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

MS. Laud Misc. 375

Summary Catalogue no.: 821

Theological composite manuscript; Germany, 14th century

Physical Description

This description is abbreviated from Daniela Mairhofer, Medieval Manuscripts from the Mainz Charterhouse in the Bodleian Library, Oxford: A Descriptive Catalogue (Oxford, 2018), pp. 1065–1074. For purposes of scholarly citation, reference to the printed catalogue is requested.
Composite manuscript: fols. 1–36 || fols. 37–62 || fols. 63–94
Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: 94 leaves
Foliation: 1–94

Binding

Brown tanned calf over laminated pulpboard for Abp. Laud, 1637–1639.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

The book consists of three German fascicles of varying dates; bound together (including the fragment at the beginning of part A) latest since the 15th century, when the list of contents was inserted at the Mainz Charterhouse (fol. 1r, see below). The book was originally larger, and also appears to have contained the second book of David of Augsburg’s De exterioris et interioris hominis compositione.

Mainz, Charterhouse St Michael: the 15th-cent. list of contents in a hand from the Charterhouse written at right angles up the right-hand margin of fol. 1v.

William Laud, 1573–1645: his ex libris, 1638, fol. 1v.

Given to the Bodleian as part of his third donation, dispatched on 28 June 1639.

MS. Laud Misc. 375 - endleaf (fol. 1)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 1r–v)
Sermons

Fragment of a leaf that formed a recto in the original volume.

(fol. 1r)
Ps.-Augustine, Serm. 283,

imperfect

Table of contents to the whole volume added at the Mainz Charterhouse, 15th century

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 227–33 × 163 mm.

Layout

Ruled in ink, two columns of 26 preserved text lines; the top text line on both sides erased; the last text line affected by the trimming of the lower margin of the original leaf. The original outer margin was wide. The ruled space c. 150 × 146 mm.

Hand(s)

Fol. 1r-v: German textualis formata (textus rotundus), s. xvin, by a single hand, standing between the two ruled lines.

History

Origin: Germany; s. xvin.

MS. Laud Misc. 375 – Part A (fols. 1–36)

Contents

3. (fols. 17v–36v)
Auctoritates virtutum

Possibly imperfect (cf. Bloomfield 3006, and suppl., a collection of quotations on virtues and vices). A catena of extracts from Bernard [of Clairvaux], Augustine, Gregory [the Great], ‘Longebardus’, Hugh of Saint-Victor, Ambrose, Jerome, Isidore of Seville, Seneca, Cassius, Bede, Anselm, John Chrysostom, Cyprian, Chrysogonus, with passages also from the Bible.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 229–33 × 162–65 mm.

Layout

Ruling in ink, two columns of 32 line. Ruled space c. 182–84 × 129–33 mm.

Hand(s)

German textualis, s. xivin, by two hands, above top line: hand A1) fols. 2ra–17rb; A2) fols. 17va–36vb.

Sporadically marginal annotations in hands from the Mainz Charterhouse, s. xv.

Decoration

A two-line red initial, with fleuronnée-like decoration in red and green. (fol. 17va)

Scribal red rubrics; hand A1) one- to three-line plain red initials, (fol. 2ra) flourished in the ink of the text; A2) at the beginning of a sentence majuscules in the ink of the text and highlighted in red, or larger capitals in red, green or blue, sometimes with decoration in red and green; paraphs, in red, green or blue.

History

Origin: Germany; s. xivin

MS. Laud Misc. 375 – Part B (fols. 37–62)

Contents

4. (fols. 37r–62v)
Conradus de Huxaria, Summa confessorum
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 229–33 × 161–67 mm.

Layout

Ruling in ink, two columns of c. 27–31 lines. Ruled space c. 178–85 × 130–33 mm.

Hand(s)

German textualis with elements of rotunda, s. xiv1; a single hand, which resembles hand A2.

Decoration

Two- to 13-line initials in red, often decorated in blue, (fol. 37ra) flourished in red and blue; (fol. 62vb) blue initial, decorated in the opposite colour.

History

Origin: Germany; s. xiv1

MS. Laud Misc. 375 – Part C (fols. 63–94)

Contents

5. (fols. 63r–86r)
Conradus Holtnicker, Speculum beatae Mariae virginis,

with prologue

Fol. 86ra, l. 22–vb blank, except for ruling.

Language(s): Latin
6. (fols. 87r–93v)
Hugo of Saint-Cher, Expositio missae siue Speculum ecclesiae,

with appendices:

(fol. 92r)
De horis canonicis
(fol. 92v)
Decem questiones de rebus liturgicis

For Hugh’s Expositio and both appendices, see MS. Laud Misc. 75, fols 34ra–38rb.

Language(s): Latin
7. (fol. 93v)
Innocent III (Lotharius de Segni), De missarum mysteriis,

2.51

See also MS. Laud Misc. 75, fol. 38rb–va.

Language(s): Latin
8. (fols. 93v–94v)
Liturgical mnemonics: De vigiliis apostolorum ieiunandis,

cf. WIC 14054. See also MS. Laud Misc. 75, fol. 38va.

Fol. 94r, l. 7–v blank, except for ruling.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 222–33 × 158–65 mm.

Layout

Ruling in ink, two columns of c. 42 or 43 lines. Ruled space c. 170–77 × 125–27 mm.

Hand(s)

German textualis, s. xiv2/4, presumably two, but very similar hands, the second one starting on fol. 87ra; both hands bear a strong resemblance to that of MS. Laud Misc. 493.

The margins filled with annotations, especially fols 65r–85v, mainly in a hand of s. xiv2 from the Mainz Charterhouse.

Decoration

Simple two- or three-line initials in red.

Red rubrics; majuscules or single words highlighted in red; paraphs, marginalia (author attributions), line-fillers; (fol. 68) a hole outlined in red; (fols. 89va ff.) red underlining.

History

Origin: Germany; s. xiv2/4

Provenance

Mainz, Charterhouse St Michael: the 15th-cent. ex-libris inscription (fol. 63r); the 15th-cent. list of contents (quoted under A) Provenance, 2).

Additional Information

Record Sources

See above. 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)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2025-04-23: Sebastian Dows-Miller. Removed empty title element.