MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 88

Summary Catalogue no.: 19074

Psalter with Monastic Collects and Commentary from De titulis psalmorum; Italy, Umbro-Lazian region, Rome (?), late 11th century–early 12th century

Psalter with commentary from Ps.-Bede, De titulis psalmorum

Fols. i–ii are paper fly-leaves (see ‘Provenance’).

[items 1–3 occupy quires I–IV]

1. (fols. 1r–22v)

Jerome, Letter to Sunnia and Fretela (ep. 106)

Greek words highlighted in red (Bruyne, 10. Hi 6).

2. (fols. 22v–30r)

Martyrological calendar, of the same date, but possibly of a different origin than the psalter. Includes Antimo (11 May), Giusta (1 August) and Onorato of Fondi (17 December). Among the names in majuscules are Maurus, Benedict and Sabba. Contains many erasures and additions. ‘Dedicatio S. Laurentii mar(tiris)’ on 3 April, a slightly later addition over erasure. Fragments of Roman numerals, written vertically in the outer margin, cropped when the leaves were trimmed, on fol. 22r. Verses on the ‘Egyptian’ days in the lower margins, Hennig’s (1955) set I.

3. (fol. 30v)

Added notes relating to the calendar and mnemonic calendarial verses with music, 12th century, early (?).

[items 4–9 occupy quires V–XXXI]

4. (fols. 31r–45v)

Prefatory materials including Bruyne, 1; 26; followed by a piece on fol. 32v, beginning ‘Quid enim in psalmis non inuenitur ...’ and ending ‘... hoc est gloria in qua sancti exultant cum christo’; Bruyne, 5; 7; 38; 49; 36; 39; 3; 4 (without a title on fol. 36v); 27; 14; 16; 17 (without a title on fol. 39v); 15; 6; 9; 25abe; followed by ‘Hieronimus ad marcellam scribens ait ...’ (based on St Jerome, Ep. 25, fol. 44r); Bruyne, 55. The beginning of Bruyne 15 is erased on fols. 41v–42v and a penitential prayer is added in a near contemporary hand, beginning ‘Domine exaudi orationem meam ...’ and ending ‘per in mortalia secula seculorum amen’. Notes in the margin in a 15th-century hand on fol. 41r.

5. (fol. 45v–222v)

Psalms 1–150 (Roman version) in the biblical order, laid out with each verse starting on a new line. Punctuated throughout with punctus versus or occasionally punctus interrogativus or punctus used to mark the ends of verses, and punctus elevatus or occasionally punctus used to mark metrum and minor pauses.

The psalter has a complex system of textual divisions and there is variation in the size and decoration of larger initials used to signal these divisions, but only Matins in secular use (psalms 20, 32, 45, 59, 73, 85, 101) seem to be marked consistently. There are larger initials at some psalms appointed to be read first at Vespers in secular use (109, 113, 134, 138); some psalms appointed to be read first at Matins in the monastic use (26, 68); as well as psalms 72, 90, 118, 118: 33, 118: 81, 118: 121, 118: 129, 119 and possibly some others.

Subdivisions within psalms are marked with larger initials and ‘gloria’ at 17: 26 (fol. 62v), 67: 20 (fol. 120r), 68: 17 (fol. 122r), 77: 36 (fol. 135r), 88: 20 (fol. 149v), 103: 25 (fol. 165v), 104: 23 (fol. 167r), 105: 32 (fol. 169v), 106: 25 (fol. 172r), 138: 14 (fol. 210r), 143: 9 (fol. 215r) and 144: 10 (fol. 216v). Psalm 118 is subdivided into twenty-two 8-verse units.

Each psalm is preceded by an exposition from De titulis psalmorum (CPL 1384), a number in Roman numerals and a title (Salmon’s (1959) series I), and is followed by a collect of the Roman series (Brou, 1949). The first exposition begins on fol. 45v with a rubric ‘Incipit interpretatio uenerabilis Bedae in titulis psalmorum’. Notes in the margins in a 15th-century hand (e.g. fols. 66v, 118v).

The opening line of Sanctorum meritis inclita gaudia (Chevalier, no. 18607) with musical notation is added in the margin on fol. 143v.

6. (fol. 222r–222v)

Pusillus eram.

