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

MS. Lawn medieval 6

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fols. 1r–19v)
Disticha Catonis Two variant texts with commentary, the second written in the margin.
(fols 1r–4r)
Accessus with commentary.
Rubric: Incipit liber catonis.
Incipit: (accessus, body) Materia huius auctoris in hac constructione sunt boni mores.
Incipit: (text 1, margin) Cum ego animaduerterem quamplurimos homines uidi
Incipit: (text 2, body) Cum anima uerterem uidi quam plurimos homines
(fols. 4v–19v)
Incipit: (commentary, body) Licet isti duos uersus. Si deus. et sequens presit multis
Rubric: Incipit liber primus.
Incipit: ⟨S⟩i deus est animus nobis ut carmina dicunt.
Incipit: (marginal comments) Si id est quia deus est animus nobis ut id est sicut carmina dicunt.
Explicit: Cato finiturus librum suum excusat se quod causa breuitatis sit locutus dicens miraris. quare dixit. non debes mirari me amplius et prolixius non tractasse hoc autem propter epilogum feci.
(fol. 20r–v)

Blank.

2. (fols. 21r–55r)
Hilary of Orléans, Expositio hymnorum
Rubric: Feria prima in matutinis.
Incipit: Liber iste dicitur liber ynnorum. ynnus dicitur laus dei cum cantico facta.
3. (fols. 56r–63v)
Collection of fifty-one hymns with interlinear glosses.
Incipit: Primo dierum omnium

Many of the hymns are also found in the preceding work.

Language(s): Latin and Italian

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: i + 63 + i leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 140 × 105 mm.
Foliation: Modern foliation.

Collation

1–28, 38–2 (lacking 5th and 6th), 4–58, 610 (1st cancelled), 710, 88. The last quire is likely a contemporary addition, as it is slightly smaller than those preceding (135 × 95 mm). Brian Lawn indicates that it was bound between fols. 54–55, reflected by water damage at fols. 62–63 and 55. Catchwords.

Layout

Written in 28–29 long lines, written space 105 × 85 mm.

Hand(s)

Gothic semitextualis.

Decoration

Coloured two-line initials in red. Minor initials and paraphs touched in red.

Rubrics.

Binding

Limp parchment wrapper with added endleaves, likely 17th century.

History

Origin: ?1291 ; Northern Italy

Date ‘1291’ visible on fol. 55r under ultraviolet light, according to Brian Lawn.

Provenance and Acquisition

Sotheby’s sale of Western and Oriental Manuscripts, 16 June 1952, lot 24; purchased by:

H.G. Commin, Bournemouth booksellers; purchased by:

Brian Lawn (1905–2001).

Bequeathed to the Bodleian Library.

Record Sources

Description by Andrew Dunning (December 2022); previously described in B. Lawn, Catalogus Bibliothecae Lawnianae (privately printed, 1994)

Availability

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Last Substantive Revision

2022-12-08: Andrew Dunning Revised with consultation of original.