imperfect manuscript brought by Willelmus (de Tolosa), formerly abbot of Savigny, to the monastery where Roger was.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: parchment

Extent: v + 101 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 185 × 135 mm.

Collation

Quires signed by catchwords in the lower right-hand of the page, in most places now cut off, but still visible on fol. 16v and fol. 32v

Condition

Ruth J. Dean notes that the manuscript is a palimpsest, with fragments of early English letter-forms discernible, written in a round script that is suggestive of the tenth century. Prickings for the original ruling are still visible, with the page rotated so that the erased text and the new text are at right angles to each other ('Manuscripts of St Elizabeth of Schönau in England', Modern Language Review, 32 [1937], p. 63)

Layout

22 lines

Decoration

Pächt and Alexander iii. 304:

Initial "D" (fol. 1r)

Coloured initials

History

Origin: c. 1200 ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by 'Wyllyam Symons' in the 15th century

Purchased with MS. Auct. D. 4. 22, and printed books out of £30 presented by sir Maurice Berkeley ('Barkeley') in 1604

Record Sources

Description adapted (August 2023) by Stewart J. Brookes from the Summary Catalogue (1922), with additional reference to published literature as cited. Decoration, localization and date follow Pächt and Alexander (1973)

Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 290

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2023-08-07: Description revised to incorporate all the information in the Summary Catalogue (1922)

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