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

MS. Laud Misc. 83

Summary Catalogue no.: 1106

Vitas Patrum; Germany, 11th century, second half

Contents

(fol. 1r)

Fols. 1r and 157r-v contain short texts added by Ulricus, 12th century (‘Ulricus scripsit’, fol. 157r)

Odo of Cluny, Collationes (extract: II.xi, PL 133.558)
Incipit: Quidam rex longobardorum fuit sicut in eiusdem gentis historia legitur
Explicit: quolibet modo commaculat
Gezo Dertonensis, De corpore et sanguine Christi (extract, c. lix, PL 137.402)
Incipit: In ea uia que adrianensi monasterio ducit
Explicit: ornatos pollicentur.
Language(s): Latin
Vitas Patrum
(fols. 1v-82r)
⟨Verba seniorum⟩
Incipit: Vere mundum quis dubitet
Incipit: Quidam sanctorum patrum
Explicit: utilitatis irrogentur

Vitas Patrum III, PL 73. 739–810; IV (fol. 58v), PL 73.813–847

(fols. 82r-88v)
⟨Ps.-Jerome⟩, ⟨Liber adhortationum sanctorum patrum (Verba seniorum)⟩
Rubric: Incipiunt sine inter missione et sobrietate de beato arsenio
Incipit: Dicebant de abbate arsenio quia vespere sabbati
Explicit: dimiserunt eos
Rubric: (fol. 84r) Incipit quod oporteat hospitalem
Incipit: Perrexerunt aliquando
Explicit: glorificauit dominum
Rubric: (fol. 88r) Incipit capitulum de obedientia
Incipit: Beatae memorie
Explicit: (fol. 88v) corpus tuum

Vitas Patrum V, cf. PL 73.941–947

(fols. 88v-131r)
⟨Ps.-Jerome⟩, ⟨Liber adhortationum sanctorum patrum (Verba seniorum)⟩
Incipit: (fol. 88v) Interrogauit quidam abbatem antonium dicens Quid custodiens
Explicit: mens tua pacifica
Rubric: (fol. 91r) Incipit de eo quod oporteat quiete omni festinatione sectari
Incipit: Dixit abbas antonius sicut pisces
Explicit: delicta sua conspicit
Rubric: (fol. 92v) Incipit de conpunctione.
Incipit: Dicebant de abbate arsenio quia totum
Explicit: ingredi in terram illam
Rubric: (fol. 96v) Incipit de continentia
Incipit: Dicebat abbas daniel de abbate arsenio
Explicit: reuelatum est de transitu suo
Rubric: (fol. 114v) Incipiunt capitula de nichil possidendi
Incipit: Frater quidem renuntians
Explicit: fratribus inuenisset
Rubric: (fol. 119v) Incipit de eo quod non oporteat iudicare quemquam
Incipit: Contigit aliquando fratri in congregatione abbatis helie temptatio
Explicit: et ita discedere fecit

Vitas Patrum V, cf. PL 73.855–949.

(fols 131r-137v)
⟨Ps.-Jerome⟩, ⟨Liber adhortationum sanctorum patrum (Verba seniorum)⟩
Rubric: De conversatione optima diversorum sanctorum
Incipit: Retulit abbas dulas dicens . Quia ambulantes
Explicit: … patientiam inuenire dominum
Final rubric: Explicit vitas patrum deo gratias amen

Cf. PL 73.1004–11 (Vitas Patrum VI). Rest of fol. 137v blank.

(fols. 138r-148r)
Vita. S. Macarii
Rubric: In christi nomine. Incipit uita et conuersacio servi dei macharii Romani heremite. Qui inuentus est prope paradisum.
Incipit: Gloria et magnificentia deo soli benignissimo qui per innumerabilia miraculorum exempla nos tepidos
Explicit: et illuminatori animarum nostrarum. Qui in tribus personis ac una deitate dominatur et ubique regnat deus benedictus et laudabilis nunc et semper per immensa secula seculorum. Amen.

PL 73.415–25; BHL 5104

(fols. 148r-149r)
⟨Breviores sententiae de conversatione Patrum Aegyptiorum ⟩
Incipit: Erat quidam monachus solitarius habitans in egypto qui rogauit dominum dicens
Explicit: at ille cognouit quia iusta sunt iudicia dei
BHL 6538
(fols. 149r-157r)
⟨Theophili Actus⟩ (tr. Paul the Deacon of Naples)
Incipit: Factum est prius quam incurso fieret romanam rem publicam
Explicit: cui cum patre et sancto spiritu sit nunc et semper gloria et per infinita secula seculorum. Amen.

Pr. in Bibliotheca Casinensis (1873–94), 3. 300–305; BHL 8121

Language(s): Latin
(fols. 157r-v)
Odo of Cluny, Collationes (extract: III.21, PL 133.605–6)
Incipit: Nec pretereundum est quod in predicto cenobio cuidam puelle morienti malignus hostis apparuit, quem uehementer intremiscens recordata est
Explicit: digni fueramus
Incipit: Due sancte moniales de cenobio puellarum
Explicit: licet paululum remorari

Followed by notes on Augustine and Jerome. Further additions by Ulricus, see above, fol. 1r.

Language(s): Latin

Short notes in German added, late 12th or 13th century, fol. 157r: ‘ir sult durh got einer armen iutten gedenken’, ‘adelheit’

Language(s): Middle High German

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: 157 folios
Dimensions (leaf): 272 × 150 mm.
Dimensions (written): 205 × 115 mm.

Hand(s)

Late Caroline minuscule; added flex punctuation.

Decoration

Initial, fol. 1r. (Pächt and Alexander i. 42); unfinished (?) and retouched.

Coloured initials with modest decoration, probably added, 12th or 13th century.

Binding

Laudian binding.

Former chained binding.

History

Origin: 11th century, second half ; German

Provenance and Acquisition

Perhaps at one point in a house of female religious (Palmer, p. 286).

Eberbach, Cistercian abbey: probably identifiable as T5 in the library catalogue of 1502 (Palmer, p. 253: 'Vitas patrum Initium Vere mundum quis dubitet').

William Laud, 1573–1645, 1638.

Part of his third donation to the Bodleian, 1639.

Record Sources

Description adapted by Matthew Holford (May 2020) from the following sources (with additional description of contents):
Nigel F. Palmer, Zisterzienser und ihre Bücher: die mittelalterliche Bibliotheksgeschichte von Kloster Eberbach im Rheingau (Regensburg, 1998), p. 286 [provenance]
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 3 vols. (1966–1973) I, no. 142 [date, origin]
H. O. Coxe, Laudian Manuscripts, Quarto Catalogues II, repr. with corrections, 1969, from the original ed. of 1858–1885 [contents, acquisition, origin]

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2020-05-15: Description revised for Polonsky German based on published descriptions and examination of the manuscript.