7. (fols. 222v–229r)

Weekly canticles (Roman version), with titles, each followed by a collect:

(1) Confitebor tibi domine (Isaiah 12) (‘Incipiunt cantica prophetarum. Feria ii. Canticum esaie prophete’);
(2) Ego dixi (Isaiah 38: 10–21) (‘Feria iii. Canticum ezechie Regis’);
(3) Exultauit cor meum (1 Samuel 2: 1–11) (‘Feria iiii. Canticum Anne’);
(4) Cantemus domino (Exodus 15: 1–20) (‘Feria v. canticum Exodi’);
(5) Domine audiui (Habakkuk 3) (‘Feria vi. Canticum abbacuc’);
(6) Attende celum (Deuteronomy 32: 1–44) (‘Sabbato. Canticum Mosi ad filios Israel’).

8. (fols. 229r–235r)

Daily canticles, prayers and creeds, most with titles; (1), (2), (3), (4) and (9) are followed by collects:

(1) Benedicite omnia opera (‘Ymnus trium puerorum’) (fol. 229r);
(2) Benedictus dominus deus (‘Canticum Zacharie’) (fol. 229v);
(3) Magnificat (‘Canticum S. Marie’) (fol. 230v);
(4) Gloria in excelsis (‘Ymnus angelorum’) (fol. 230v);
(5) Nunc dimittis (‘Canticum Symeonis’) (fol. 231r);
(6) Apostles’ Creed (Credo in deum ...) (‘Fides apostolorum’) (fol. 231r), names of apostles in the margins;
(7) Nicene Creed (Credo in unum deum ... ) (‘Fides patrum’) (fol. 231v);
(8) Pater noster (‘Oratio Dominica’) (fol. 232r);
(9) Te deum laudamus (fol. 232r);
(10) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ... ) (‘Fides anathasii episcopi’) (fol. 233r);
(11) Domine Deus omnipotens (fol. 233v);
(12) Deus pie exaudibilis clemens et benignus (‘Consumatio psalmodie’) (fol. 233v).

Notes in the margin in a 15th-century hand on fol. 231r.

9. (fols. 235r–246v)

Litany, preceded by ‘oratio ante letania’, with many additions and corrections in a 15th-century hand. Includes Ansuino among the ‘pontifices’, Benedict in capitals and highlighted in red (first) and Libertino among ‘monachi’, and Anatolia and Vittoria among the virgins. Added names include Geruasius, Prothasius, Fortunatus, Hermagoras (?), Mary Magdalene, Mary of Egypt, Euphemia, Dorothy, Tecla, Erasma and Catherine. The litany is followed by prayers (fols. 238r–246v), including ‘Oro uos ac deprecor ...’ (‘oratio post letania’). In the margin on fol. 243v: ‘sanctissimis apostolis bartholomeo et Jacobo ac Gloriosissimo Yheronimo et’ (another hand added ‘Sancto sebastiano’).

[item 10 occupies quire XXXII]

10. (fols. 247r–253v)

(Ps.-?)Sisbertus of Toledo, Lamentum paenitentiae

CPL 1533

Díaz 334

Nearly complete, but imperfect at the end (ends at ‘quem pro meis meritis’ (l. 309)). Fols. 254–256 are blank.

Language(s): Latin with some Greek

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: fenore (St Jerome’s Letter, fol. 2r)

Form: codex

Support: parchment; paper fly-leaves contemporary with the binding

Extent: 258 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): c. 260 × 170 mm.

Foliation: modern, in pencil: i–ii, 1–256.

Collation

(fols. i–ii) paper bifolium | (fols. 1–24) I–III (8) | (fols. 25–30) IV (6) 2 and 5 are singletons | (fols. 31–246) V–XXXI (8) | (fols. 247–254) XXXII (8−1+1) missing 8, fol. 254 is a modern parchment leaf conjoint with fol. 247 | (fols. 255–256) paper bifolium

Layout

Ruled in hard point for 24 lines per page, with horizontal lines extending the full width of page, and double vertical bounding lines extending the full height of page; prickings often survive; written above the top line; written space: c. 200 × 105 mm.

