MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 85

Summary Catalogue no.: 18978

Secular Psalter with Antiphons; France, South (?), 15th century, second half

Fol. i is a paper fly-leaf with modern notes and paper leaves pasted to its recto (see ‘Provenance’).

1. (fols. 1–69r)

Psalms 1–150, imperfect at the beginning. Fol. 1 is a fragment, containing parts of psalms 1–4; fol. 2 begins with psalm 4: 4 (quoniam mirificauit dominus . . .). A quire is missing after fol. 10; missing text 21: 23–38: 6. The psalms are in the biblical order, laid out as prose, without numbers, most with rubrics ‘psalmus dauid’ or ‘psalmus’. From psalm 107 onwards longer titles are also occasionally used, such as ‘ALLELVIA. PSALMVS DAVID. VOX ECCLESIE’ (psalm 107, fol. 51r), ‘CANTICVM SALAMONIS’ (psalm 126, fol. 60r), ‘Vox Sancte Marie’ (psalm 130, fol. 61r). These titles do not conform to any of Salmon’s series (1959). Punctuated throughout, with punctus elevatus used to mark metrum and minor pauses. The order of psalms 123 and 124 is reversed (fols. 59v–60r); psalms 148–150, a sequence for all Lauds in both monastic and secular use, are written without breaks as a single text. Subdivisions within psalms are not indicated, apart from psalm 118, subdivided into twenty-two 8-verse units. There are textual divisions at psalms 52, 68, 80, 97 and 109 (see ‘Decoration’). The psalms are accompanied by cues for antiphons, versicles, chapters, etc. with rubrics referring to secular use.

The following hymns are written in full as part of the psalter: Rerum creator optime (Chevalier, no. 17322) and Nox et tenebre et nubila (Chevalier, no. 12402), fol. 17v, after psalm 51; Nox astra rerum (Chevalier, no. 12396) and Lux ecce surgit (Chevalier, no. 10811), fols. 24v–25r, after psalm 67; Tv trinitatis unitas (Chevalier, no. 20713) and Eterna celi gloria (Chevalier, no. 609), fols. 33v–34r, after psalm 79; Svmme deus clementie (Chevalier, no. 19636) and Avrora ia(m) spargit (Chevalier, no. 1633), fols. 42r–v, after psalm 96; Inmense rerum conditor (Chevalier, no. 8453), fol. 59r, after psalm 120; Veluris [sic] ingens conditor (Chevalier, no. 20268), fol. 60r, after psalm 125; Celi deus sanctissime (Chevalier, no. 3484), fol. 61r–v, after psalm 130; Magne deus potencie (Chevalier, no. 10934), fol. 63v, after psalm 136; Plasmator hominis deus qui cuncta solus (Chevalier, no. 14968), fols. 65v–66r, after psalm 141.

2. (fols. 69r–73v)

Weekly canticles, with titles and antiphons:

(1) Confitebor tibi domine (Isaiah 12) (‘Canticum ysaye prophete’);
(2) Ego dixi (Isaiah 38: 10–21) (‘Canticum Regis Grecie’);
(3) Exultauit cor meum (1 Samuel 2: 1–11) (‘Canticum Anne’);
(4) Cantemus domino (Exodus 15: 1–20) (‘Canticum Moysi’);
(5) Domine audiui (Habakkuk 3) (‘Canticum Abacuc’);
(6) Audite celi (Deuteronomy 32: 1–44) (‘Canticum Moysi’).

3. (fols. 73v–76v)

Daily canticles, prayers and creeds, with titles:

(1) Benedicite omnia opera (‘Himnum trium puerorum’) (fol. 73v);
(2) Te deum laudamus (‘Laus Angelorum’) (fol. 74r);
(3) Magnificat (‘Canticum sancte Marie’) (fol. 74v);
(4) Nunc dimittis (‘Canticum Simeonis’) (fol. 75r);
(5) Pater noster (‘Oratio dominica’) (fol. 75r);
(6) Apostles’ Creed (Credo in deum ...) (‘Incipit Cimbolum’) (fol. 75r);
(7) Gloria in excelsis (‘Laus Angelorum’) (fol. 75r);
(8) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ...) (‘Fides sancti Athanasij episcopi’) (fol. 75v).

4. (fols. 76v–79r)

Litany (‘Letania pro peccatis christianorum’), including saints venerated in the south of France and north of Spain, such as Victor (of Marseilles (?)), Saturninus (of Toulouse (?)), Privatus (of Mende (?)) and brothers Justus and Pastor of Alcala (the last two) among the martyrs; Bonitus (of Clermont (?)), Illidius (of Clermont or Marseilles (?)) and Gerald (of Aurillac (?)) among the confessors; and Eulalia (of Barcelona (?)) among the virgins. The litany is followed by collects with short rubrics (fols. 78v–79r):

(1) Deus cui proprium est misereri semper et parcere ... (‘Pro peccatis’);
(2) Omnipotens sempiterne deus qui facis ... (‘Oratio’);
(3) Pretende domine famulis et famulabus tuis dexteram celestis auxilii ... (‘Alia’);
(4) Adesto domine supplicationibus nostris et uiam famulorum tuorum in salutis tue ... (‘Alia’);
(5) Vre igne sancti spiritus renes nostros ...
(6) Actiones nostras quesimus domine aspirando preueni ... (‘Alia’);
(7) Deus a quo sancta desideria rectaque ... (‘Pro pace’).

