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

MS. Lat. th. d. 27

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

Collection of mystical theology. English, late 15th century.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 111)
Hugh of St.-Victor, De tribus diebus

Beg. incomplete at end of c.7 (c. 4 in the printed edition) 'non queant'. Pr. P.L. 176, col. 810–838 as bk. VII of the Didascalicon. Here divided into 44 chapters.

2. (fol. 123)
Regula Benedicti (c. 4)
Rubric: Instrumenta bonorum operum
3. (fol. 124)
Anselm, Meditatio I de timore mortis
Rubric: Devota meditatio b. Anselmi de horrore peccati et de timore extremi iudicii
4. (fol. 125)
Anselm, Meditatio II Deploratio uirginitatis male amissae
Rubric: Lamentacio b. Anselmi de amissa virginitate
5. (fol. 126)
Ps.-Origen, Homily on Maria stabat
Rubric: Devota omelia Origenis de planctu b. Marie Magdalene
Incipit: In illo tempore Maria stabat … Audivimus fratres Mariam
Explicit: et hoc dixit michi cui est honor et gloria cum patre … Amen

A spurious work pr. in J. Merlin's edition of Origen (Paris, 1519), iii f. 129. Another copy is in MS. Bodl. 688 (S.C. 2502) fol.37; for others see B.L. Egerton 3037.

6. (fol. 130)
Rubric: Modica et devota excerpcio ex libris beatorum Augustini et Anselmi de contemplacione secundum Hugonem de S. Victore
Incipit: Mulier quid ploras?
Explicit: videbis quod cupis dominum nostrum Jesum Christum cui est honor et gloria … Amen
7. (fol. 131v)
Walter Hilton, Epistola ad Adam Horsley de origine et utilitate religionis

The so-called Epistola aurea; see B.L. Royal 6 E. III, art. 37, Bodl. MSS. Rawl. G. 397 and Lat. th. e. 26.

Rubric: Epistola M. Walteri Hylton de utilitate et prerogativis religionis et precipue ordinis Cartusiersis
Incipit: Quia vero ex toto tenore
Explicit: consequi merearis. Gratia dei sit tecum nuno et imperpetuum. Amen.
Final rubric: Explicit epistola optima Walteri Hylton
8. (fol. 142v)
Ps.-Macharius, Epistola ad monachos

Pr. P.L. 87, col. 1163.

9. (fol. 143v)
Ps.-Peter of Blois, Regula aurea Silencium teneas

Pr. P. L. 207 col.1125.

Incipit: Silencium teneas
Explicit: te exhibere etc.
10. (fol. 144)
Peter Damian, Institutio monalis (ch. 6)
Rubric: Secreta Ieronimi
Incipit: Pensandum quippe
Explicit: indeclinabiliter custodire

P.L. 145 col. 737. Also in MS. Bodl. 61 (S.C.2023), fol. 85

Art. 8–10 are found in the same order in MS. Lat. th. e. 26, following Hilton's Epistola; cf. MS. Merton College 47.

11. (fol. 144v)
Walter Hilton, De imagine peccati
Rubric: Epistola M. Walteri Hylton ad quemdam amicum de ymagine peccati
Incipit: Dilecte in Christi frater inter cetera
Explicit: et honorem nominis sui. Amen.

For other manuscripts see Brit Mus. Royal 6 E. III art. 20.

12. (fol. 151)
Religious treatise (Blomefield, Incipits, 362; cf. MS. Digby 115, art. 5)
Rubric: Tractatus valde utilis Hugonis de S. Victore quomodo homo debeat se habere in omnibus temptacionibus
Incipit: Aliqui propter cordis pusillanimitatem
Explicit: non placet. Amen
13a. (fol. 152v)
Birgitta of Sweden, Reuelationes (extract, c. 44)
13b. (fol. 152v)
Elizabeth of Schonau, Visiones

Extract from De liber viarum dei, ch. XIIII; ed. F. Roth, Die Visionen der hl. Elisabeth (1884), p. 107.

14. (fol. 153)
William Flete, De remediis contra temptationes
Rubric: Tractatus devotus Ricardi Hampole de consolatoriis remediis contra varias spirituales temptaciones
Incipit: Quoniam sicut ait apostolus
Explicit: liberabit eos dominus quod ipse nobis prestare dignetur qui est … Amen

See A. Gwynn, English Austin Friars (1940), p.149; and M. B. Hackett, Medieval studies presented to Aubrey Gwynn, Dublin 1962, p. 344.

15. (fol. 157)
Jehan Castel, De adhaerendo Deo
Rubric: Liber Alberti Magni de adherendo deo nudato intellectu et affectu et ultima et summa perfectione hominis quantum possibole est
Incipit: Cogitanti michi aliquid
Explicit: a qua nos custodiat Iesus Christus. Amen.

See J.Huyben, La vie spirituelle, supplément I (1922), 33.

16. (fol. 165v)
Richard Rolle, De excellentia contemplationis
Rubric: Tractatus devotus Ricardi heremite de Hampole de celesti dulcedine vite contemplative
Incipit: O dulce lumen
Explicit: sonus epulantis

See H. E. Allen, Writings ascribed to R. Rolle, 1927, pp.320–3.

17a. (fol. 177)
Prayer
Rubric: Hanc orationem sequente composuit b. Thomas de Aquino
Incipit: Concede michi queso

See Wilmart, Auteurs spirituels, p.379 n.3.

17b. (fol. 177)
Prayer
Rubric: Hanc orationem sequentem ante omnem disputacionem determinacionem lectionem predicacionem doctor sanctus lacrimose affudit
Incipit: Creator ineffabilis

See Leroquais, Livres d'heures, II.218.

