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

MS. Laud Misc. 222

Summary Catalogue no.: 957

Composite: A Goswinus de Bossuto, Vita Arnulfi conversi; Germany, 13th century, second quarter. B Echardus Magister, Opus Tripartitum (parts); Germany, 14th century. C Serapion the Elder, Practica; France (?), 13th century, second half

Physical Description

Composite: fols. 1–28 || fols. 29–103 || fols. 103–235
Form: codex
i (paper) + 235 (28 + 75 + 132) + i (parchment)
Dimensions (leaf): 240 × 160 mm.
Foliation: [i], 1–236 in 19th-century pencil

Binding

Laudian binding. Sewn on five bands and bound in plain brown leather over pasteboards, each cover framed by a double blind fillet and with the gilt arms of Archbishop Laud in the centre; with traces of ties. The head of the spine with a paper label inscribed ‘Glossa super Genesin | &c. | M. S.’, above two printed paper Bodleian labels, ‘Laud. | E 3[4].’ and ‘Laud | 222’. The upper edges of the leaves are inscribed with a medieval(?) title (?) or ex libris (?).

History

Provenance and Acquisition

The whole volume together by at least 1502, when identifiable as h9 in the catalogue of the Cistercian abbey of Eberbach (Nigel F. Palmer, Zisterzienser und ihre Bücher: die mittelalterliche Bibliotheksgeschichte von Kloster Eberbach im Rheingau (Regensburg, 1998), p. 274).

William Laud, 1573–1645, 1637.

Part of his third donation to the Bodleian, 1639.

MS. Laud Misc. 222 – Part A (fols. 1–28)

Contents

1. (fols. 1v–28v)
Goswinus de Bossuto OCist, Vita Arnulfi conversi
(fols. 1v–2r)

Preface

Rubric: Incipit prefatio in vitam famuli dei fratris Arnulfi conuersi Villariensis
Incipit: Sicit in germinibus herbarum atque lignorum que terra producit non una species
Explicit: eius gesta adiuuante domino describemus. Explicit prefatio.
(fols. 2r–18r)
Rubric: Incipit vita eiusdem. capitulum .j.
Incipit: Fuit in episcopatu Cameracensi in oppido quodam terre Brabantine quod Bruxella dicitur, adolescens quidam Arnulfus nomine
Explicit: migrauit de hac uita immo de hac morte ad uitam … qui uenit in hunc mundum ut uitam habeamus et abundantius habeamus, cui est cum patre … per omnia secula seculorum. Amen.
Final rubric: Explicit vita serui dei fratris Arnulfi Villariensis

Book II begins on fol. 11r; each book is preceded by a capitula list. Arnulf’s death in 1228 is recorded at fol. 28r, line 13.

(fol. 28r–v)

Verses

Rubric: Versus de conuersatione et obitu eiusdem
Incipit: Nobilis egrediens hospes de corpore mortis
Explicit: Viuit nunc anima melius quam uixerat ante
Rubric: Versus de epitaphio eiusdem

BHL, no. 713; Acta Sanctorum, Junii, V (Antwerp 1709), pp. 608C–631E. Here incomplete, missing the final epitaph, which is an additional 36 lines in the printed edition; translated into English by Martin Cawley in Goswin of Bossut, Send me God: The lives of Ida the compassionate of Nivelles, nun of La Ramée, Arnulf, lay brother of Villers, and Abundus, monk of Villers (Turnhout 2003), 125–208.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Collation

1–3(8) (fols. 1–24), 4(four); quire signatures in red ink .i.–.iij. (fols. 8v, 16v, 24v)

Layout

Ruled in plummet for 31 lines written above top line. Ruled space 185–90 × 115–20 mm.

Hand(s)

Gothic bookhand; capitals stroked in red

Decoration

Initials in red with leafy and other ornament, mostly 3 lines high, sometimes extending along much of the height of the margin. According to Palmer, p. 290, by the same hand as the initials in MS. Laud Misc. 287 and London, BL, Arundel MS. 245.

History

Origin: 13th century, second quarter (after 1228) ; Germany, Eberbach OCist (?)

Provenance

'Probably' written at Eberbach according to Palmer, p. 290.

MS. Laud Misc. 222 – Part B (fols. 29–103)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

2. (fols. 29r–64r)
Echardus Magister, Liber parabolarum Genesis
(fols. 29r–30r)

Prologue

Incipit: Expeditis in prima edicione que dicenda videbantur quantum ad sensum aperciorem
Explicit: et superficie littere contentorum
(fols. 30r–33r)

Tabula

Incipit: In principio creavit deus celum et terram. Prima auctoritas primi capituli Genesis et exponitur symbolice siue parabolice
Explicit: ibi habes auctoritates duas Crisostomi et Augustini pulchras de innocentia.
Final rubric: Explicit tabula. Aliam secundum ordinem alphabeti habes plus in fine huus exposicionis.
(fols. 33r–63r)
Incipit: In principio creavit deus celum et terram. Verbum hoc in prima editione multipliciter exponitur
Explicit: onerosum legentibus opus fieret et diffusum
(fols. 63r–64r)

