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MS. Rawl. G. 22

Summary Catalogue no.: 14755

Contents

Psalter (imperfect)
(fols. 2r–135v)

Psalms [1]–[150] in the biblical order, written as prose, imperfect at the beginning, end and throughout, starting at 6: 3 (‘ossa mea ...’) and ending at 147: 6 (‘Suscipi ...’). The following text is also missing:

  • one leaf lost after fol. 5 (missing text 9A: 15–9B: 5);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 14 (missing text 17: 36–49; some loss of text due to a damaged edge of fol. 14);
  • several leaves (12-leaf quire (?)) lost after fol. 18 (missing text 21: 18–33: 15);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 25 (missing text 37: 16–38: 6);
  • two leaves lost after fol. 40 (missing text 50: 20–53: 5);
  • four leaves lost after fol. 69 (missing text 77: 3–77: 57);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 86 (missing text 90: 15–91: 14);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 91 (missing text 97: 2–98: 5);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 92 (missing text 100: 5–101: 9);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 108 (missing text 109: 1–110: 9);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 116 (missing text 118: 64–80);
  • two leaves lost after fol. 124 (missing text 126: 1–131: 5);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 126 (missing text 134: 16–135: 23);
  • one leaf lost after fol. 129 (missing text 139: 6–140: 6); replaced with fol. 130 where the missing text is written in a 14th-century (?) hand.
Punctuated throughout, with punctus versus used to mark the ends of verses, and punctus elevatus used to mark metrum and minor pauses. A few psalms have short titles, such as ‘psalmus’ or ‘psalmus Dauid.’, e.g. fols. 29r, 31r. There are textual divisions at psalms 69, 80 and 97 (see ‘Decoration’). Subdivision is marked with a larger indented initial at 17: 26 (fol. 14r); psalm 118 is subdivided into twenty-two 8-verse units. On fol. 105v omitted verses 33 and 34 of psalm 106 are written by the main scribe in the margin (partly trimmed off).

(fols. 136r–143v)

Weekly canticles, without titles:

  • (1) Confitebor tibi domine (Isaiah 12), imperfect at the beginning, starting with ‘... latus es me’ of verse 1;
  • (2) Ego dixi (Isaiah 38: 10–21);
  • (3) Exultauit cor meum (1 Samuel 2: 1–11);
  • (4) Cantemus domino (Exodus 15: 1–20);
  • (5) Domine audiui (Habakkuk 3);
  • (6) Audite celi (Deuteronomy 32: 1–44).

(fols. 143v–148r)

Daily canticles, prayers and creeds:

  • (1) Te deum laudamus (fol. 143v);
  • (2) Benedicite omnia opera (fol. 144v);
  • (3) Benedictus dominus deus (fol. 145r);
  • (4) Magnificat (fol. 145v);
  • (5) Nunc dimittis (fol. 146r);
  • (6) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ...) (fol. 146v).

(fols. 148v–154v)

Litany, including Martin and Benedict (first and second), Botulph, Cuthbert and Dunstan (last three) among the confessors, and Etheldreda among the virgins. The petitions include ‘Ut episcopum et abbatum nostrum ...’.

Followed by collects (fols. 151r–157r) and prayers for the absolution and funeral (fols. 153r–154v):

  • (1) Deus qui corda fidelium sancti spiritus illustratione docuisti ...
  • (2) Deus cui proprium est misereri semper et parcere suscipe ...
  • (3) Pretende domine famulis et famulabus tuis dexteram celestis auxilii ut de toto corde ...
  • (4) Omnipotens sempiterne deus qui facis mirabilia magna solus ...
  • (5) Animabus quesumus domine famulorum famularumque tuarum oracio proficiat supplicancium ut eas ...
  • (6) Deus qui es sanctorum splendor mirabilis atque lapsorum subleuator ...; followed by a response and a versicle
  • (7) Tibi domine commendamus animam famuli tui ut defunctus seculo tibi uiuat ...
  • (8) Deus pietatis et bonitatis inuicte et sempiterne clementie te suppliciter ...
  • (9) Diri uulneris nouitate perculsi, et quodammodo cordibus sauciati ...
  • (10) Misericordiam tuam domine sancte pater omnipotens eterne deus pietatis affectu rogare ...
  • (11) Omnipotens sempiterne deus qui humano corpori animam ad similitudinem ...
imperfect at the end because of the loss of leaves.

(fols. 155r–157r)

Fragmentary funeral mass, beginning at ‘te iustificabitur’ in the prayer ‘Non intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo domine quoniam nullus apud te iustificabitur homo nisi per te omnium peccatorum ...’. Contains prayers ‘Deus cui omnia uiuunt et cui non pereunt moriendo corpora ...’, ‘Fac quesumus domine hanc cum seruo tuo misericordiam ...’, ‘Inclina domine aurem tuam ad preces nostras quibus misericordiam ...’, ‘Pie recordationis affectu fratres karissimi commemoracionem facimus ...’. Missing leaves after fol. 156.

(fol. 157r–v)

Office of the Dead, surviving up to the beginning of the first lection.

