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

MS. Hamilton 17

Summary Catalogue no.: 24447

Collection of canon law, liturgical commentary and theology. A-C Germany, 14th century, second half

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Fol. i recto blank except for pressmark ‘h 39’, top right corner. Fol. i verso blank.

Fol. ii recto blank. Fol. ii verso, 15th-century table of contents for the whole volume, and pressmarks, ‘B.33’, ‘E primum’, ‘h 39’

Physical Description

Composite: three parts, together by the fifteenth-century binding. The watermark on the endleaves is dreiberg with cross, cf. Piccard vii.2209–2218 (1451–1463)
Form: codex
Extent: 2 + 240 (61 + 111 + 64) + 1 leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 295 × 205 mm.
Foliation: i-ii, 1–241, including 176a, 176b

Binding

Fifteenth-century quarter-binding of whittawed skin over boards; clasps partly lost. Contents and pressmark on the upper board; contents note on the spine. Stamps of the bindery of St Peter's, Erfurt (w002367), including ape with mirror (s015810), Agnus Dei (?s015822), lion (?s015828), birds on lily (?s015807), eagle (?s015809), lily (s015816), rosette (s015817) rosette (?not in eDB).

History

Provenance and Acquisition

St Peter's Erfurt: ex libris, fol. 1r (fifteenth century, second half?); pressmarks, fol. ii verso; binding.

Friedrich Gottlieb Julius von Bülow, 1760-?1831, identifiable as 137 in the catalogue of part 3 of his sale, 10 Oct. 1836.

Sir William Hamilton, 1788–1856

Presented to the Bodleian Library by his sons and received in 1857.

MS. Hamilton 17 – Part 1 (fols. 1–61)

Contents

1. (fols. 1ra–61vb)
Commentary on Adam of Aldersbach, Summula Raymundi
Rubric: Summula de summa raimundi
Incipit: Prodigit ista Non ex subtili sed vili scribimus
Incipit: Sententia littere est talis quod solum modo vna collecta debet dici in missa sed si alicuius alterius sancti festum fuerit in die eiusdem solempnitatis tunc collecta debet imponi de eodem sancto post collectam solempnis festi. Primo nota quod aliqui dicunt quod iste liber non sit editus per ipsum reimundum
Incipit: (fol. 2ra) In defunctorum Hic autor prosequitur de alio documento et dicit quod quando tu dicis collectam in missa pro defunctis
Incipit: [final section] Hic autor ponit aliud documentum in quo autor ostendit quomodo legende et istorie per totum annum debent imponi
Explicit: et ista littera bene patet in compoto manuali et eciam in compoto ecclesiastice ergo hic non est de esse istius libri sed de bene esse etc Finis deo gratias.
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Paper, folded in folio. Watermarks: bull's head with six-pointed star, type Piccard i.849 (1364–1371) ; two stars with two circles (not closely resembling any of the examples, concentrated 1360–1375, in WZIS);

Collation

1(12+1, one leaf added after fol. 12 at the end of the quire) (fols. 1–13), 2(16) (fols. 14–29), 3(18) (fols. 30–47), 4(12) (fols. 48–59), 5(two) (fols. 60–1). Quires numbered in arabic in red on the bottom of the opening recto.

Layout

2 cols., c. 60–68 lines. Frame-ruled, ruled space 235–240 × 135–140 mm. with c. 20 mm. between columns.

Hand(s)

Cursiva, one hand.

Lemmata in textualis, some added later.

Decoration

Red initials of c. 12–16 lines sometimes with decorative elements; lacking in places.

History

Origin: 14th century, second half (c. 1360–80) (watermarks) ; German

MS. Hamilton 17 – Part 2 (fols. 62–176(a))

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 62ra–63va)
Incipit: Seneca in libro epistolarum sic ait uir speculatuius est quasi deus in humano corpore hospitatus
Incipit: (fol. 62vb) Grates nunc omnes Iste liber posset diuidi in tot partes quot sunt sequentie
Explicit: [Eva recolamus] gaudia consecuta vtilitatem [sic for nativitatem]

See art. 3; breaks off unfinished. Fol. 63vb blank, fol. 64r-v ruled, blank; fol. 65r blank.

