MISCELLANEA

MRJ number
127
College classmark
E.24

    Vellum, 8.625 x 5.5, ff. 121 + 2, 26 lines to a page.  14th cent., clear black

hand.   

    Old binding, skin over boards, fastening gone.

    Donor, T. C. S.  Priced 20s.                                                     2 fo. luxuriari. 

    Collation: A2 112 (wants 1?)  212 310 – 610 712 (12 canc.) 810 – 1010 1112 (4 canc.) 

126 (6 stuck to cover).   

    Contents:

         1.  Inc. tract. b. Augustini ep. de utilitate psalmodie, etc.            .            f. i

              Quam grata sit et acceptabilis

                   -mirificabit in sec. sec.  Amen.       .         .         .         .        .            iia    

              Late list of contents on iib

         2.  Speculum edwardi qualiter sacerdotes debent gubernari  .        .             1

              S. edwardus rex et confessor in extremitate uite

                   -qui tibi domine Ihesu recusat uiuere.  Amen.

              Expl. spec. sacerdotum. quod dominus Johannes {th}oode.

         3.  Hic inc. carta liberta d. n. Ihesu Christi      .         .         .         .              22

                     Hec quicunque sciant presentes atque futuri

                     Et memores fiant nisi sint sensus sibi duri.

                                                     . . .

                     In caluarie summo sunt hec data gratis.

                     Sanguine scripta dei quo iam morior ualeatis.

         4.  In nomine d. n. I.  C. Iste liber est qui docet uiuere perfecte et

                 est nominatus speculum S. Eadmundi conf. in honore d. n. I. C.    .     23

              Hic inc. materie, etc.  Capitula (35).

              Text.  Uidete ad quod uocati  estis.

              Ends 43b: parauit pater ab origine mundi.  Per eum qui ui.

                 et reg. deus in sec. sec.  Amen.  Expl. Spec. ed.

         5.  In another hand:

              Prouerbia qualiter terra reuertetur in terram et terra non cog-

                 noscat terram      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     44

                     Whan lyf is louyd and de{th} ys most hatid

                     De{th} drawi{th} his draw{y}tis and makit man ful nakid

                     Er{th}e owt of er{th}e ys wondirli wrow{y}t, etc.

                                                           . . .

                     Wyte er{th}e uppon er{th}e {th}at owre ne be for lore

                     And brynge owre er{th}e {th}er boote is y fore.  Amen.

              Hilda Murray (ed.), Erthe upon Erthe, Early English Text

              Society, 141 (London, 1911). 

              This copy is not noticed: the last two lines are akin to those of

              the text printed in Appendix I, p. 45.

         6.  A rubric setting forth Indulgences granted by John XXII, etc.                    45b

              Dominus papa Johannes vicessimus secundus uolens diuinum

                 cultum ampliare, etc.

              In the middle of the page is painted: at top a wounded hand

                 in cloud holding a crown of thorns whence depends a string

                 of 12 beads, ending in a tassel.  On the large bead at top,

                 in red, is Pater Noster, on the 10 smaller ones which follow

                 is Ave, on the last (larger), Credo.  Two verses are written

                 by the side of it.

         7.  Meditacio b. bernardi Abb. de compassione b. v. Marie       .          .            46

                 Quis dabit capiti meo

                   -et super omnia sit benedictus I. C. filius eius dominus

                 noster qui cum, etc.  Amen.

         8.  Relacio uera b. Millitonis sardiensis ep. de assumpcione b. v.

                 Marie quam audiuit a b. Johanne euang. et scriptum fratribus

                 laodicensibus misit.  Response.  (Bibl. Max. PP. Lugd. II. 2. 212)         .           53

              Mellito seruus christi

                   -confitentes magnalia dei.  Qui in trinitate perfecta et

              unita deitatis substantia ui. dominatur et reg. in sec. sec.

              Amen.  Expl. tract. S. Millitonis de assump. gloriose dei

              genitricis marie quem edidit in quodam libro de ecclesia et     

              ueraci stilo digessit. de militone uero et eius scriptis quibus

              plurimum contulit ecclesie dei meminit anselmus in ecclesiastica

              historia       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .           58b

         9.  Hic inc. declaraciones  alarum et pennarum cherubin et seraphin.

              On 59a is a full-page picture of a six-winged seraph with the

                 names of the wings and feathers inscribed: rough English

                 work.

              Inc. expl. Clementis Lanthon. prioris super alas cherubin et

                 seraphin, etc.           .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     59b

              Prima ala est confessio

                   -omnium bonorum largitatem infundens.  Expl. explan.

                     Clem. lanthon. prioris super alas cherub. et seraph.

        10. Hic inc. narrracio spiritus Gydonis sic   .         .         .         .         .         .       66b

              Quoniam ut ait Aug. in libro de fide ad petrum miraculum

                 est quicquid arduum, etc.

                   -Ad quod celum nos perducat qui sine fine ui. et reg.

                     Amen.

              Expl. sic isto modo.

              An English version is printed in Horstmann’s Richard of

                 Hampole, II 292.

        11. Qualiter hore canonice debent dici ut patet infra      .         .         .         .          77

              Hore enim canonice propter laudem humanam

                   -dimittet uobis peccata uestra.  Expl.  Amen.  