Hand(s)

Caroline minuscule, similar to that of St Cecilia’s, Rome (as in Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Add. D. 104), brown ink. Calendarial martyrology (fols. 22v–30r) is in light brown ink, in a different contemporary hand. Psalms are often, though not always, in a bigger script than the titles, explications and collects

Musical Notation:

Neums (see van Dijk 1957).

Decoration

Initials in brown and red ink, some with yellow wash, decorated with plant motifs, and animal figures and heads in two Ottonianizing styles. Closely related to the initials in Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Add. D. 104 from St Cecilia, Rome, c. 1067 (de la Mare, 1985, p. 129, quoting L. M. Ayres).

Almost full-page Beatus-initial (fol. 46r); 3- to 5-line white-vine initials at the beginning of Prol. Ps. 10 (fol. 1r), prefatory materials (fol. 31r), psalms 20 (fol. 65v), 26 (fol. 71v), 32 (fol. 78r), 45 (fol. 95v), 59 (fol. 111v), 68 (fol. 121r), 72 (fol. 127v), 73 (fol. 129r), 85 (fol. 144v), 90 (fol. 152r), 101 (fol. 162r), 109 (fol. 175v), 113 (fol. 179r), 118 (fol. 183v), 118: 33 (fol. 185v), 118: 81 (fol. 188v), 118: 121 (fol. 191v), 118: 129 (fol. 192r), 119 (fol. 196r), 134 (fol. 206r), 138 (fol. 209v), Athanasian Creed (fol. 233r) and Lamentum (fol. 247r).

1- to 2-line decorated and plain initials at the beginnings of prefaces, explications, psalms, collects, canticles and prayers.

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

Rubrics in red; Greek words and letters highlighted in red and yellow on fols. 1r–22v

Binding

Light brown diced calf over wood boards with an inside bend (archaizing style (?)); one of the standard Canonici styles, Italian, 18th century. Blind and gilt roll decoration round the outer edge of both covers. Five raised bands on spine. Spine label with gilt lettering: ‘S. HIER. IN PSALM | LITAN. SS. ET | S. ISID. PLANCT [?] || COD. MEMB. SÆC. X[I?]’. The remains of the Bodleian paper labels on spine. Marbled pastedowns. Edges of textblock tinted yellow.

History

Origin: 11th century, late – 12th century, early ; Italian, Umbro-Latian region, Rome (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Possibly made in Rome for a monastery or a church dedicated to St Lawrence (but this may not apply to calendarial martyrology): liturgical evidence, evidence of script and decoration.

Notes, corrections and additions in a 15th-century humanistic Italian hand.

Short description of the contents of the manuscript in Latin on fol. ii recto 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). Similar descriptions in the same hand are also found in MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 42, MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 85, MS. Add. D. 47, MS. Canon. Liturg. 105, MS. Canon. Liturg. 155, MS. Canon. Liturg. 377, MS. Canon. Liturg. 393.

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

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. 447–51. 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. 342

Quarto Catalogue, col. 343

Summary Catalogue, vol. 4, p. 328

Bibliography

Printed descriptions:

Coxe (1854), cols. 342–3.

Laistner, M. L. W. and King, H. H., A hand-list of Bede manuscripts (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1943), p. 159.

S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 8

Díaz y Díaz, M. C., Index scriptorum Latinorum medii aevi Hispanorum (Salmantica: Universidad de Salamanca, 1958–59).

Garrison, E. B., ‘Saints Equizio, Onorato and Libertino in eleventh- and twelfth-century Italian litanies as clues to the attribution of manuscripts’, Revue Bénédictine 88 (1978), pp. 297–316, at pp. 303 and n. 5, 307, 314.

de la Mare, A. C., ‘Further Italian illuminated manuscripts in the Bodleian Library’ in E. Sesti (ed.), La miniatura Italiana tra Gotico e Rinascimento: atti del II Congresso di storia della miniatura italiana, Cortona 24–26 settembre 1982, Storia della miniatura 6, 2 vols. (Firenze: L. S. Olschki, 1985), vol. 1, pp. 127–54, at p. 129.

Gorman, M., ‘The Argumenta and Explanationes on the psalms attributed to Bede’, Revue Bénédictine 108 (1998), pp. 226–7.

Gryson (2004), pp. 137–8, no. 369.

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