MS. Hamilton 1
Summary Catalogue no.: 24431
New Testament without Gospels, Peter of Blois, Guillaume Durand, Odo of Cheriton, etc.; A-D Germany, 1439 and 15th century, middle
Contents
Fifteenth century; on a slip of paper pasted to the inside of the upper board.
Slip of paper pasted to the inside of the board with pen-trials (?), c. 1500 (?), including one in German.
Physical Description
Binding
White leather on boards, damaged and repaired, 15th century; two fastenings, lost; contemporary contents label, faded and fragmentary.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Many of the place-names suggest that the volume was at least partly made and owned in eastern Germany near the border with Poland. Like other manuscripts in the Hamilton collection from this area, it may have belonged to the Cistercian abbey of Neuzelle, but there is no positive evidence to support the attribution.
Sir William Hamilton, 1788–1856
Presented to the Bodleian Library by his sons and received in 1857.
MS. Hamilton 1 – Part A (fols. 1–109)
Contents
In the 'usual' order; with the usual prologues, and additional prologues for Acts, Canonical Epistles (before the prologues to Acts) and Apocalypse. 'Modern' chapter divisions, with numbers irregularly given.
Stegmüller, Bibl. 677, Rom., Stegmüller, Bibl. 685, 1 Cor., Stegmüller, Bibl. 699, 2 Cor., Stegmüller, Bibl. 707, Gal., Stegmüller, Bibl. 715, Eph., Stegmüller, Bibl. 728, Phil., Stegmüller, Bibl. 736, Col., Stegmüller, Bibl. 747, 1 Thess., Stegmüller, Bibl. 752, 2 Thess., Stegmüller, Bibl. 765, 1 Tim., Stegmüller, Bibl. 772 , 2 Tim., Stegmüller, Bibl. 780, Tit., Stegmüller, Bibl. 783, Philem., Stegmüller, Bibl. 793, Hebr., (fol. 58r) Stegmüller, Bibl. 810, Stegmüller, Bibl. 640, Stegmüller, Bibl. 633, Acts, (fol. 88r) Stegmüller, Bibl. 809, James, 1 and 2 Petr., 1–3 John, Jude, (fol. 98v) Stegmüller, Bibl. 839, Stegmüller, Bibl. 834/835, Apoc.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
1 col., c. 28–32 lines; frame-ruled. Ruled space 180–90 × 120–30 mm.
Running heads (missing in places).
Hand(s)
Cursiva by one scribe (George 'Piscator', see colophon)
Decoration
4–7 line red or red-and-black initials at the beginning of books, with arabesque decoration and sometimes with elaborate penwork flourishing in black or black-and-red.
2-line red initials with modest arabesque decoration.
Spaces for initials mostly unfilled, and rubrication mostly lacking, from fol. 94r onwards (initial on fol. 95v added later).
History
MS. Hamilton 1 – Part B (fols. 110–193)
Contents
Language(s): Latin
PL 207.1–560, nos. 1–2, 86, 3–5 (ending 'timere velimus'), 6–11 (ending 'incipias cum non possis'), 14 (ending 'venenosus morsus iuuidie pertimescat'), 12–13, 15 (ending incomplete 'in tenebras et famam'), (fol. 125r) 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 136, 173, 162, 159, 26 (ending 'tempus vacationis impendo'), 156, 163, 153, 28, 30, 32–33, 154, 34–36, 37+41 ('Karissimo ... magistro Allexandro ... Promiseram vobis librum. Possitis ut curram in via mandatorum vestrorum et sis lucerna ... examine resoluator. Bene valete ... '), 42–6, 66 (ending 'dimidiet dies suos'), 47–55, 128, 56, 58–60, 57 (ending 'destruat Christi fundamenta'), 61–2, 65, 67–8, 71, 79, 90, 92–3, 91, 94, 73, 88, 84, 82, 80, 72 (ending 'fieri tristia posse puta'), 74–5, 81, 69, 150, 85, 78, 70, 77, 95.
A leaf is lost after fol. 124. Classified by L. Wahlgren, The letter collections of Peter of Blois: studies in the manuscript tradition (1993), 188–9 as a copy of the first edition of the collection. As noted by her, pp. 26, 31, 33, closely related to BnF, Lat. 2957 (as well as the shorter collection of 37 letters in Prague, UL, X. E. 20; Higgonet also compared Bamberg, SB, Msc. Theol. 127, ibid. 202). Comparison with the Paris manuscript suggests the end of letter 39, letters 38, 158, 39, 130, 155, 40 and the beginning of letter 41 were lost at an earlier stage in the transmission of the present collection.
Four letters, added by several hands in blank space, (imperfectly) adapted to serve as model letters. (a), fol. 176r, relating to an arbitration; rest of fol. 176r blank; (b) fol. 176v, congratulation on an ecclesiastical preferment and promise of good service; refers to S. bishop of Brandenburg (if a real person, then Stephan Bodecker sed. 1421–1459); (c) fol. 176v, thanks for hospitality shown to the writer's chaplain, and request for medicine against gallstones; to 'A(?). abbate in N.' from 'Hermannus ab⟨bas⟩ in ebra(?) vester precipuus exonerator' (Hermann III was abbot of Ebrach 1430–1437: A. Kaspar, Chronik der Abtei Ebrach (1971), 222); (d) fol. 177r, addressed to T. bishop of ?Lebus (Lubuen') (no such person), concerning the investigation of a robbery.
Fols. 177v-178r blank.
A later addition, probably by the same hand as the preceding. Seven lines; perhaps a short note rather than the beginning of a sermon. Rest of fol. 181v blank.
Form letter of indulgence of John, bishop of Cammin (Kamien) (John II, 1386–94, or John III, 1394–8) for those contributing to the liturgical furnishings of the altar of N 'in ecclesia a uel in choro b opidi a'; imperfect.
Physical Description
Layout
1 col., c. 42–3 lines. Ruled space 215 × 145 mm.
Fols. 178v–181v: 1 col., c. 44 lines. Ruled space 220 × 140 mm.
Fols. 182–193v: 1 col., c. 40–1 lines. Ruled space 215 × 145 mm.
Hand(s)
Three main hands:
Arts. 1–2, cursiva
Art. 4, cursiva/hybrida
Arts. 5–6, cursiva
Decoration
7 line initial, unfilled, fol. 110r.
Arabesque red initial, fol. 178v.
4-line 'puzzle' initial in red and the ink of the text, fol. 182r.
2–4 line red initials with very simple decoration.
History
MS. Hamilton 1 – Part C (fols. 194–197)
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Addition, fifteenth century. Rest of fol. 194r blank; fol. 194v blank.
Physical Description
Layout
1 col., c. 40–42 lines, frame-ruled. Ruled space 220 × 140 mm.
Hand(s)
Cursive by one hand.
Decoration
2–3 line red initials with very simple decoration.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Bibliography
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2020-09-18: Revised description of the structure of the manuscript and watermarks.