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

MS. Add. A. 61

Summary Catalogue no.: 28843

Contents

Language(s): Latin

(fols 1ra-53vb)
Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia regum Britanniae
Rubric: Hic incipit brutus Anglie
Incipit: Cum mecum multa & de multis.
(fol. 54v)

15th century note on the Dionysiac cycle

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: i + 55 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 7.25 × 5.375 in.
Dimensions (leaf): 170 × 130 mm.

Collation

1-28, 312, 48, 514, 64 (51-54). Quires 2 and 4 are in the wrong order (4 should follow 2) but there is no loss of text: fols 29-36 (§58 'Dominum Iulii abicientes' - §90 'Plebs usus belli ignaria[sic]' should precede fols 17-28 (§90 'que ceteris negotiis'). No catchwords

Layout

In 2 cols of c. 38-46 written lines. Pricking marks occasionally visible at the outer edges. Sometimes written below the top ruled line. Double or single boundary lines

Hand(s)

Written with varying degrees of informality and irregularity by several small and often cursive hands of the glossing type. The least formal hand has deeply-split ascenders and uses simple, crude letter-forms; the tall decorated ascenders on the first line of a page reflect documentary practice. The shaft of the Tironian nota is crossed in places; a has both the Caroline minuscule and two-compartment forms; the only ligature in use is de; round-backed d is standard; tall s is used in final position; g is crank-tailed. The Insular enim-compendium occurs. The ink is dark brown

Decoration

Small plain red capitals withut filigree except (in ink) at §1 and §5

Shield drawn on 53v with a different shield on the facing recto

History

Origin: 13th century ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

On fol. 54v, now barely visible, is 'Iste liber est fratris Guillelmi de Buria de [...] Roberti ordinis fratrum Pred⟨icatorum⟩' (15th century)

'hanauilla' is written at the foot of the page (15th century)

Bought from the rev. W. D. Macray on March 17, 1863, for £1 10s

Record Sources

Description adapted (January 2025) by Stewart J. Brookes from Julia C. Crick, The Historia Regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. III: A Summary Catalogue of the Manuscripts (D. S. Brewer, 1989). Described previously in the Summary Catalogue (1905)

Last Substantive Revision

2025-01-21: Description revised to incorporate information from Julia C. Crick, The Historia Regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth (1989) and the Summary Catalogue (1905)