MS. Lat. bib. d. 8

Summary Catalogue no.: Not in SC (late accession)

With ‘modern’ chapter divisions (except for I Ezra, 8 chapters; Nehemiah, 14 chapters; Esther, 6 chapters). Many beginnings and ends of books have been cut out but the order is clearly the usual one for French 13th-cent. bibles (see N.R. Ker, Medieval MSS in British libraries I, pp.vii, 96–7) and surviving prologues all belong to the common set: Stegmüller, Rep. Bibl., nos. 284, 285, 311, 323, 328, 327, 330, 341+343, 344, 357, 468, 482, 491, 492, 511, 515, 512, 513, 519+517, 524, 521, 526, 528, 531, 534, 543, 607, 620, 624, 677, 715, 728, 736, 747, 793, 809. Fol.200v, following Psalms, is blank. The interpretations of Hebrew names (fol.401–428v) begin and end imperfect, but appear to be the usual set Aaz apprehendens: Stegmüller, op.cit., no.7709.

Corrections and some glosses in several contemporary and later hands.

The leaf cut out after fol. 13 belonged to Bruce Barker-Benfield, was given by him in Oct. 2021 and is now MS. Lat. bib. c. 1, fol. 8.

The opening leaves of I Maccabees (originally before fol. 301) and I Corinthians (originally after fol. 363) were purchased in July 2020 are now MS. Lat. bib. c. 1, fols. 6-7.

Other leaves are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (see AMARC newsletter 42 (May 2004), p. 4).

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: ad templum

Form: codex

Support: very fine parchment

Extent: i + 429 leaves; outer leaves and upper edges badly damaged by damp

Dimensions (leaf): 277 × 183 mm.

Dimensions (written): 176 × 97 mm.

Collation

1(16) (4, 15 cut out), 2(16)(4, 6, 13–15 cut out), 3(16) (4, 7, 15 cut out), 4(16)) (2–13 cut out)?, 5(16) (1, 5 cut out), 6(16)(13 cut out), 7(16) (6 cut out), 8(16)–9(16), 10(16)(5 cut out), 11(15), 12(16)(9–12, 14 cut out), 13(16), 14(8), 15(16)(7, 12 cut out) + 1 added at end (fol.200), 16(16) (1, 9 cut out), 17(16)(15, 16 cut out), 18(16)(2, 8–16 cut out)?, 19(16) (5, 6 cut out), 20(16), 21(16) (16 cut out), 22(16)(1, 4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16 cut out), 23(16)(10, 11, 15, 16 cut out), 24(16) (2 cut out), 25(16)(3–6 cut out), 26(16)–27(16), 28(16)(6, 12, 14 cut out), 29(16) (5, 7, 8, 12 cut out), 30(16)(10, 14, 15 cut out), 31(8)(5–8 cut out), 32(16)(1, 4 cut out), 33(18) (15–18 missing)(?). Catchwords, quire signatures

Layout

2 cols., 53 lines

Decoration

Good borders, historiated and other initials. Damaged by damp and mutilated. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 488)

Most of the illuminated initials to books (historiated) and prologues have been cut out. Surviving initials to books are: fol.1, general prologue, a monk writing; fol.179, Psalms, David playing his harp; fol.217v, Ecclesiasticus, man with staff; fol.260, Lamentations, man standing in front of a church(?); fol.292v (partly mutilated) Jonah, divided: below, Jonah being disgorged by the whale; above, a church(?); fol.297v, Zephaniah, the prophet(?haloed) with two men in Phrygian caps; fol.359, Romans, St. Paul seated, holding a sword; fol.394v, II Peter, a bishop(?) seated, blessing; fol.395, I, John, St. John writing. Smaller initials to prologues survive on fol.3v, 50v, 70, 169v, 211v, 217, 261v, 289, 294v, 297, 359, 375v, 377.

Initials to chapters alternately red and blue, all flourished in both blue and red.

Binding

Medieval binding in red skin (faded) over boards, with foliate fore-edge pattern in red and green. Traces of fastenings.

Accompanying Material

Flyleaves (fol.i, 429), apparently added in comparatively recent times parts of two leaves from MS. of the Codex Justinianus, 13th cent., with glosses, 2 cols, 50 lines: fol.i, Lib.I tit.ix c.xiv – tit.xi c.viii; fol.429, Lib.I end tit. xvii-tit. xix c.ii.

History

Origin: 13th century, end ; English (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

'Anthony minowen ...(?)', 16th century (fol. 178)

‘Dorithe Fetiplace god send her hither(?)’, 16th century (fol. 249)

‘Bee itt Knowne untto all men yt the wrighter heeroff his name is R.I.’, 16th century (fol. 354v)

‘Be it owen [sic] unto all men.... that I Jhon Smith(?)’, 16th century (fol. 415)

Benedictine monastery of St. Michael and All Saints, Belmont, nr. Hereford, with book label, 108

Booklabel of Kimbolton Castle (from another book) now stuck to front board

The leaf cut out after fol.13 (Genesis xxxii mid – xxxv mid) now belongs to Bruce Barker-Benfield.

Bought, 1963.

Record Sources

Typescript description by Bodleian Library staff, revised by Peter Kidd. A more detailed description by Peter Kidd is available in typescript.

Availability

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Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2021-12: Query added to localization; reference to leaves in MS. Lat. bib. c. 1 added.

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