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.