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

MS. Laud Misc. 569

Summary Catalogue no.: 837

A Einhard, Notker Balbulus; Germany (Eberbach?), 12th century, last quarter; B Sermons and treatises on dictamen; German, 13th century, first half or middle

Physical Description

Two manuscripts (fols. 1–132 || fols. 133–196v) together by 1502.
Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: 196 leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 266 × 158 mm.
Dimensions (written): 190 × 100 mm.

Binding

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

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Eberbach, Cistercian abbey: parts 1 and 2 together identifiable as g27 in the 1502 library catalogue.

William Laud, 1573–1645, 1636.

Part of his third donation to the Bodleian, 1639.

MS. Laud Misc. 569 – Part 1 (fols. 1r-132v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 1r–88v)
Einhard, Vita Caroli regis
Rubric: Incipiunt gesta Karoli imperatoris
Incipit: Gens Merowingorum de qua franci reges sibi creare soliti erant
Explicit: cum magna laeticia exultationis celebrauit.
2. (fols. 88v–132r)
Notker Balbulus, Gesta Karoli Magna
Incipit: Omnipotens rerum dispositor ordinatorque
Explicit: Officium quidem tuum te habere permittimus.
(fol. 132r)
Poems

Five lines titled 'De monacho dormiente in choro'. (WIC 6602; Ed. Palmer, p. 218).

Two lines, 'Spernere mundum' (WIC 18492).

Two lines, 'Villa. boues. uxor.' (WIC 20336).

Three lines, 'Prothesis apponit caput (WIC 14832).

(fol. 132v)
Rubric: Collecta de beata virgine Maria
Incipit: Deus qui per ingressum angelicum et

Added in the last third of the 13th century to an originally blank verso.

(fol. 132v)
Hymn to the Virgin
Incipit: Ave, stella matutina, peccatorum medicina

Added in the last third of the 13th century to an originally blank verso.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Added drawings, fols. 11r (repudiation of Charlemagne's wife), 132v (the Virgin Mary).

Red initials with very sparse decoration

History

Origin: 12th century, last quarter ; German, Eberbach, Cistercian abbey (?)

Provenance

Possibly from the Eberbach scriptorium (Palmer, 296).

MS. Laud Misc. 569 – Part 2 (fols. 133r-196v)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

3. (fols. 133r–137v)
Sermons (?)

Unidentified. Listed in the Eberbach library catalogue as 'sermones quidem'; first on Cant. 4.15, then on Christ's nativity and infancy.