              Tria sunt deo offerenda. fides charitas oratio munda et opera

                 bona Crissostomus.

        12. Hic tangitur de passione d. n. I. C.         .         .         .         .         .         .         81

              In nomine sancte et indiuidue trinitatis  Inc. gesta. d. n. I. C.

                 saluatoris. que quidem homo ex phariseis iudeorum prin-

                 ceps uocabulo nichodemus hebraicis commendauit literis

                 ita inquiens.

              Anno quintodecimo imperii thiberii cesaris regis romanorum.

              References to the Gospels and names of speakers are in red.

              Pilate’s letter to Claudius ends f. 93: esse credendum mendaciis

                 iudeorum.  The text continues:

              Nunc ergo dilectissimi fratres hanc leccionem quam audistis

                 nichodemus hebraicis commendauit literis et postea multis

                 succedentibus annis uenit ad ierusalem magnus imperator

                 theodosius ibique inuenit illas . . . sicque per illum . . . ad nostram

                 deuenerunt noticiam.

              In illis ergo diebus in quibus crucifixus est d. n. I. C. tyberius         

                 cesar in urbe roma quietus manebat quia leprosus erat

                 effectus, etc.

              f. 94: Hic etiam Julius cesar primus gentem anglorum adierat.

              Accounts of Octavian, Herod, Gaius, Claudius and Nero follow.

              On 96b: De tyto et uaspasiano.  Iste igitur uaspasianus anno

                 tricesimo octauo sumpsit romanorum imperium, etc. Erat

                 quoque in illis diebus quidam homo iudeus nathan nomine (97).

              Ending 103: in eadem crucifixerunt solempnitate.  Nunc ergo

                 ista sic continetur lectio de infelici iudeorum excidio quam-

                 propter benedictus sit deus in sec. sec.

        13. Nota bene de miraculis arboris sancti sic      .         .         .         .           103

              Hec igitur fr. k. scribere curamus ut nota essent omnibus.

              Mirabiliter etenim cepit oriri arbor sancta

                   -inmarcessibiles frondium protulit flores.

              Nota de Juda proditore             .           .         .         .         .         .           103b

              Peracto igitur siquidem tempore prefinito eadem laudabilis arbor.

              The thirty pieces of silver.  Judas and the cock.

              Hec autem omnia sicut audiuimus ita literis commendauimus

                 non tantum ad utilitatem legencium quantum pro admira-

                 cione audiencium, etc.

                   -honor et uirtus ac fortitudo cum eterno patre et sp. s. per

                     eterna sec. sec.  Amen.

              Cf. my Catalogue of the Jesus College MSS p. 75.

        14. Sermo Anastacii Ep.  Inc. sermo S. anastacii Ep. de sanacta

                 ymagine d. n. I. C.    .       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         105b

              Id est (Adest) sancta et benedicta dies qua d. n. I. C. iterum

                 apparuit hominibus.        

              The image of Christ at Berytus, cf. Dobschütz Christusbilder:

                 ad gaudia nos perducat celestina ubi eandem in Christo in-

                 tuemur ymaginem et cum eo regnare mereamur in sec. sec.

                 Amen.

              See also P. G. XXVIII 813.

        15. Hec sunt misse quas aparens angelus regi karulo manifestabat,

                 etc.      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .          112

        16. De uirtute misse.  Augustinus enarrat plurima beneficia      .         .          112b

              Drawing of a chalice and host.

        17. Hic inc. trentale aureum quod dicitur trentale S. Gregorii      .      .             113

              Mostly rubric.

        18. Nota bene de IIIIor arboribus sancte crucis        .         .         .         .           115b

              Nota quod crux Christi ex quatuor lignis facta erat.

        19. Quicunque euang. S. Johannis In principio, etc. deuote audierit   .            116

              Note of indulgence.

        20. Inc. uita et modus uiuendi, qualiter religiosi et ordinati se

                 debeant habere coram deo et in s. ecclesia.      .         .        .          .         116

              Sint aliqua inter uirtutes et mores necessaria illis qui sunt in

                 uinclo ordinis.

                   -diligentibus se. quam nobis concedat d. n. I. C. qui, etc.

                     in sec. sec.  Amen.

              English notes on the birth, date, etc. of Ambrose, Jerome and

                 Augustine (xvi)         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .          122b 

Manuscript extra information

Item 3 has been printed with collations from the same text in MS. 83, M. C. Spalding, Middle English Charters of Christ (Bryn Mawr, 1914), pp. 96-7 and pp. xiii-xiv, see also MS. 37.

 

Item 4, Helena Philomena Forshaw, The 'speculum ecclesie' of St Edmund of Abingdon: a critical study of the text (University of London MA thesis, 1965).  A typescript copy of the first chapter is in St John's College Library.

 

Item 5, Nancy P. Pope, 'Erthe upon erthe revisited'. Journal of the Early Book Society 21 (2018) pp.53-95. An edition of the verse from folios 44-45 appears on pages 63-65 of the article. 

 

Item 6, Martha Rust, 'Blood and tears as ink: writing the pictorial sense of the text', The Chaucer Review 47:4, 2013.

 

Fol. 42a has a drawing of a shield which demonstrates the unity of the Trinity.

Fol. 94a has a drawing of a bird with a scroll from its mouth bearing the legend: thought is free.