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

MS. Hamilton 41

Summary Catalogue no.: 24471

Sermons for Lent; A, B Germany, 15th century, probably first half, and c. 1400

Contents

(fol. 1r)

Fifteenth-century table of contents to the whole volume. For the document on fol. 1v, see below.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Composite: two parts together early
Form: codex
Extent: ii (modern) + 1 + 264 (199 + 65) + ii (modern) leaves (i-ii, 1–267)
Dimensions (leaf): 215 × 145 mm.

Binding

White leather on boards, fifteenth-century, rebacked and mended; contemporary labels with title ('Duo opera quadragesimalia') and pressmark (C. VI). Clasps lost; bosses on the lower and perhaps also the upper board lost.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Erfurt, Benedictine abbey of SS Peter and Paul: ‘liber sancti patria in erfordia’ (upper pastedown); pressmarks ‘C. vi’, ‘C 6’ (binding and fol. 2) ‘C. 13’ (fol. 1v)

Friedrich Gottlieb Julius von Bülow, 1760-?1831: probably identifiable as 321 in the catalogue of part 3 of his sale, 10 Oct. 1836 ('Duplex collectio sermonum quadragesimalium').

Sir William Hamilton, 1788–1856

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

MS. Hamilton 41 – Part 1 (fols. 2–200)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 2r-195r)
Sermones quadragesimales super evangelia
Rubric: \Opus quadragesimale/

The first three and last three incipits as follows:

Rubric: Quarta feria cinerum sermo
Incipit: Videntes admirati sunt […] Ciues obsesse ciuitatis et vallati forti et grandi inimicorum exercitu
Incipit: (fol. 5v) Puer meus iacet paralaticus […] Inter alia egritudini curandi utilia sunt duo precipue, primum est ut eger se curandum committat medico de quo confidat
Incipit: (fol. 9r) Ego autem dico vobis […] In eodem foro seu mercato in mundinibus[sic] consueuerunt vendi viles merces et preciose
Incipit: (fol. 169r) Sciens iesus quia ut uenit hora […] Prudens dux peregrinorum debens eos ducere per v⟨i⟩am asperam prouidet eis quibus sustentari possint
Incipit: (fol. 172r) Nolite me vocare […] In eodem libro legimus predictam mulierem esse pulchram valde
Incipit: (fol. 189v) Quo abiit abiit dilectus […] Non est reliquenda hodie sic sauciata doloribus super ploratu filii
Explicit: Ploratus simus tue resurrectionis consortes in secula seculorum. Amen.
Final rubric: Expliciunt postille quadragesimales

Apparently the same collection as Bordeaux, BM 294 fols. 1–81v but lacking the two final sermons in that manuscript. Cf. Darmstadt, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt, Hs 2207 fols. 2r–86v. Followed by three additional sermons:

(fols. 195r-197r)
Incipit: ⟨P⟩osui faciem meam ut petram […] Frequenter contigit quod bona alicui exhibita causant ei molestiam
(fols. 197r-198v)
Incipit: ⟨T⟩u autem domine sabaoth […] Nota quod iustum iudicium dei timendum est propter tria, primo iram inflexibilem
(fols. 198v-200r; 200v blank)
Incipit: ⟨E⟩cce saluator tuus venit tibi […] Non otiosis sed operantibus redditur merces eterna Sapien. 10. Redit iustis mercedem laborum suorum. Nota merces recipitur sceleriter persoluitur liberaliter.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Paper, folded in quarto. Watermarks indistinct: apparently bull's head with six-petalled flower and bull's head with six-pointed star, neither identifiable.

Collation

1(12)-16(12) (fols. 2–193), 17(12–5: 7–12 canc.) (fols. 194–200). Catchwords.

Layout

1 col., c. 29–31 lines. Frame-ruled, ruled space 145–150 × 90 mm.

Hand(s)

Cursive by one hand.

Decoration

Coloured red initials, usually three-line.

History

Origin: 15th century, probably first half ; German

MS. Hamilton 41 – Part 2 (fols. 201–265)

Contents

(fol. 201v; 201r blank)
Incipit: Memento homo quia cinis es etc. Per cinerem significatur penitentia propter tres causas siue virtutes quas in cinere euidenter videmus

Fifteenth-century addition.