Incipit: Ortus conclusus soror mea sponsa Ortus con[sic] Salomon loquitur sed a sapiente quomodo eadem soror que sponsa nuncupatur. Illegitima est harum coniunctio personarum.
Explicit: ab unigenito cordis tui Salvatore nostro, cui est honor et gloria per omnia secula seculorum Amen.
Incipit: (fol. 137v) Fons liquidus ac serenus manens iugiter unde manans. Hodie de corde patris aridam(?) nostri cordis irrigaturus egreditur. Hodie manu emissa de supernis sub ueteri iacens onere mundus erigitur.
Incipit: (fol. 140r) Rursum eadem que adolescentie statui nomina hec interpretando contulimus noue penitentis conversationi conuenire uidebimus
Incipit: (fol. 142r) Accusanti se anime suosque iugiter plangenti morbos, si non solum peccatorum remissio, sed et omnis gratie promittatur plentitudo
Incipit: (fol. 144r) Tales delicias et tantam celestie gratie plenitudinem si uel adolescenti suas plangenti miserias
Rubric: (fol. 145r) [later hand:] de visitatione B.M.V
Incipit: Exercicium ad perfectionem tendentis anime, quale esse oporteat demonstratur cum infertur, Exurgens autem Maria in diebus...
Incipit: (fol. 147r) Rudibus ad huc et a timore domini inchoantibus salutis iter
Incipit: (fol. 148v) Post premissa si series historiae consulitur hec sequentur, Cum esset desponsata mater eius
Incipit: (fol. 150v) Hystoriam operum saluatoris cum non unus tantum sed plures euangeliste tractent
Incipit: (fol. 153v) Inspecto quis fuerit descriptionis auctor intueri libet etiam de ministro; ipse est de quo scriptura subiungit, Hec descriptio prima facta est a preside syrie cirino
Incipit: (fol. 157v) Tota diligenter anima per confessionem ne pristinis rursum sordibus inquinetur, misticis consequenter euangelice lectionis sermonibus eruditur. Factum est autem dum essent ...
Incipit: (fol. 160r) Illustrantur lumine lucentis anime quicumque sanctos in illa perfectionis radios contemplantur. Unde subditur, Et pastores erant in eadem regione uigilantes
Incipit: (fol. 162r) Pastoribus ut annunciata leticia nati pueri critice(?) perserueret, credulitatis datur iudicium cum infertur
Incipit: (fol. 163r) Quam rectissime autem hinc quidem gloria, inde uero par annunciatur. Osculum enim hoc danti ad gloriam, ad pacem uero est accipienti.
Incipit: (fol. 165r) Post gustatam celestis doni suauitatem, nichil dignius quam ut mens in actione perseueret graciarum
Incipit: (fol. 167v) Vltimus ad perfectionem gradus est qui in eo exprimitur, quod consequenter infertur, Et postquam consummati sunt dies octo
Incipit: (fol. 169v) Sicut specialis est glorie uite perfectioris item(?) euntibus exempli lumine esse preambulum, ita salutaris est gratie si perfectum pre cunctis te imiteris exemplum
Explicit: (fol. 178v) celestem loquor patriam, te duce, Jhesu bone, pervenitur, Qui cum Deo patre et Spiritu Sancte vivis et gloriaris Deus per omnia secula seculorum Amen.
5. (fols. 178v–190v)
Aurea gemma Oxoniensis (treatise on dictamen)
Rubric: Incipit ecce liber qui dicitur aurea gemma.
Incipit: (prologue) Librorum sicut Cantica canticorum per excellentiam liber iste dicitur, eo quod maxima utilitas et maior quam in ceteris
Explicit: (prologue) quasi ex auro et gemma sit compositus et informatus.
Incipit: (prologue) (fol. 179r) Sociorum assidua pulsatione coactus
Explicit: (prologue) Supradictis premissis, ad ostendendum que proposuimus, accedamus altius tamen sic incipiamus.
Incipit: (text) (f. 179v) Solet fieri quaestio qua de causa littere fuerunt invente
Incipit: De epistolarum quoque ideo queritur
Incipit: Summa dictaminum hec est divisio
Incipit: Epistola grece nomen est et compositum est
Incipit: Nunc vero dicendum est ut sunt tres ordiines personatum, ita et tres sunt species epistolarum
Incipit: Nunc de modis possitionum seu compositionum dicamus
Explicit: (text) (fol. 190r) servicium possibilitatem tegere.
Incipit: Alexandro episcopo et universali pontifici patri patris
Explicit: quatuor etatum variationibus constat.

Includes excerpts from Adalbertus Samaritanus, Praecepta dictaminum (fols. 179r-v) and some letters from Henricus Francigena, Aurea gemma (fols. 186v-190r).

Description in Polak, Emil J., Medieval & Renaissance letter treatises & form letters: a census of manuscripts found in part of western Europe, Japan, & the United States of America, Davis medieval texts and studies, vol. 9 (Brill, 1994), pp. 380–81.

6. (fols. 190v–191v, 195v–196v)
Bernardus de Bononia, Summa dictaminum (incomplete)
Rubric: Institutio Dictaminum summatim
Incipit: (prol.) ⟨D⟩e dictaminum igitur scientia ⟨grata⟩ rudibus documenta evidenter ministrare desiderantes
Explicit: (prol.) sed largius effectum exhibitione monstratur.
Incipit: (text) (fol. 191r)Diffinicio dictaminis. Dictamen est congrua et apposita litteralis edicio
Explicit: (text) utilem quippe speramus futurum esse, Domino donante.

Description in Polak, Emil J., Medieval & Renaissance letter treatises & form letters: a census of manuscripts found in part of western Europe, Japan, & the United States of America. Davis medieval texts and studies, vol. 9 (Brill, 1994), pp. 380–81.

(fol. 192r–195v)

Letter from Emperor Baldwin of Flanders to Pope Innocent III

Incipit: Bald⟨uinus⟩ Dei gratia fidelissimus in Christo imperator constantinopolitanus
Explicit: sicut sub domino progressum accepimus et profectum. Acta sunt hec anno incarnationis dominice mº ccº iiiº indictione vii regnante domino nostro Ihesu Christo.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Red initials with slight decoration.

History

Origin: 13th century, first half or middle ; German

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted by Tuija Ainonen and Matthew Holford (November 2019) from the following sources (with additional description of the contents):
Nigel F. Palmer, Zisterzienser und ihre Bücher: die mittelalterliche Bibliotheksgeschichte von Kloster Eberbach im Rheingau (Regensburg, 1998), pp. 217–220, 274, 296 [physical description, date, origin, provenance]
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 3 vols. (1966–1973) Addenda, p. 54.
H. O. Coxe, Laudian Manuscripts, Quarto Catalogues II, repr. with corrections, 1969, from the original ed. of 1858–1885 [contents, acquisition]

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2019-11-28: Description revised for Polonsky digitization project to include additional information from printed descriptions.