(fols. 158r–163v)

Prayers, beginning imperfectly at ‘fluminis vestem suam lauent . . .’. Prayer on fol. 160r contains invocations of the Virgin Mary and Benedict.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: mala decidam merito (psalter, fol. 3r)
Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: 1 + 166 leaves
Dimensions (leaf): c. 215 × 145 mm.
leaves cropped in rebinding, occasionally causing the loss of text (e.g. fol. 105v).
Foliation: modern, in pencil; i + 1–44 + 45a–45c + 46–164.

Collation

(fol. i) paper fly-leaf conjoint with the upper pastedown | (fols. 2–7) I (12−6) missing 1–5 and 10; fly-leaf (fol. 1) is added | (fols. 8–18) II (12−1) missing 8; a quire missing after fol. 18 | (fols. 19–28) III (12−2) missing 1 and 9 | (fols. 29–40) IV (12) | (fols. 41–49) V (11−2) originally 11 leaves (irregular make-up) of which the first two are now stubs | (fols. 50–61) VI (12) | (fols. 62–69) VII (12−4) missing 9–12 | (fols. 70–81) VIII (12) | (fols. 82–91) IX (12−2) missing 6 and 12 | (fols. 92–102) X (12−1) missing 2 | (fols. 103–109) XI (8−1) missing 7 | (fols. 110–116) XII (8−1) missing 8 | (fols. 117–124) XIII (8) | (fols. 125–129) XIV (8−3) missing 1, 2, 5 | (fols. 130–135) XV (8−3+1) missing 7 and 8, fol. 130 is a replacement | (fols. 136–142) XVI (8−1) missing 1 | (fols. 143–150) XVII (8) | (fols. 151–156) XVIII (8−2) missing 5 and 8, a quire missing after fol. 156 | (fols. 157–163) XIX (8−2) missing 1; 8 is a fragment foliated ‘163’.

Layout

Ruled in plummet with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines extending the full height and width of page (e.g. fol. 51r); written above the top line; prickings survive; ruled for 17 lines per page; written space: c. 180 × 105 mm.

Hand(s)

The work of several scribes writing in a large formal proto-Gothic book script; dark brown ink.

Musical Notation:

Music (see van Dijk 1957).

Decoration

6- to 7-line red and green initials with arabesque designs at the beginning of psalms 69 (fol. 56v), 80 (fol. 73v) and 97 (fol. 91v).

2-line red and green initials, plain or decorated with foliage and arabesque designs, at the beginning of psalms, canticles, litany and prayers.

1-line plain red or green initials at the beginning of verses and periods.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Typical Rawlinson binding, 18th century, first half. Parchment (a reversed document in English, 17th century) over pasteboard. Sewn on four cords. Inscription in brown ink on the spine: ‘Psalmor. || liber || antiquiss. || MS .’. Fragments of printed paper label on spine with lettering: ‘B . . . || R . . . 2’. Fols. i and 164 are 18th-century flyleaves of laid paper, without watermarks.

History

Origin: 12th century, second half ; English, North-East (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Made for a Benedictine house, dedicated to St Martin (?), in the north-east of England (?): Benedict appears together with the Virgin Mary in a collect ‘Satisfaciat . . .’ on fol. 160r; Martin is the first among the confessors in the litany. The litany (fol. 149r) contains Botulph before Cuthbert and Dunstan among the confessors, and Etheldreda among the virgins. Ker (1964), however, rejects ascription to St Mary’s and St Botulph’s, Thorney, made by Nicholson (Summary catalogue, vol. 5) and van Dijk (1958).

Probably owned after 1202, when St Gilbert was canonized, by a Gilbertine house: annotations on fols. 152v–163v suggesting alternative grammatical forms (in many cases changing singular endings to plural), include an addition of ‘atq(ue) Gileb(er)ti’ in a collect ‘Satisfaciat . . .’ on fol. 160r.

Jhon[sic] Andre: notes on fols. 137r, 142r and 163v in a 16th-century hand.

Francis Pole of Park Hall, Chesterfield (d. 1750): no. 1397 in the auction catalogue of his library (Oxford, Bodleian Library, Mus. Bibl. III. 8o 51(11)), 9 March 1752, described as ‘Liber Psalmorum (imp.)’. ‘1397 Pole’ on fol. 2r.

Richard Rawlinson, 1690–1755, see ODNB: bookplate, upper pastedown.

Bequeathed in 1755, accessioned in 1756. ‘607’ on the upper pastedown.

MS. Rawl. G. 22 – endleaf (fol. 1)

Contents

(fol. 1r)
French lyric
Incipit: ||e sun chant ai entendu

A love song with music (Stainer, 1901; Dean and Boulton, no. 106)

Language(s): Anglo-Norman
(fol. 1r-v)
French lyric
Incipit: Mult s’aprisme li termines

A love song with music (Dean and Boulton, no. 107; Stainer, 1901)

Language(s): Anglo-Norman
(fol. 1v)
English lyric
Incipit: ⟨M⟩irie it is while sumer ilast

Seven lines with music ( IMEV 2163; Stainer, 1901).

Language(s): Middle English

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Musical Notation:

Staves of four lines.

History

Origin: 13th century, first half ; English

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (Oct. 2021) from Elizabeth Solopova, Latin Liturgical Psalters in the Bodleian Library: A Select Catalogue (Oxford, 2013), pp. 48–52. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue.
Summary Catalogue, Vol. 3, p. 344

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (2 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2021-10-26: Description revised to incorporate all information in Solopova catalogue.