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MS. Lat. liturg. f. 22

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

Portable Secular Psalter with Antiphons in Latin (pastedowns, Netherlandish); Northern Netherlands, 15th century, second half

Contents

(f. 1)
Psalter

Fols. ia and ii–v are blank paper fly-leaves; fols. i and 201, originally pastedowns, are made from a 15th-century (?) document in Netherlandish on parchment, containing apparently business records, mentioning ‘koninc’ (fol. i recto, l. 14), and a date (?) in the last line of fol. 201v: ‘[ ...]ent sestich op sunt (?) val[ ... ...]s dach [ ...]’.

Language(s): Middle Dutch
1. (fols. 1r–171r)

Psalms 1–150, written as prose, with titles ‘psalmus’, without numbers. Punctuated throughout, with colon used to mark metrum and punctus used to mark minor pauses. Psalms are in the biblical order; subdivisions within psalms are not indicated, apart from psalm 118, subdivided into twenty-two 8-verse units.

The psalms are accompanied by antiphons, versicles, invitatoria, cues for hymns, etc. with rubrics referring to the secular use.

Hymn ‘Consors paterni luminis lux’ (Chevalier, no. 3830) is written out in full after psalm 25 (fol. 27r).

There are textual divisions at the beginning of psalms appointed first for Matins during the week in the secular use (1, 26, 38, 52, 68, 80, 97), ‘three fifties’ (51 and 101), psalms appointed first for the second and third Nocturns (15 and 18), Prime (21), Terce (118: 33), Sext (118: 81), None (118: 129) and Vespers on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the secular use (114, 131, 137, 143) (see ‘Decoration’).

2. (fols. 171v–172v)

Prayers for the dead, with rubrics:

1.
Incipit: Da nobis domine ut animam famuli tui sacerdotis N
2.
Incipit: Concede quesumus omnipotens deus animabus famulorum ac sacerdotum tuorum N
3.
Incipit: Omnipotens sempiterne deus cui nunquam sine spe misericordie
4.
Incipit: Inclina domine aurem tuam ad preces nostras quibus misericordiam tuam supplices
5.
Incipit: Qvesumus domine pro tua pietate miserere anime famule tue N
6.
Incipit: Maiestatem tuam domine supplices exoramus
7.
Incipit: Deus qui nos patrem et matrem honorare precepisti miserere clementer animabus
8.
Incipit: Fidelium deus omnium conditor et redemptor animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum remissionem ...
3. (fols. 173r–177r)

Devotion, consisting of eight prayers to Christ, each followed by cues for psalms:

1.
Incipit: In honore ac vnione quinque volnerum ac omnium volnerum tuorum
2.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe qui gemitum contriti cordis
3.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe qui remissis delictis beatitudinem te confessis attribuis
4.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe speciale gaudium et refugium tribulatorum
5.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe nostrarum peccaminum mitis indultor
6.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe pastor bone qui propter mortalium omnium redemptionem
7.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe tribulacionum nostrarum optime mitigator
8.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe gloriose deus in quem sanctae animae totam spei fiduciam ...
4. (fols. 177r–187r)

Litany for the dead, with each invocation on fols. 177r–184r followed by a prayer:

1.
Incipit: Domine deus rex celi et terre pater clementissime qui per coeternam tibi sapienciam
2.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe fili dei viui desideratissime vite dulcedo
3.
Incipit: O sancte spiritus paraclite per beatissima tua dona
4.
Incipit: O beata trinitas quam iure laudant adorant et glorificant
5.
Incipit: O sancta maria stella maris spes exulum consolacio
6.
Incipit: O pia mater regis angelorum solamen desolatorum
7.
Incipit: Christi virgo dilectissima miserorum consolatrix
8.
Incipit: O sancte michael princeps milicie excercitus dei
9.
Incipit: O sancte gabriel archangele fortitudo dei humili
10.
Incipit: O sancte raphael archangele medicina dei
11.
Incipit: O vos omnes sancti angeli et archangeli throni et dominationes
12.
Incipit: O sancte iohannes baptista gemma celestis et lucerna
13.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe patriarcharum gaudium prophetarum desiderium
14.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe thesaurus apostolorum hereditas ewangelistarum
15.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe fons et origo scientiarum et liberacio fidelium
16.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe iusticia et sufficiencia sanctorum
17.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe corona triumphancium laus martyrum ac miseracio fidelium
18.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe corona confitencium glorificacio sacerdotum ac salus animarum
19.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe corona uirgimum redempcio animarum et gaudium sanctorum
20.
Incipit: Omnes sancte anime quas clementissimus dominus de omnibus angustiis
21.
Incipit: Rogo et obsecro vos omnes sancti dei ut animam

Followed by collects (fols. 185v–187r):

1.
Incipit: Fons bonitatis et origo pietatis pater misericordiarum
2.
Incipit: Piissime domine iesu christe consolator tristium et omnium fidelium defunctorum redemptor
3.
Incipit: Domine iesu christe exaudi preces nostras propter honorem
4.
Incipit: Propter magnitudinem et latitudinem tue caritatis diuine
5. (fols. 187r–192v)

Rosarium Beatae Mariae (‘Hic incipit rosarium beate marie’), beginning ‘Ave maria gratia plena ...’ and consisting of fifty short passages describing the life of Christ, each followed by ‘Ave maria’, the first beginning ‘Quem tu virgo sanctissima mente et corpore angelo nunciante ...’. The text is subdivided into five parts, each beginning with a 2-line initial, and ends with ‘O Maria semper aue Sertum hoc ne ducas graue ...’ with rubric ‘Oracio’.

