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

MS. Douce 174

Summary Catalogue no.: 21748

Contents

Lives of Saints

Legendae Sanctorum, accounts of the lives and deaths of saints

With divisions into lessons added by a later hand

(fol. 2)
Passio sanctorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli
Incipit: Quum venisset Paulus in urbem Romam, convenerunt ad eum omnes Iudei dicentes, Nostram legem

iii. kal. Iul.

(fol. 12)
Rubric: Passio gloriosissimorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli
Incipit: Demens Nero cum Iudæorum bello afflictam Romam
(fol. 13v)
Martyrium S. Petri apostoli, a Lino episcopo conscriptum
(fol. 23)
Martyrium S. Pauli apostoli [eodem Lino auctore]
(fol. 31)
Passio sancti Andreæ apostoli,

ii. kal. Dec.

(fol. 36v)
Miracula sancti Andreæ apostoli cum prologo
Incipit: (prologue) Trophea apostolorum nullum latere credimus fidelium
Incipit: Demetrii primi civitatis Amasecorum erat puer Ægiptius, orta autem in eo febre, spiritum exalavit
(fol. 39v)
Passio sancti Iacobi apostoli, fratris beati Iohannis evangelistæ
Incipit: Apostolus Domini nostri Ihesu Christi Iacobus, frater Iohannis evangelistæ, omnem Iudeam et Samariam visitabat

viii. kal. Aug.

(fol. 44v)
Assumptio sancti Iohannis apostoli et evangelistæ, cum prologo
Incipit: Secundam autem post Neronem persecutionem Christianorum Domitianus exercuit
(fol. 54)
Passio sancti Bartholomæi apostoli
Incipit: Indiæ tres esse ab historiographis asseruntur; prima est India, quæ ad Ethiopiam mittit

ix. kal. Sept.

(fol. 60)
Passio sancti Matthæi apostoli
Incipit: Quoniam Deo cura est de hominibus et plus animarum eorum curam gerit quam corporum
(fol. 69)
Passio sanctorum apostolorum Simonis et Iudæ [ex Africano fortassis excerpta]
Incipit: Simon itaque Cananeus et Iudas Zolotes, apostoli Domini nostri Ihesu Christi, cum per revelationem Spiritus Sancti Persidis fuissent regionem ingressi

v. kal. Nov.

(fol. 79v)
Passio sancti Thomæ apostoli
Incipit: Cun apostolus Thomas, qui et Didimus dicitur, devenisset apud Cesaream
(fol. 94)
Passio sancti Iacobi apostoli
Incipit: Tempore illo suscepit ecclesiam Ierosolimorum frater Domini Iacobus

kal. Mai.

(fol. 96v)
Assumptio sancti Philippi apostoli
Incipit: Post ascensionem Domini Salvatoris per annos viginti sex Philippus instanter predicavit gentibus

kal. Mai.

(fol. 98)
Sermo in natali sancti Matthiæ legendus
Incipit: Cum præclara beati Mathiæ apostoli festivitas per anni cursus revolutionem se representat
(fol. 100v)
Sermo sancti Augustini episcopi de omnibus apostolis
Incipit: Delectat tantorum tractare margaritas sanctorum, delectat gemmas intueri dulcium piscatorum
(fol. 102v)
Passio sancti Marci evangelistæ
Incipit: Per idem tempus, quo dispersi erant apostoli toto orbe terrarum, contigit beatissimum Marcum ad Ægipti regionem divina voluntate pertingere

vii. kal. Mai.

(fol. 106)
Bedae prologus in epistolam sequentem
(fol. 106)
Epistola aviti presbiteri (Luciani) de reliquiis S. Stephani
(fol. 107v)
Inventio corporis sancti Stephani prothomartyris, Nichodemi, Gamalielis, atque Abibon,

iii. non. August.

(fol. 113)
Relatio translationis corporis B. Stephani ab Hierosolymis Constantinopolim
Incipit: Factum est, cum esset reconditum corpus sancti Stephani, primi martyris, Ierosolimis in sancta Sion
(fol. 112v)
Passio S. Vincentii, archidiaconi et martyris,

iiii. id. August.

(fol. 131)
Sermo S. Augustini in natali S. Vincentii martyris
(fol. 137)
Passio S.Hippoliti sociorumque eius
Incipit: Egressus itaque Ypolitus post diem tercium venit in domum suam et dedit pacem omnibus etiam servis suis et ancillis

id. Aug.

(fol. 141)
Sermo S. Fulgentii episcopi in natali S. Stephani
(fol. 144)
Homilia B. Maximi episcopi in natali eiusdem Stephani
(fol. 147)
Sermo S. Augustini episcopi de miraculis B. Stephani
(fol. 151)
Rubric: Sermo S. Ieronimi presbiteri in verba, 'Ecce ego mitto ad vos prophetas et sapientes'
Incipit: Hoc, quod ante dixerat, vos impletis mensuram
(fol. 153)
Sermo B. Severini [sive Severiani] in natali Innocentum
(fol. 155)
Sermo B. Iohannis [Chrysostomi] de eisdem SS. Innocentibus
(fol. 157v)
Eiusdem Chrysostomi sermo de eisdem SS. Innocentibus
(fol. 159)
Venerabilis Bedae homilia de eisdem

Immediately after the end of the text a contemporary or slightly later hand has written 'arboludus 7 p. 7 m.'

Fol. 1 is a table of contents that was added in the fifteenth-sixteenth century

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii + 164 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 11.875 × 8.375 in.
Dimensions (leaf): 288 × 193 mm.

Layout

1 col., 28 lines, written space 220/5 × 120 mm.

Hand(s)

Folios 1-9 were replaced and other repairs were made in the fifteenth-sixteenth century

Decoration

Pächt and Alexander i. 452, Pl. XXXVII (fol. 14v, initial 'P')

Good initials on fols 10–161, e.g. fol. 39v

Binding

Brown morocco, gilt (early eighteenth century, French)

History

Origin: 11th century, end ; France, North

Provenance and Acquisition

At the beginning and end, in ink, is an English bookseller's price: '£5. 5. –'

The manuscript is almost certainly identifiable with lot 1153 in the Brander sale of February 1790 ('Sanctorum vitae on vellum, Fol.') which Douce bought for £1. 2s. 0d. and described in his copy of the catalogue as 'very antient and curious'

Francis Douce, 1757–1834

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1834

Record Sources

Description adapted (September 2024) by Stewart J. Brookes from the following sources:
Douce Legacy (1984),, no. 201
Pächt and Alexander (1966)
S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 171
Summary Catalogue (1897)
Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts Bequeathed by Francis Douce, esq. to the Bodleian Library (1840), p. 29

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

    Printed descriptions:

    S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 171

Last Substantive Revision

2025-04-22: Sebastian Dows-Miller. Added measurement value encoding.