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

MS. Laud Misc. 87

Summary Catalogue no.: 867

A Geoffrey Babio, Commentary on Matthew; Germany, s. xiex/xiiin; B Acts, Apocalypse; Germany, s. xiv2; C Augustine, Cassiodorus, Ambrose; Germany (Eberbach), s. xii4/4

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. 348–360. For purposes of scholarly citation, reference to the printed catalogue is requested.
Composite: three manuscripts (fols. 1–67 || fols. 68–92 || fols. 93–240) brought together in the Laudian collection.
Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii (17th century) + 240 + ii (17th century) leaves
Foliation: i-ii, 1–242

Binding

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

History

Provenance and Acquisition

The present volume is made up of three parts: two Charterhouse copies (A & B) and one from Eberbach (C), bound together the since the late 1630s.

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

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

MS. Laud Misc. 87 – Part A (fols. 1–67)

Contents

2. (fols. 56v-57r)
Homilia in dedicatione ecclesiae

Similar to Ps.-Maximus of Turin, serm. 18 = Caesarius of Arles, serm. 227 (Ps.-Augustine, serm. 229)

See MS. Vatican City, BAV, Pal. lat. 431, fols 227r–228r.

Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 57r-v)
Excerpts,

from Jerome(?); Gregory the Great, Homiliae xl in evangelia

Language(s): Latin
4. (fols. 58r-67r)
Commentaries on the Bible
4.2. (fol. 65r)

Short sentences, introduced by paraphs.

4.3. (fols. 65v-66r)
Prologue to the four Gospels

Stegmüller, Bibl. 11234; 11827 (prologue to Glossa ordinaria in Matthew).

The first lines of this text appear as a gloss to St Jeromes’ prologue in Oxford, St John’s College, MS. 111, fol. 112ra (Northern France, s. xii2).

Includes a mystical interpretation of Christ's genealogy (fol. 65v). See Cologne, Stadtarchiv, W 215, fol. 1r–v (prologue to the Glossa ordinaria), etc.

4.4. (fols. 66r-67r)
Sentences

Mainly relating to the Gospels, but also on baptism.

See also Oxford, St John’s College, MS. 111, fol. 112ra.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 256–65 × 167–76 mm.

Layout

Ruling in hard point, two columns of c. 49–53 lines. Ruled space c. 215–25 × 133–50 mm.

Hand(s)

Small Carolingian minuscule of a late type by a single hand, above top line.

Decoration

Initial. (Pächt and Alexander i. 59)

Capitals and a majuscule highlighted in red.

History

Origin: s. xiex/xiiin ; German

Provenance

Mainz, Charterhouse St Michael: the late 14th-century ex-libris inscription at the lower right-hand margin of fol. 67r.

MS. Laud Misc. 87 – Part B (fols. 68–92)

Contents

1. (fols. 68r–84v)
Acts of the Apostles
Language(s): Latin
2. (fols. 84v–92v)
Apocalypse
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 256–63 × 165–74 mm.

Layout

Ruling with a crayon, two columns of 41 or 42 lines. Ruled space c. 190–96 × 120–22 mm.

Hand(s)

German textualis, a single hand.

A hand of s. xivex from the Mainz Charterhouse corrected the text.

Decoration

Marginal sketches. (Pächt and Alexander i. 143)

Fleuronnée initials. (Pächt and Alexander i. 143)

Simple, mostly two-line initials alternately in red and blue.

History

Origin: 14th century, second half ; German

Provenance

Mainz, Charterhouse St Michael: the late 14th-century ex-libris inscriptions at the upper right-hand margin of fol. 68r (in the same hand as A) fol. 67r), and at the lower margin.

Würzburg Charterhouse: an inscription suggests that the book was given to the Würzburg Charterhouse (Engelgarten; dedicated on 13 May 1352) for use (fol. 68r, lower margin).

MS. Laud Misc. 87 – Part C (fols. 93–240)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 93v–103r)
Augustine, De agone Christiano

Fol. 93r blank, except for ex-libris inscriptions.

2. (fols. 103r–116v)
Cassiodorus, De anima

With preface, without oratio (cap. 18).

3. (fols. 117r–175v)
Augustine, De doctrina christiana

With prologue.

4. (fols. 175v–176r)
Ps.-Ausonius, Septem sapientum sententiae
5. (fols. 177v–240v)
Ambrose, De officiis

The chapter sequence in book 3 irregular, some chapters interpolated in book 1 and 2.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): c. 261–67 × 160–70 mm.

Layout

Ruling in lead point, now much faded; one column of c. 32–38 lines. Ruled space c. 185–220 × 105–38 mm.

Hand(s)

Protogothic script, written by several hands originating from the Eberbach scriptorium, and all using Cistercian punctuation.

Extensively annotated in the margins, by contemporary and later hands, the youngest being an Eberbach hand dating from s. xvii1/3.

Decoration

Initials. (Pächt and Alexander i. 60)

Scribal red rubrics.

History

Origin: s. xii4/4 ; German, Eberbach, Cisterian abbey

Provenance

Cistercian Abbey of Eberbach: the ex-libris inscriptions: late 12th-century (fols. 93r, 117r & 177r); 13th-century(?) (fol. 93r); 15th-century (fol. 93r). This copy ‘b 21’ in the catalogue of 1502 (Palmer, Zisterzienser, 264 & 286).

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)
Digital Bodleian (3 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2020-09-16: Description revised for Polonsky digitization project to include additional information from Mairhofer catalogue.