6. (fols. 192v–194r)

Sequence ‘Ave preclara maris stella’ (Chevalier 2045) and response ‘Salue maria gemma pudicicie’.

7. (fols. 194v–196r)

Collects, antiphons, versicles and cues for psalms, canticles and hymns:

1.
Incipit: Christus resurgens ex mortuis iam non moritur
2.
Incipit: Cum rex glorie christus infernum debellaturus intraret
3.
Incipit: Presta quesumus omnipotens deus ut qui gratiam dominice resurrectionis
4.
Incipit: Ave iesu rex glorie qui cuncta bona facis da nobis
5.
Incipit: Deus qui de beate marie virginis vtero verbum tuum
6.
Incipit: Ecclesie tue quesumus domine preces placatus admitte ut destructis
7.
Incipit: Deus omnium fidelium pastor et rector famulum tuum

Fols. 196v–200v are partially ruled (bounding lines only), otherwise blank.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: sua et in furore (psalter, fol. 2r)
Form: codex
Support: paper; first leaf of text is parchment; parchment fly-leaves (fols. i and 201). Watermarks: fleur de lys in shield with rosette, cf. Briquet 1743–6; letter P, cf. Briquet 8606.
Extent: 206 leaves: i (modern paper) + i (parchment) + 4 + 1 (parchment) + 199 + i (parchment) leaves.
Dimensions (leaf): c. 145 × 113 mm.
Foliation: modern, in pencil; ia + i–v + 1–201.

Collation

(ia–v) I (4+2) fols. ia and i are singletons | (fols. 1–12) II (12) 1, 2 and 11, 12 are singletons | (fols. 13–191) III–XVII (12) | (fols. 193–200) XVIII (8) | (fol. 201) singleton. Parchment sewing guards are used at the centres of quires; fragments of catchwords survive; leaf signatures occasionally survive (e.g. quire VIII, fols. 73–84: apparently on alternate leaves (e.g. h1, h2, h3 on fols. 85, 87, 89).)

Layout

Ruled in brown ink with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines, extending the full height and width of page; 18 lines per page; prickings survive; written below the top line; written space: c. 95 × 65 mm.

Hand(s)

Formal Gothic book hand, black ink

Decoration

Red or blue initials with contrasting purple or red penwork, green and yellow wash, and gold at textual divisions: seven lines high at psalm 1 (fol. 1r); five or six lines high at psalms 26 (fol. 27v), 38 (fol. 44r), 52 (59v), 68 (fol. 75v), 80 (fol. 95r), 97 (fol. 113r), 109 (132r), the beginning of prayers (fol. 173r) and Rosarium Beatae Mariae (fol. 187r); and four lines high at psalms 51 (fol. 59r) and 101 (fol. 115r).

3-line similar initials at the beginning of psalms 15 (13r), 18 (fol. 18v), 21, (fol. 21v), 114 (fol. 135v), 118: 33 (fol. 140v), 118: 81 (fol. 143v), 118: 129 (146v), 131 (fol. 154v), 137 (fol. 159v) and 143 (fol. 165r).

2-line plain red initials at the beginnings of psalms and prayers.

1-line plain initials, alternating red and blue on fol. 1r, and red elsewhere, at the beginnings of verses and periods.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

15th-century (?) (original (?)) Dutch binding, brown leather over boards with criss-cross design of double blind fillet lines and stamps in the form of five-petalled stylized daisies and quatrefoil leaves. Sewn on four slit bands, four raised bands on spine. 19th-century (?) paper label on spine inscribed ‘BREVIARIUM AN[ ...] || MSS.’. Holes left by the fittings of two clasps on both covers, fastening from bottom to top. Former pastedowns (fols. i and 201) made from a parchment document.

History

Origin: 15th century, second half ; Dutch

Provenance and Acquisition

Made in northern Netherlands: evidence of decoration.

Given by G. R. Driver, 1930

Record Sources

Adapted (2024) from Elizabeth Solopova, Latin Liturgical Psalters in the Bodleian Library: A Select Catalogue (Oxford, 2013), pp. 391–4, retaining some details from the earlier typescript description by Bodleian library staff, revised by Peter Kidd, late 1990s.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

    Printed descriptions:

    Pächt and Alexander (1966–73), vol. 1, no. 236.
    S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 109

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-08: Convert full description from Solopova catalogue.