BEDAE HISTORIA, ETC

MRJ number
27
College classmark
B.5 (at one time I.13)

    Vellum, 11 x 7, ff. 132, 36 lines to a page.  14th cent., very well written.

    Old binding, rough skin over wooden boards: clasps gone.  Title, 'Beda' written in centre of 2nd cover.

    Donor. T. C. S.                                                                       2 fo. mox prior.

    In last cover, in a large hand, pale ink:

                                     Constat Collegio de Plecy.

    This is Pleshy in Essex, founded by Thomas Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester,  in Richard II's reign.

    Crashaw's motto, and the price xxxS, and the date 1607, are on f. 1.

    Other names are:  Thomas bayly (f. 1): in the first initial, in red Jo: Gw (xvi?).  At end 'Goodman curteis.'

 

    An old mark v/y in first cover. 

        

    Collation: 112 - 712 88 94 1012 - 1212 (12 stuck to cover).

 

    Contents:

        1.  Bedae  Historia Ecclesiastica    .         .         .         .         .         .       p.  1

             Inc. prefacio uenerabilis bede presbiteri in ecclesiasticam

               hystoriam gentis anglorum ad regem celwlfum.

             Gloriosissimo regi Norhthumbrorum

                 -mandare studuimus.  Expl. pref.

             Capitula of lib. I     .          .          .          .          .          .          .               2

             Text.  (B)ritannia oceani insula      .          .         .          .           .             4

             Ends p. 188:  pie intercessionis inueniam.  Amen.

             Expl. lib. quintus ecclesiastice hystorie gentis anglorum quam

               uen.  beda presb. natus ex eadem gente edidit.

        2.  De obitu uen. bede presb.         .         .         .         .         .         .       .  188b

             Dilectissimo in christo lectori cuthwino.

             The Anglo-Saxon passage occurs p. 189, in this form1 .

             For {th}am  ned fere nam {th}ur{th}e{th} {th}ances suotena {th}on' lu' {th} arf

               sito Se hic genne ae r his heonen Sanse.  hyet his staft

               sodes o{th}{th}e yfeles aefter dea{th}e heonen demed {th}ur{th}e.

             Ends p. 190:  inerudicio lingue facit.

             The MS. is C 7 in Mayor and Lumby's edition of Books III

               and IV of the History.

             In later charter-hand:

             a.  Archiepiscopi Cant.

                   Augustinus.  arelate consecratus.

                 Ends:

                   Tatwynus presb. de prouincia merciorum consecratus

                     ab ingwaldo lond. episcopo.

             b.  Qui summi pontifices pallia miserunt et quibus et quoto

                          tempore.

                                                                      ann. menses. annorum. mens. dies.

                   Gregorius. Augustino qui sedit  xvi                   xvi   

             Ending:

                   Gregorius IIus .  Tatwyno               iii                   cxxxii

             p. 192 blank.

        3.  Inc. epistola G(ebenonis) prioris Cistrensis super prophetiam

               b.  hyldegardis uirginis    .          .           .          .          .         .          .        193

             Honorabilibus uiris...mag. reymundo scolastico, etc.

                    -in manu domini sumus.  Ipsi honor et gloria in sec. sec.

                      amen.

             Prologus eiusdem quod sancta uirgo obscure et inusitato stilo

                loquitur     .        .        .        .        .       .        .       .         .       .        .         194

             Libros b. hyldegardis plurimi legere fastidiunt.  Pitra, Anal.

                Nov. II, 484.

                   -qui loquitur in illis.

             Prologus Sancte uirginis de reuelacionibus sibi ostensis        .         .           195

             Et ecce xliij0 temporalis cursus mei anno

                   -clama ergo et scribe sic.

             Inc. capitula prime partis libri pentacron. i. v. temporum

               futurorum compilati  de propheciis b. Hyldegardis uirg. que

               ceperunt a. d. m0 c0     .         .         .          .          .          .         .         .        197

             Inicium visionis.  R’      .         .        .          .           .         .        .        .          199

             Hoc modo opus meum dicit dominus

                   -animi sui conscribat.

             Inc. prophetia S. Hyldegardis v. de quinque futuris temporibus

                que ceperunt a. d. m0 c0.   In libro ciuias.  Liber autem iste

                uocatur pentacronon siue speculum futurorum temporum

                utile intuentibus      .         .         .       .        .        .       .         .      .        .     p. 200

             Uidi ad aquilonem et ecce ibi quinque bestie.

             Pars II, p.238.  Pars III, p. 247.

             Ends p. 256: ut uita eorum a fidelibus monachis deuitetur monet.

             Two blank leaves.

             In last cover:  10 Macaronic verses (xiv).

                   Magnates morrount non in omni tempore durrount

                   In terram purrount sua nec ad vellera currount

                                                       etc.

   In an inventory of the goods of Pleshy College made in 1527 and preserved at King's College, this volume, 'Beda de gestis Anglorum,' occurs 14th in the list of 82 books which the College owned.

 

1 A corrected reading is in Mayor and Lumby, p.403.

Manuscript extra information

P. Dronke et al. (eds), Hildegardis Bingensis opera minora, Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Mediaeualis 226, (Turnhout: Brepols, 2007) p. 40.

F. C. Robinson and E. G. Stanley (eds), Old English Verse Texts from many sources: a comprehensive collection, Early English Manuscripts in facsimile 23 (Copenhagen, 1991)