2. (fol. 65v)

Text on the vices and virtues.

Incipit: Superbia habet principales filias 5. Primo inobediencia

Addition, 15th century. Fols. 62–5 are a quire of four leaves, apparently reject leaves of the following work with a later addition.

3. (fols. 66ra–122vb, quires 1–7)
Sequence commentary 'Vir speculatiuus'
Rubric: Glosa super sequentias et ympnos [later hand]
Incipit: (prologue) Scribit seneca in epistolis suis Vir speculatiuus est quasi deus in humano
Explicit: (prologue) laus diuina scilicet ewangelium
Incipit: Grates nunc omnes reddamus Iste liber posset dividi in tot partes quot sunt consequencie

Final sequence, fol. 122vb (Sanctissime virginis, AH 55.203):

Incipit: Ista sequentia que de sancta katherina canitur et dividitur in tres(?). Primo autor hortatur nos

Breaks off unfinished. Fol. 71ra part blank; fol. 71rb blank; fol. 71va part blank; fol. 122vb part blank.

E. Kihlman, Expositiones sequentiarum: Medieval sequence commentaries and prologues (2006) section 8.3 edits the introduction and the commentary on 'Ad celebres rex'; pp. 289–90 lists the sequences included in this version.
(fols. 123ra–124va)

Misbound (numbered '8 quarternus' but placed after the wrong seventh quire), and should follow fol. 176a, forming the end of the following article.

Incipit: ||dimitterunt et cum sic iuerunt(?) circumdedit eos nubis et onda ita quod non videbantur

Final hymn (Gaude visceribus)(fol. 123rb):

Rubric: De natiuitate beate Marie [added in margin]
Incipit: Iste ympnus cantatur de natiuitate beate marie virginis et dividitur in d(uas). Primo alloquitur nativitate marie virginis
Explicit: virga que christum produxit. Sequitur Te nunc suppliciter

Breaks off unfinished.

Fol. 124vb blank.

4. (fols. 125ra–176(a)vb, quires 9–15)
Expositio hymnorum 'Littera occidit'
Incipit: Littera occidit spiritus autem viuicat viuificat Vnde Ar(istote)les scribit scribit[sic] primo elencorum(?) res sunt multe et quasi in finite nomina pauca
Incipit: Conditor alme siderum eterna lux Iste liber qui subordinatur theologice philosophice
Incipit: (fol. 176va, 'O gloriosa domina excelsa') Hic prosequitur clamorose laudans et exultans beatam virginem
Explicit: et ipsi met non||

Text continues on fol. 123ra.

The opening paragraphs are printed and translated in J. B. Allen, The Ethical Poetic of the Later Middle Ages : A decorum of convenient distinction (1982) 241–2 n. 62.

Also apparently in Mainz SB, Hs I 374, fols. 2ra-75vb; cf. Graz, UB, Ms. 904, bl. 73–92.

Several folios or parts of folios blank: part of fol. 129vb (with later addition); fol. 138r, 138va; fol. 146r-v, 147ra; fol. 147ra; fol. 147v; fol. 148r, 148va; part of fol. 174rb; fol. 174va and part of 174vb. The completeness of the text is unclear and requires further study.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Paper, folded in folio. Watermarks: circle-star-circle (WZIS) (fols. 62–5); pear with two leaves; bull's head, cf. Piccard i.454 (1363); bull's head, cf. Piccard i.811 (1364); bell; anulus with cross (not in WZIS); one or more indistinct marks.

Collation

A(4) (fols. 62–5), 1(8)-6(8) (fols. 66–113), 7(8+1: 1 fol. added at the end of the quire after fol. 121) (fols. 114–122), 8(two, collation uncertain, belongs after fol. 176(a)) (fols. 122–4) | 9(8–3: 6–8 canc. after fol. 129) (fols. 125–129), 10(8)-11(8) (fols. 130–145), 12(8–1, missing 2 after fol. 146) (fols. 146–152), 13(8)-15(8) (fols. 152–176(a) ; quires numbered at the bottom of the opening recto in two sequences, 1–8 and 1–7, the first quire not numbered.