18. (fol. 177v)
Roger of Waltham, Compendium morale (extract, c.2 de predicatore)
19. (fol. 181)
Aelred of Rievaulx, De institutione inclusarum (extract)
Rubric: Prologus Aluredi abbatis Rievallis in vitam inclusam scriptam sorori sue incluse. Qui legit hoc opus sic legat literam ut intelligat sensam
Incipit: Iam pluribus annis
Explicit: pro peccatis meis intercedat Amen

Pr. P.L. 32 col. 1465–71.

20. (fol. 196v)
Collection of extracts on religious life
Rubric: Utrum religio solitariorum sit preferenda religioni in societate vivencium

A collection of references and extracts from Thomas Aquinas , Doctor solennis [i.e. Henry of Ghent ], Augustine , Jerome . Followed by other extracts on related subjects from Ricardus Fysschacre , Comm. in Sent., Arnaldus [Bonavallensis] , De sex verbis domini in cruce, Seneca , Epp., Augustinus de Anchona , De potestate ecclesiastica.

21. (fol. 200)
John Norton (d. 1489), De uita solitaria
Rubric: Quoddam scriptum devoti in Christi patris domini Johannis Norton quondam monachi de domo ordinis Cartusiensis iuxta civitatem Coventr' qui post experienciam vite socialis degencium in claustro ferventer optavit ducere vitam solitariam in heremo
Incipit: Qua de causa quave ratione vita inclusionis
Explicit: ferventer affecto etc.
22. (fol. 201)
Prayers
Rubric: Devota oratio b. Ambrosii
Incipit: Domine deus omnipotens infinite misericordie
(fol. 202)
Rubric: Oracio cotidiana dicenda ante missam
Incipit: Mordacis consciencie
Rubric: Oracio S. Ambrosii
Incipit: Summe sacerdos

See Wilmart, op. cit., p.114.

(fol. 203v)
Rubric: Oracio S. Ambrosii
Incipit: Si tantum domine reatum

See Leroquais, Livres d'heures, I, 51.

Rubric: Oratio eiusdem
Incipit: Miserator et misericors dominus patiens
Rubric: Oratio eiusdem etc.
Incipit: Proiectis domine nobis
(fol. 204)
James of Milan, Stimulus Amoris (extract from II.16)
(fol. 205)
Rubric: Peticio ad excitandum cor in amorem dulcissimi Iesu
Incipit: O domine deus meus quomodo ausus
(fol. 205v)
Henricus Suso, Horologium sapientie (extract from II.4)
23. (fol. 213)
Rubric: Brevis tractatus meliflui Bernardi de laude sacerdotum sive ordinis sacerdotalis
Incipit: O quantam dignitatem
24. (fol. 214)
Peter of Blois, Ep. 124 (here '134'; pr. P.L. 207, col.356)
25a. (fol. 217v)
Gregory the Great, Dialogi (extracts)
26. (fol. 222)
Exemplum on the sacrament of the altar
Rubric: Brevis et vera narracio de quodam miraculo divina virtute facto in diocesi Norwicensi a.d. millesimo cccc quadragesimo sexto de vera et reali existentia veri corporis Christi in sacramento altaris. Et hec narracio fuit missa in scriptis venerabili viro magistro Thome Gascoyne doctori sacre Theologie quondam Cancellario universitatis Oxon' … a domino Thoma Cranewys capellano diocecesis Norwycensis supradicte qui certitudinaliter novit veritatem rei geste in hac materia
Incipit: Terram aridam
Explicit: cui honor et gloria
27. (fol. 222v)
Hugo Ripelinus, Compendium ueritatibus theologie (extracts from VI. 11–19)
28. (fol. 227)
Rubric: Tractatus de discrete discernendo et de recte iudicando quando pollucio nocturna est peccatum et quando non
Incipit: Ad discrete iudicandum
Explicit: observantiam regularem
29a. (fol. 229v)

Extracts from Jerome

29b.
Clementines (extracts)
29c. (fol. 229v)
Bede, Historia ecclesiastica (extracts from IV. 19)
30. (fol. 234)
Prayers

Added in a hand of the 16th cent.

Rubric: Oratio b. Gregorii
Incipit: Domine exaudi orationem meam quia iam cognosco

Leroquais, Livres d'heures, I 249 etc.

(fol. 234v)
Rubric: Oratio coram imagine crucifixi dicenda
Incipit: Salve crux sancta, salve crux gloriosa
(fol. 236v)
Rubric: Oratio pro universali statu ecclesiae catholice
Incipit: Omnipotens et misericors Deus res tibi et tene

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii + 129 leaves (fol. 111–233 of a larger volume)
Dimensions (leaf): 283 × 200 mm.
Dimensions (written): 195 × 135 mm.

Collation

1 (12) (1–2 cut out), 2(12)–6(12), 7(12), 8(8), 9(12)–11(12); catchwords

Layout

37 long lines.

Hand(s)

probably in four hands: (1) fol. 111–123, (2) fol. 123–180, 201–233, (3) fol. 181–200, (4) fol. 230v–233v.

Decoration

Blue initials with extensive red penwork in the margins.

History

Origin: 15th century, late ; English

Provenance and Acquisition

' Thomas Arden ', 16th century (fol. 236v)

' Thomas Goodwin ', 17th century (fol. 235v)

Pen trial of charter 'I Abel Walton of Stourbridge in the county of Worcester'

Bought at Sotheby's 14 March 1949, lot 79.

Record Sources

Typescript description by Bodleian Library staff.

Last Substantive Revision

2017-07-01: First online publication.