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MS. Rawl. C. 533

Summary Catalogue no.: 12380

Gervase of Prémontré, Epistolae, with other letters of moral instruction, poems, and documents relating to the Premonstratensian order; England, 13th century, second half, with additions

Language(s): Latin

(fols. 1r–5v)

Rubric: Incipiunt capitula quarundum literarum abbatis cujusdam Præmonstratensis ecclesie

Table of contents, listing 105 items, ending with art. 8 below; then listing arts. 9-11 as unnumbered additions; other hands add on fol. 5v references to arts. 12-17. Fol. 6r-v blank. For fols. 7v-8v see below after art. 17.

1. (fol. 9)

Rubric: Andreas, prior Præmonstratensis, de vera fraternitate, cuidam canonico ejusdem loci

2. (fol. 13v)

Rubric: Quod hiis diebus loquuntur homines de fabulis

Incipit: Cogita, frater, quanta sit malicia dierum presentium

3. (fol. 14v)

Rubric: De pronitate hominis ad malum

Incipit: Rogavit me sepius tua mihi predilecta fraternitas

4. (fol. 16v)

Rubric: Instruitur magister curie specialiter [quomodo religiosus in curia debeat vivere]

Incipit: Considerans mala mundi ad que nuper es adholescens emissus

5. (fol. 20)

Rubric: Instruitur religiosus a religioso ad se custodiendum

Incipit: Cum in anno preterito ad messes colligendas exisses

6. (fol. 25v)

Rubric: Que remedia valent contra insolencias carnis

Incipit: Salutem. Terruerunt me plurimum litere quas misisti

7. (fol. 27v–116r)

Gervase of Prémontré, Epistolae

Rubric: Quedam pars registri G⟨ervasii⟩ abbatis Premonst.

See C. R. Cheney, 'Gervase, Abbot of Prémontré: A medieval letter writer', Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 33/1 (1950), 25-56. 101 letters, numbered vii-civ, xii bis, xxii bis, xxxvii bis. A folio missing between fos. 112-113 contained the latter part of the hundredth letter (ep. 99 in Hugo's numeration). As printed by Sacrœ Antiquitatis Monumentorum ed. C. L. Hugo (1725) but in different order, omitting nos. 1, 5-13, 30-32, 84, 87-94, 105-107, 115-137, and with twelve additional letters (six by Gervase) printed by Cheney, op. cit., 47-56.

8. (fol. 116)

Rubric: Conquestio Randulfi de malicia horum dierum et temporis

82 lines, with prologue

Incipit: (prol.) Si juxta mentis affectum mihi sermo suppeteret

Incipit: Heu jam libet lacrimari, Et cum luctu lamentari, Dum sic mundum depravari Manifeste video; Legis vigor enervatur, Zelus recti minoratur, Immo prorsus adnullatur, Quem videre soleo. Dies sunt malorum, Dissolute vivitur, Et a pravis premitur Paucitas bonorum

Walther 7760

9. (fol. 118)

Rubric: Idem Randulphus, prior Premonst., de recordacione vite preterite

60 lines.

Incipit: Olim dum sophistica arte delectabar, Quicquit ipsa diceret verum opinabar, Summum scire seculi bonum suspicabar, Cecus in hiis frivolis cecos imitabar

Walther 13163

10. (fol. 119v)

Rubric: Mores boni docentur

92 lines

Incipit: Si vis bonus effici moribus et vita, Quicquit Deo displicet sollerter evita, Quicquit Ipse precipit facias, et ita Cum bonis angelica erit tibi vita

Final rubric: Explicit de doctrina bonorum morum

Walther 18073

Chevalier 18904

11. (fol. 121v)

Metrical life of Thomas of Canterbury

Rubric: Optimus rithmus in vita Sancti Thome martiris quondam Cantuar. archiepiscopi

Imperf. ad calcem.

Incipit: Ante chaos jurgium indigeste molis

As pr. Anecdota Bedæ, Lanfranci et aliorum, ed. J. A. Giles, 1851, p. 115ff

Walther 1284

BHL 8222

Chevalier 23033

Folios missing; according to the table of contents they contained “De eleccione ven. archiepiscopi Ebor. Sewilli. De viii. miraculis Sancti Nicholai.”

