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

MS. Laud Misc. 237

Summary Catalogue no.: 1013

Physical Description

Composite: six parts, and binding fragments.
Form: codex
Extent: 249 folios
Dimensions (leaf): 290 × 200 mm.
Dimensions (written): 239 × 159 mm.

Binding

Laudian binding.

Dial bookmark, fol. 230.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Contents suggest that parts of the manuscript belonged to female religious, perhaps the Cistercian nunnery of Aulhausen, a daughter house of Eberbach.

Eberbach, Cistercian abbey (?), perhaps not until the late middle ages or the sixteenth century.

William Laud, 1573–1645, 1637.

Part of his third donation to the Bodleian, 1639.

MS. Laud Misc. 237 – Part 1

Contents

1. (fol. 1)
Regula S. Benedicti

German translation, for nuns: ‘Eberbacher’ or ‘Oxforder Benediktinerregel’.

Language(s): Middle High German

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Decorated initial.

Cadels.

History

Origin: 14th century, first half ; German

MS. Laud Misc. 237 – Part 2

Contents

Language(s): Latin

2. (fol. 78v)
Ps.-Augustine, De sobrietate et castitate
Incipit: Cum mortalium mutabilis mens vel bonis aliquando vel malis intentionibus delectetur
3. (fol. 86)
Rubric: Sermo ad sanctas virgines
Incipit: Virgines Deo dicate | Attentius auscultate | Que vos quidam idiota | Admonet ex menta tota
4. (fol. 86v)
Sermon on the two thieves
Incipit: In cruce dominus Christus pendebat, Judei blasphemabant, principes subsannabant
5. (fol. 88v)
Verba seniorum
Incipit: Interrogaverunt quidam seniores abbatem pastorem.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 12th century

MS. Laud Misc. 237 – Part 3

Contents

1. (fol. 168)
Heito, Visio Wettini
Incipit: Cum predictus frater die sabbati cum aliquibus fratribus
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 12th century, third quarter

MS. Laud Misc. 237 – Part 4

Contents

1. (fol. 173)

With commentary:

Incipit: Liber iste nove institutionis, studiose compositionis
eTK 0820G
Language(s): Latin
(fol. 186)
Incipit: Medicinarum quedam sunt simplices, quedam composite
Language(s): Latin
(fol. 193v)
Judeneid ('Oxforder Judeneid')
Language(s): Middle High German
(fol. 194)
Incipit: Aloe, quia a prima litera incipit, erit principium
Language(s): Latin
(fol. 195)
Incipit: Clisteriorum quatuor sunt genera
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Flourished initials.

History

Origin: 13th century, first half ; Italy or France

MS. Laud Misc. 237 – Part 5

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 203)
Iohannitius, Isagoge
2. (fol. 208v)
Hippocrates, Aphorismata
3. (fol. 217)
Hippocrates, Prognostica
4. (fol. 222v)
Theophilus, Liber urinarum

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Pächt and Alexander ii. 101:

Good borders.

Good historiated initials (drawings).

Good other initials (drawings).

History

Origin: 13th century, first half ; Italy or France

MS. Laud Misc. 237 – Part 6

Contents

1. (fol. 229v)
Nauigatio S. Brendani
Incipit: Sanctus Brendanus, filius Phynlocha, nepos Altilde, genere Cogeni
Explicit: cum suis reversus est ad locum suum
Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 244)
⟨Dionysius Exiguus⟩, Legend of St. John the Baptist's head (BHL 4290–4291)
Incipit: Quidam monachi de Oriente profecti cupientes que preciose crucis Christi
Explicit: ad sextam kal. Martis per indictionem septimam; ad laudem et gloriam Sancte et Individue Trinitatis [etc].
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Coloured initials.

History

Origin: 12th century, second half

MS. Laud Misc. 237 - binding fragments

Contents

Liturgical fragments (hymnal?)

Used to secure fols. 1/8, 121/128, 137/144, 138/143, 160/167.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Musical Notation:

Hufnagelnotation

History

Origin: 14th century

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (2019) from the following sources:
Nigel F. Palmer, Zisterzienser und ihre Bücher: die mittelalterliche Bibliotheksgeschichte von Kloster Eberbach im Rheingau (Regensburg, 1998), p. 290 [contents, physical description, date, origin, provenance], p. 315 [binding fragments]
H. O. Coxe, Laudian Manuscripts, Quarto Catalogues II, repr. with corrections, 1969, from the original ed. of 1858–1885 [contents]

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Digital Bodleian (12 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2019-02-06: Description revised for Polonsky to incorporate all information in Palmer and Quarto catalogues.