At the end: ‘LAVS . TIBI . CHRISTE . FINIS’ (fol. 79r).

5. (fols. 79v–80v)

Added alphabetical index of psalms, canticles, prayers and creeds, 15th century (?). Folio references added to the list in a hand which foliated the psalter, 16th century (?). These references were added before a quire was lost after fol. 10, but probably after the loss of the opening leaf. Fol. 81 is a paper fly-leaf, blank apart from modern notes.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: quoniam mirificauit (psalter, fol. 2r)

Form: codex

Support: fine, light parchment, resembling Italian parchment; paper fly-leaves; at the beginning and end many leaves are mutilated and repaired with parchment

Extent: 82 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): c. 220 × 150 mm.

Leaves were trimmed in rebinding.

Foliation: Modern, in pencil, i + 1–81, and early modern in brown ink, in the hand which added folio references to the index on fols. 79v–80v. The early modern foliation was partly lost when the leaves were trimmed (presumably when the present binding was made).

Collation

(fol. i) paper fly-leaf, conjoint with the upper pastedown; a quire is probably missing at the beginning, which contained the start of psalm 1 and possibly a calendar | (fols. 1–10) I (10) a quire is missing after fol. 10; | (fols. 11–80) II–VIII (10) | (fol. 81) paper fly-leaf, conjoint with the lower pastedown. Catchwords, some on decorative scrolls, or decorated with penwork.

Layout

Ruled in ink with single vertical bounding lines extending the full height of page; 28 lines per page; written below the top line; written space: c. 140 × 89 mm.

Hand(s)

Rounded Gothic script with a strong humanistic influence, black ink; smaller script used for antiphons, etc.

Decoration

4-line plain red and blue initials at the beginnings of psalms 52 (fol. 17v) and 109 (fol. 51r). The opening words of psalms are written in capitals.

3-line plain red and blue initials at the beginnings of psalms 68 (fol. 25r), 80 (fol. 34r), 97 (fol. 42v) and the beginning of the litany (fol. 76v).

2-line plain alternating red and blue initials at the beginnings of psalms, hymns, canticles and prayers.

1-line plain alternating red and blue initials at the beginnings of periods and verses.

Rubrics in red ink, some in capitals; some rubrics are not filled in (e.g. fols. 5r, 51v–52v).

Guide-letters for illuminators and rubricators are often visible.

Binding

Brown laid paper over pasteboard. Brown leather spine with four raised bands, framed with gilt fillet lines. One of the bands is covered with a paper label printed ‘Canonici || Bibl [ ...]’. Another paper label is printed ‘85’. Red leather label with gilt lettering ‘PSALT. || ET || HYMN. || ETC. || COD. M.’. Gilt fillet lines at the top and bottom of the spine. Paper pastedowns and fly-leaves.

History

Origin: French, South (?); 15th century, second half

Provenance and Acquisition

Made in southern France (?): evidence of the litany, parchment and script.

Still in use in the 16th century when the manuscript was foliated and folio references were added to an alphabetical index of psalms (fols. 79v–80v).

A short description of the manuscript in Latin on a strip of paper pasted to fol. i recto ‘Psalterium. Codex membran. in 4. saec. circ. xiii. Fuisse videtur descriptus in usum privati cuiusdam Monachi Benedictini et Galli, uti indicant Litaniae M. in fine descriptae: est initio mancus.’. The description is in an Italian, 18th-century (?) hand, but not the hand of Canonici or any of the earlier owners and librarians whose handwriting is illustrated in Mitchell (1969). Such descriptions are also found in MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 42, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 88, MS. Add. D. 47, MS. Canon. Liturg. 105, MS. Canon. Liturg. 155, MS. Canon. Liturg. 377 and MS. Canon. Liturg. 393.

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806), but not from the libraries of Soranzo or Trevisan (Mitchell, 1969).

Giuseppe Canonici , -1807

Bodleian Library: bought in 1817 from Canonici’s nephew Giovanni Perissinotti.

Record Sources

Elizabeth Solopova, Latin Liturgical Psalters in the Bodleian Library: A Select Catalogue (Oxford, 2013), pp. 312–6. Previously described in the Quarto Catalogue (H. O. Coxe, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecæ Bodleianæ pars tertia codices Græcos et Latinos Canonicianos complectens, Quarto Catalogues III, 1854).

Quarto Catalogue, col. 278

Summary Catalogue, vol. 4, p. 326

Bibliography

Printed descriptions:

S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 110

Frere, no. 458.

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-08: Convert full description from Solopova catalogue.

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