Language(s): Latin
1. (fols. 202r-262v)
Sermones quadgragesimales super epistolas et evangelia
Rubric: Item sermones quadgragesimales

Incipits of the first three and last three sermons as follows:

Incipit: Sedit in cinere et spersit cinerem […] Hodie fratres karissimi incipit tempus decime quo unusquisque debet domino suo et hoc de toto corpore suo
Incipit: (fol. 203r) Accessit centurio rogans […] Tota intencio ecclesie fratres karissimi in ista quadragesima est ut peccatores ad penitenciam reducant
Incipit: (fol. 204r) Quare ieiunauinmus […] In prenotatis verbis fratres karissimi duo notare debemus, de quibus Ysay propheta domini interrogauit
Incipit: (fol. 257r) Comedite amici mei […] Karissimi, scribit Salomon ista uerba in Cantica canticorum et tanguntur duo verba in eis
Incipit: (fol. 258v) Hodie fratres karissimi campane non pulsantur, missarum solempnia debito more non teneantur
Incipit: (fol. 262r) O vos omnes qui transitis […] Verba predicta fratres karissimi scripsit Ier. in libro lac. lamentacionum quod ipse exposuit et exclamauit vehementissime
Explicit: De quo Job xxo ait, Quousque confligitis animam meam et atteritis||

Apparently the same collection as in BSB Clm 18313, fols. 2–18 and Gotha Chart A 24c fols. 129ra-166ra (see E. Wunderle, Katalog der mittelalterlichen lateinischen Papierhandschriften (2002) 83–4), here imperfect at the end due to loss of leaves.

Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 263r-265v)
Sermon on the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Rubric: Sermo de visitacione marie matris domini nostri iesu christi
Incipit: Exurgens Maria […] Postquam Maria suum sensum apperuit quam angelus in persona tocius trinitatis expectauit, ymmo tocius genus humanum et angelus, reuertebatur ad domum
Explicit: quia ipsa concussit capud antiqui serpentis et conpletum est id in ea quod dicitur Genes. 3, Ipsa conteret caput serpentis et cetera

Fifteenth-century addition; followed by a later note on the seven 'peccata aliena' and seven metals.

Language(s): Latin
Colophon: Deo gracias etc. Hilf God Maria berad
Language(s): Latin, German

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Fols. 202–238: parchment and paper (folded in quarto), the inner and outer bifolia of each quire parchment; watermark, bull's head with six-pointed star above (indistinct). Fols. 238–49: paper, watermark indistinct. Fols. 250–261: paper, folded in quarto; watermark, bull's head with circle above. Fols. 262–5: paper, folder in quarto, watermark, bull's head (only the bottom half).

Collation

medieval endleaf (fol. 201), 18(12)-22(12) (fols. 202–261), 25 (one) (fol. 262, the first leaf only of a quire) | 24(three) (fols. 262–5). Catchwords.

Layout

1 col., c. 27–30 lines. 140–160 × 100–5 mm.

Hand(s)

Cursive apparently by one hand (except for fols. 201v, 263r-265v).

Decoration

Two-line coloured red initials (three-line, fol. 202r)

History

Origin: 14th century, late, or 15th century, early (watermark, fols. 250–261) ; Germany

MS. Hamilton 41 - upper pastedown

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Mandate of Boniface ⟨IX⟩ to a papal judge delegate to hear a case between vicars choral and a dean and chapter (?); mentions 'muros Maguntin.' (Mainz)

Physical Description

Form: sheet
Support: parchment
Extent: Part of the left side of the document
Dimensions (fragment): 213 × c. 140 mm.

Layout

21 lines. Height of the ruled space c. 150 mm.

Hand(s)

Gothic cursive script

History

Origin: 1389 × 1404

MS. Hamilton 41 - endleaf (fol. 1) and lower pastedown

Contents

Language(s): German

1.
Charter from Gotha

Two fragments of a financial document issued by the town council of Gotha, concerning taxation, rents, and possibly tithes due to the church of St. Margaret in the same town.

(fol. 1rv)
Incipit: Wir Henrich Schonouwe unde Jacoph Ringhofin
Explicit: nochgeschrebin stucke und artikele als ||
(rear pastedown)
Incipit: || eber unde hans sandir kemmerere Apil
Explicit: kegin den megena⟨n⟩tin kouffiti⟨n⟩ gehaldin ub||

Physical Description

Form: sheet
Support: Parchment
Extent: Two fragments of one document, sides and bottom severely cut, with consequent loss of text.
Dimensions (fragment): 210 × c. 180 mm.

Layout

at least 34 lines

Hand(s)

Gothic cursive script

History

Origin: 15th century, early? ; Gotha, Germany

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description by Tuija Ainonen and Matthew Holford (March 2020, rev. Nov. 2020), drawing on an unpublished description by Stephen Mossman, c. 2003. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue (1905).

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2020-11-12: Added further details of contents and further physical description