Index

Incipit: Incipit tabula contentorum in hoc libro secundum ordinem alphabeti verbi
Explicit: Virtus vitia .75.
Stegmüller, Bibl. 2203 Magistri Echardi Prologi in opus tripartitum, Expositio libri Genesis, secundum recensionem Cod. Oxoniensis Bodleiani Laud misc. 222 (L), Liber parabolarum Genesis …, Meister Eckhart, Die lateinischen Werke, Bd 1.2, ed. by Loris Sturlese (Stuttgart, 2015)
3. (fols. 64v–103v)
Echardus Magister, Prologues to the Opus tripartitum, and Commentary on Genesis
(fols. 64v–67r)
Prologus generalis in opus tripartitum (Stegmüller, Bibl. 2197)
Rubric: Prologus iste generalis qui premittitur primo docet auctoris intentionem
Incipit: ⟨A⟩uctoris intentio on hoc opere tripartito est satisfacere pro posse studiosorum fratrum quorundam desideriis
Explicit: in initiis scilicet trium operum plenius pertractanda
(fols. 67r–69v)
Prologus in opus propositionum (cf. Stegmüller, Bibl. 2197,1)
Incipit: Esse deus est. Incipit pars prima tripartiti opus scilicet propositionum
Explicit: Esse et deus etc. Isti immediate debet continuari opus propositionum siue liber.
(fols. 69v–70r, line 15)
Prologus in opus expositionum I (Stegmüller, Bibl. 2201)
Incipit: In principio creauit deus celum et terram. Operis tripartiti pars tercia principalis opus scilicet expositionum incipit
Explicit: incipiamus ergo et dicamus
(fols. 70r–103v)
Expositio libri Genesis (Stegmüller, Bibl. 2202)
Incipit: In principio creauit deus celum et terram. Circa premissam auctoritatem quatuor sunt notanda
Explicit: quod a tot sapientibus concorditer approbatum est
Final rubric: Explicit super Genesin editio prima

Pen-trials below include ‘Qui scripsit hoc sit benedictus a deo suo Amen.’

Magistri Echardi Prologi in opus tripartitum, Expositio libri Genesis, secundum recensionem Cod. Oxoniensis Bodleiani Laud misc. 222 (L), Liber parabolarum Genesis … , Meister Eckhart, Die lateinischen Werke, Bd 1.2, ed. by Loris Sturlese (Stuttgart, 2015)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Collation

5(8)-13(8) (fols. 29–100), 14(4–1) (fols. 101–3, 4 cancelled after fol. 103).

Layout

Ruled in ink for 2 columns of 40 lines, generally written below top line but occasionlly above and sometimes with three lines of text below the ruled area. Ruled space 170–5 × 110–5 mm. with c. 15 mm. between columns.

Hand(s)

Gothic bookhand

Decoration

One initial in plain red.

Spaces left for others.

History

Origin: 14th century ; Germany

MS. Laud Misc. 222 – Part C (fols. 104–235)

Contents

4. (fols. 104r–235v)
Serapion the Elder (Yuhanna ibn Sarabiyun), Practica (tr. Gerard of Cremona) (ending imperfect)
Rubric: Tractatus primus breuiarii filii Serapionis medici translatus a magistro Girardo Cremonensi de Arabico in Latinum. Inquid Iohannes
Incipit: (capitula) Incipiamus cum auxilio dei et bonitate inspirationis eius librum abbreviatum
Explicit: (capitula) xxxij. de saltu
Rubric: Capitulum .i.
Incipit: Egritudines iste a duabus eueniunt causis
Explicit: sumatur gallarum quantum necesse est et ponatur in||

Ends imperfect due to loss of leaves.

Frequent near-contemporary marginalia by more than one reader, sometimes extensive; sometimes referring to Galen, e.g. ‘Nota autem .G. in libro de ciriaca …’ (fol. 114v). Other marginal additions include chapter numbers in Arabic numerals.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment, with sporadic holes and other flaws

Collation

15(12+1) (fols. 104–16, probably a leaf added at the end of the quire), 16(12)-17(12) (fols. 117–40), 18(10) (fol. 141–50), 19(14) (fols. 151–64), 20(12) (fols. 165–76), 21(12–1) (fols. 177–87, 6 missing after fol. 181), 22(12)-25(12) (fols. 188–235). Quire signatures on the bottom centre of the final verso.

Layout

Ruled in plummet for 2 columns of 47 lines written below top line. Ruled space 185 × 120 mm. with c. 10 mm. between columns.

Hand(s)

Gothic bookhand, with a distinct change of ink and introduction of a more cursive looped ‘d’ for most of fol. 133v

Decoration

Large puzzle initials in red and blue with flourishing in both colours introduce the beginnings of treatises II–VII (fols. 118v, 137r, 150v, 172r, 191r, 198v), ; most initials alternately red or blue, with flourishing in the other colour; those on the first page (fol. 104r) apparently left blank and supplied later in cruder style, in plain red or brown and red.

History

Origin: 13th century, second half (last quarter (?)) ; France (?)

Additional Information

Record Sources

Summary description (March 2021) by Peter Kidd, edited by Matthew Holford. Previously described in the Quarto Catalogue (H. O. Coxe, Laudian Manuscripts, Quarto Catalogues II, repr. with corrections, 1969, from the original ed. of 1858–1885).

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2021-03-29: Description fully revised for Polonsky German digitization project.