12. (fol. 128r)

Rubric: De mandato Domini Guerrici, abbatis Præmonst., abbatibus quibusdam ut mitterent ei pecuniam

Ending only; dated at Newhouse (Neuhus) (Lincs.), 17 kal. Sept. 1273.

13. (fol. 128r–129v)

Rubric: Abbas de Driburge rescribit negans pecuniam dari de ecclesiis non visitatis

Not dated.

14. (fols. 129v–132r)

Rubric: Item de eadem materia rescribunt Abbas de Driburg et Pryor de Wyterne Domino Præmonstr., quia petit exp(ensas) ab ecclesiis non visitatis, et Johannes de Goly, canonicus de Driburg, deferens literas, in revertendo mortuus est

Rubric: Requesting £5 from Dryburgh, £3 from Candida Casa (Whithorn), £2 from Alba Landa (Blanchland).

Not dated.

15. (fol. 132)

Rubric: Item idem [Guerricus?] ad quendam canonicum suum

Not dated.

16. (fol. 134v)

Boniface VIII, Bulla delirantis filiae

17. (fol. 135)

Commission from Guillermus, abbot of Premontre, and the general chapter, to the abbots of N[ewhouse], C[roxton], Sulby, Langley and Langdon, to visit the church of Bayham (Sussex).

(fols. 7v–8v)

Added texts

i. (fol. 7v)

Letters from the abbots of Rievaulx, 'Bello' [Byland?], Fountains and Jervaulx, for "fr. John", sent by them to announce the deaths of monks. Dated at Rievaulx, 15 kal. Maii, 1315. .

ii. (fols. 7v–8r)

Two letters from Roger de Northburgh, clerk, to the abbot and convent of St Agatha, Easby, seeking a pension for his clerk Thomas de Nova Haya, which Willielmus de Stranshale is about to resign.

iii. (fol. 8r)

Letter to the same (?), on the same subject (?), from William de Ayremynne.

iv. (fol. 8r)

Letter from Thomas, abbot of Jervaulx, to the abbot of S. (?St Agatha) seeking pardon for an injury done to the latter..

v. (fol. 8v)

Letter from the abbots of Newhouse and Croxton to the abbots of St Agatha, Easby, and Coverham, commending fr. Elias, canon of Newhouse. Dated at Newhouse Pentecost 1319.

(fols. 114r–119r, lower margins)

Rubric: Tercium bellum Punicum

22 lines, added, 15th (?) century.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: Premonstr'

Secundo Folio: plentitudo

Form: codex

Support: parchment (HFFH)

Extent: ii (paper, unfoliated) + 135 + ii (paper, unfoliated) leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 181 × 113 mm.

Foliation: 1-135; first two and last two paper leaves unfoliated.

Collation

A(3) (fols. 1-6), B(2) (fols. 7-8) , 1(8)-3(8) (fols. 9-32), 4(12)-9(12) (fols. 33-104), 10(12-1, 9 lost between fols. 112 and 113), 11(12) (fols. 116-127); fols. 128-135 uncertain. Catchwords; quires numbered on the final leaves.

Layout

Ruled in leadpoint (?) with double vertical bounding lines; typically 1 column of 21-22 lines; ruled space 117 × 68 mm. ; written above top line.

Hand(s)

Anglicana, mostly by one hand (except fols. 7v-8r, fols. 134v-135v).

Decoration

Rubrics; initials in alternating red and blue.

Binding

Stiff parchment binding with blind-ruled filleting.

History

Origin: 13th century, second half, at least partly after 1273 ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

Price '6d.' (according to Quarto Catalogue)

Thomas Rawlinson, his MS. 360.

Richard Rawlinson, 1690–1755

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1755

Record Sources

Description adapted by Matthew Holford (July 2022) from the Quarto Catalogue (W. D. Macray, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecæ Bodleianæ...viri munificentissimi Ricardi Rawlinson, J.C.D., codicum...complectens, Quarto Catalogues V, 5 fascicles, 1862–1900), with additional physical description and with reference to published literature as cited.

Quarto Catalogue, col. 284

Quarto Catalogue, cols. 285–6

Quarto Catalogue, col. 287

Summary Catalogue, vol. 3, p. 215