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MS. Laud Misc. 538

Summary Catalogue no.: 1364

Sulpicius Severus, Life of S. Martin, and other saints' lives; 12th century, end Germany, Cistercian abbey of Eberbach

Contents

1. (fols. 1r–73r)
Sulpicius Severus, Vita S. Martini
Rubric: Incipit prefatio Severi in vita S. Martini
Final rubric: Explicit dyalogus Seueri tertius de vita S. Martini episcopi
Language(s): Latin

Followed by a collection of additional 'Martinelli':

a. (fols. 73r–74r)
⟨Ps.-Martin of Tours⟩, ⟨Confessio sancti Martini⟩ (CPL 1748a)
Rubric: Sermo beati Martini episcopi de S. Trinitate
Incipit: Clemens Trinitas est una Divinitas; ut autem per Sacramentum cognoscitur
Explicit: nunc est in immortalia secula seculorum amen
b. (fols. 74r–75r)
Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum (i.48 = BHL 5619)
Rubric: Incipit epistola Gregorii Turonensis episcopi de transitu S. Martini episcopi
Incipit: Archadio igitur et Honorio
Explicit: duodecim computantur
Gregory of Tours, De Virtutibus S. Martini (cc. 4–6 = BHL 5621–5623)

As pr. MGH SS Rer. Merov. 1.2, pp, 140–142.

c. (fols. 75r–76r)
Rubric: Ejusdem alia de obitu S. Martini
Incipit: Beatus autem Severinus Coloniensis
Explicit: fuisse reuelatum
d. (fol. 76r–v)
Rubric: Alia ejusem de transitu S. Martini
Incipit: Eo namque tempore
Explicit: historiam explicare
e. (fols. 76v–78r)
Rubric: Sermo ipsius de translatione corporis S. Martini
Incipit: Opere precium est enim
Explicit: silere nequiuimus, adiuuante domino nostro ...
f. (fols. 78r–82r)
Alcuin, Vita sancti Martini Turonensis (BHL 5625)
Rubric: Epilogus magistri Alchwini de miraculis beati Martini episcopi
Incipit: Postquam dominus noster iesus christus triumphator
Explicit: pietates letantium prestante domino nostro iesu christi fiere solent, qui uiuit ...

As pr. PL 101.657–662.

Language(s): Latin
2. (fols. 82r–84r)
Gregory of Tours, Vita sancti Briccii Turonensis (ex Historia francorum)
Rubric: Incipit uita sancti Briccii episcopii
Incipit: Igitur post excessum
Explicit: una cum eterno patre et spiritu sancto in secula seculorum amen

BHL 1452 = Historia francorum II.i.

Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 84r–86r)
Life of Gregory I
Rubric: Sermo de gestis beati Gregorii pape
Incipit: Gregorius igitur genere Romanus, patre Gordiano, matre vero Silvia editus, non solum spectabili senatorum prosapia, uerum etiam religiosam duxit originem. Nam felix eiusdem apostolice sedis pontifex eius attauus fuit. Beata etiam tharsilla eius amita fuit
Explicit: In quibus gregorij uerbis apparet quia usque ad illa tempora romanus pontifex pallium pro reliquiis contulerat. Beatus igitur pontifex Gregorius sedem romane ecclesie annis .xiii. et mensibus .vi. et diebus .x. gloriosissime rexit sicque ex hac luce subtractus ad eternam regni celestis sedem est translatus. Cuius interuentu nobis dominus sit propicius, qui uiuit ...

No close parallels listed in BHL.

Language(s): Latin

Fol. 86v blank except for (i) added note that the Life of St Hilary, which is to be read after this book if time permits, is to be found under 'O' in the book of John Chrysostom on Matthew; and (ii) (16th or 17th century) added text in German.

(fol. 87r)
Marian poem in German
Rubric: O maria mater
Incipit: Maria muter v… | Din liebe kein… | Wir sin die arme…
Explicit: want sie ist aller genaden ful

Added, 15th century.

Pr. in Palmer 1998, p. 216; cf. Diemut Hinderer, ‘Das Marienleben der Königsberger Hs. 905’, Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und deutsche Literatur 77, no. 2/3 (1940): 108–42.

Language(s): German

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: 86 leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 247 × 167 mm.
Dimensions (written): 185 × 120 mm.

Decoration

Red silhouette initials (in the beginning with fleuronnée work on violet ground), probably originating from the Eberbach scriptorium.

Binding

Brown tanned calf over laminated pulpboard for Abp. Laud, 1637–1639.

History

Origin: 12th century, end ; Germany, Eberbach, Cistercian abbey (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Identifiable as 'h 8' in the Eberbach library catalogue of 1502.

Note, fol. 86v, stating that the manuscript was used for reading in the refectory at Eberbach.

William Laud, 1573–1645, 1638.

Part of his third donation to the Bodleian, 1638.

Record Sources

Description adapted (September 2019) by Tuija Ainonen and Matthew Holford from the following sources, with additional description of fols. 73r-86v:
Nigel F. Palmer, Zisterzienser und ihre Bücher: die mittelalterliche Bibliotheksgeschichte von Kloster Eberbach im Rheingau (Regensburg, 1998), pp. 215–16, 296 [physical description, date, provenance].
H. O. Coxe, Laudian Manuscripts, Quarto Catalogues II, repr. with corrections, 1969, from the original ed. of 1858–1885 [contents, acquisition].
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 3 vols. (1966–1973) I, no. 117.
Quarto Catalogue, col. 390
Quarto Catalogue, col. 391
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 58

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2019-09-26: Description revised for Polonsky digitization project to include additional information from printed descriptions.

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