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

OR BROWSE BY

MANUSCRIPTS
WORKS
PEOPLE
PLACES

MS. Lyell 62

Johannes Climacus

Contents

Language(s): Latin

St. John Scholasticus, called Climacus, Scala spiritualis and Sermo ad pastorem

Revision made c. 1418 by Ambrogio Traversari of an earlier translation into Latin. The contents are in the same order as in the first edition, Toledo, 1505.

a. (fol. 1r)
Traversari’s dedicatory letter to Fra Matteo Guidoni, prior of S. Maria degli Angeli, Florence (d. 1421)
Incipit: Domino amantissimo et merito venerabili patri Matheo Ambrosius. Hortatus es domine amantissime

Pr. Amb. Trau. Epist. ed. P. Canneto, Florence, 1759, Lib. xxiii, 7, col. 962–4.

b. (fol. 1v)
Rubric: Vita sancti Iohannis Scolastici sub compendio a Daniele monacho scripta
Incipit: Quenam hunc divinum virum civitas tulerit

B.H.L. 4381.

c. (fol. 3v)
Rubric: Epistola Iohannis abbatis Raithunensis ad Iohannem abbatem montis Synay Scolasticum cognominatum
Incipit: Domino singulariter mirabili equali angelis
d. (fol. 4r)
Rubric: Prefacio Iohannis Scolastiri in librum qui Climax dicitur. Responsio: Iohannes Iohanni salutem
Incipit: Accepi convenientissimam honestissimo tuo atque impassibili instituto
e. (fol. 4v)
Scala Spiritualis
Rubric: Incipit sermo primus De inanis vite abrenunciacione
Incipit: Cum summe incomphensibilis[sic] atque incircumscripte bonitatis deus noster
Explicit: (fol. 68r) et erit in infinita secula Amen.
Final rubric: Explicit Gradus trigesimus et ultimus spiritalis[sic] scale a Iohanne Scolastico edite feliciter;
(fol. 68r)
Rubric: Eiusdem sermo ad pastorem incipit in quo docetur qualis esse debeat racionalium ovium pastor
Incipit: In inferiori quidem libro extremum
Explicit: (fol. 71v) et perfeccione sua beata est.
Final rubric: Finit sermo ad pastorem Deo gracias
g. (fol. 71v)
Rubric: Commendacio eiusdem Iohannis Scolastici librique a se editi a Iohanne abbate Raithensis monasterii, ubi liber fere totus brevissime ac mistice exponitur laudaturque scribens in hunc modum ut sequitur
Incipit: Qualem me esse oportere scripsisti
Explicit: (fol. 72v) Caritas autem Deus est Amen.
Final rubric: Explicit feliciter Deo gratias qui dedit incipere et finire. Sub anno domini mcccclv die lune in festo Sancti Mauritii xxi die mensis Septembris, Venedis, in Murano, in monasterio sancti Cipriani ordinis Sancti Benedicti per fratrem Iacobum de Polonia ordinis predicti Crac⟨oviensis⟩ diocesis
(PL XXVc)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper, watermarks, steer’s head with flower above and cross strokes and triangular shield below, close to Briquet no. 14872
Extent: iv+76 leaves (fol. i–iv, 73–6 are flyleaves),
Dimensions (leaf): 215 × 150 mm.
Foliation: contemporary foliation up to fol. 17

Collation

1¹²–6¹², quires generally signed ‘Primus’, etc. at the beginning and sometimes also at the end;
Secundo Folio: celestem simplicitatem

Layout

140–70 × 108–22 mm. ): 39–58 long lines, ruled in ink with bounding lines in pencil up to fol. 36v, thereafter ruled entirely in pencil

Hand(s)

Written in Venice in 1455 by frater Jacobus de Polonia in a current gothic hybrid hand.

Decoration

Plain red initials.

Binding

Modern parchment binding.

History

Origin: 1455 ; Italian, Venice

Provenance and Acquisition

Formerly in the library of the Abbey of Melk in Austria as MS. 862 (olim 843), with fols. 74–222 (library stamp on fol. 1r).

Bought by Lyell in November 1938 from E. P. Goldschmidt and Co.: see his Cat. 47 (1938) no. v.

James P. R. Lyell, 1871–1948

Chosen as one of the hundred manuscripts bequeathed to the Bodleian by Lyell in 1948.

Record Sources

Description adapted from A. de la Mare, Catalogue of the Medieval Manuscripts Bequeathed to the Bodleian Library Oxford by James P. R. Lyell (1971); with additions by Andrew Dunning.
Catalogue, p. 190
Catalogue, p. 191

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Bibliography

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2020-12-16: Andrew Dunning Revised from description by Albinia de la Mare.