Layout

2 cols., c. 49–51 lines. Frame-ruled, ruled space 200–5 × 150–5 mm. with c. 15 mm. between columns. Fols. 62ra-63va, 230 × 135 mm. with c. 20 mm. between columns.

Hand(s)

Cursiva antiquior by one hand except for fols. 62ra-63va and additions (e.g. fol. 129vb).

Addition, fol. 65v, in cursiva

Decoration

Red initials (c. 6–8 lines) with flourishing in black ink, fols. 66r, 125r, 126r, etc.

Lemmata missing for much of the texts.

History

Origin: 14th century, second half (c. 1360–80) (watermarks) ; German

MS. Hamilton 17 – Part 3 (fols. 176(b)-239)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 176(b)ra–226rb)
⟨Henricus de Frimaria junior⟩, Quaestiones in quartum librum Sententiarum
Incipit: Consequenter queritur. Circa 4m sentenciarum queritur primo vtrum tota theologia traxerit(?) suam totam origenem a deo et videtur primo quod non
Incipit: (fol. 224ra, final quaestio) Consequenter queritur utrum indulgencie date in ista vita possint subuenire animabus in purgatorio
Explicit: possit eis dari indulgencia ex predictis
Final rubric: Expliciunt qestiones preamande super quartum sent(entiarum) xlvj in toto | quartum sententiarum disputate a fratre minore lectore in erfordie [repeated]

Fol. 226rb ruled, blank, with signs of wear, so fols. 172(b)-226 perhaps circulated independently, although the paper and probably script are uniform with fols. 227–239.

Followed by a series of short notes: 'Omnibus adde modum ...', 'Pater noster qui es in celis ...', etc.

2. (fols. 227ra–239ra)
Expositio canonis missae 'Videte quomodo' (Zumkeller 645, 875)
Incipit: Videte quomodo caute ambuletis […] Ista propositio scribitur ad eyffesios quinto capitulo. Dyonisius super ecclesiastica gerarchia particula prima capitulo 3º dicit error contra eukaristiam
Incipit: Te igitur clementissime pater Secundum Hugonem in libro de sacramentis canon iste
Explicit: nos perducat ille cuius corpus est in canone consecratum cuius nomen est in secula benedictum
Final rubric: Explicit canon amen scriptori posco solamen [repeated]

Fol. 239rb blank, fol. 239v ruled, blank except for note at top 'assit ad inceptum sancta maria meum'.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: circle with cross (WZIS)

Collation

1(8)-6(8) (fols. 176(b)-215), 7(12–1, 12 canc.) (fols. 216–26) | 8(8) (fols. 227–34), 9(6–1, 6 canc. (?)) (fols. 235–9). Leaf numbering in arabic in red sometimes visible. Quires 1–5 numbered in arabic on the bottom of the opening recto.

Layout

2 cols., c. 58–59 lines. Frame-ruled, ruled space 240–5 × 160–5 mm. with c. 12 mm. between columns.

Hand(s)

Cursiva antiquior mostly by one hand (cf. fol. 191va-b)

Decoration

Coloured red, red-and-black initials (c. 4 lines) sometimes with simple decoration.

History

Origin: 14th century, second half ; German

MS. Hamilton 17 - upper and lower pastedowns

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Antiphonal

Parts of the Office for the Dead (upper pastedown, top leaf; lower pastedown, bottom leaf) and the Common of the Virgins (upper pastedown, lower leaf; lower pastedown, upper leaf). From the same manuscript as MS. Hamilton 12, fol. 169. The upper pastedown also has a fifteenth-century note of the contents of the volume. Fragments of the same manuscript are used for quire strengtheners.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: parts of two bifolia

Layout

One col. of at least 17 lines. Current size of the fragment 295 × 200 mm. size of the leaf at least 200 × 150 mm.

Hand(s)

Textualis

Musical Notation:

Neums

Decoration

Coloured initials.

History

Origin: 14th century, second half or 15th century ; German

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description by Matthew Holford, Dec. 2020. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2020-12-04: Description finalized for Polonsky German