Ps.-Quintillian — 13th century, beginning; English

Title

Ps.-Quintillian — 13th century, beginning; English

Walter of Richmond — 13th century, beginning; English

Breviarium Veteris Testamenti — 13th century, beginning; English

Commentary on the Pentateuch — 13th century, beginning; English

Shelfmark

MS. Arch. Selden. B. 36

Place of origin

English

Date

13th century, beginning

Language

Latin

Contents

Acquisition

Acquired by the Bodleian in 1659

Provenance

John Selden, 1584–1654

Title

Collection of Latin writings

Shelfmark

MS. Arch. Selden. B. 36

Summary

With illuminated capitals, (fol. 2), Quintiliani Declamationes xix; a copy of the Vossian MS. at Leiden, made before the latter had lost, its first leaf: both end with 'totus adhuc sum in parricidio' in the middle of the 19 th declamation.

Fol. 71, 'Liber magistri Walteri de Richemund qui appellatur Ypotecha', i.e. Hypotheca, 'counsel', 'didactic piece'. This appears to be a collection of excerpts from the Fathers, calculated to instruct the monastic mind, but there is no preface and few rubrics, so that the separate parts cannot in a summary catalogue be properly worked out. Among the pieces here transcribed are:

Parts of St. Jerome's two books in Jovinianum (fol. 71)

His Contra Vigilantium (fol. 78)

Letters of Augustine to Jerome (e.g. fols. 81v, 83: Migne's Patrol. Lat. xxii, col. 647, etc.)

Letters of Jerome (e.g. fols. 86, 128v)

Jerome's de Virginitate beatae Mariae (fol. 89v)

The Moralis Philosophia of Hildebertus Cenomanensis (fol. 91)

And the spurious letters between Alexander the Great and Dindimus king of the Brahmans (fol. 107v: Migne's Patrol. Lat. clxxi, col. 1366).

At fol. 109 is a moral work beginning 'Sapiencia est diuinarum humanartimque sciencia rerum', with a preface beginning 'Domino R. de Thalewrthe [Talworth in Surrey] frater W. Vias prudencie plenitudinem sciencie', which may be by Walter de Richmond, of whom nothing seems to be known.

Fol. 134, Breviarium Veteris Testamenti, a short account of each book in the Old Testament: beg. 'Genesis continet generationem & creationem mundi'. On fols. 149v-150v are the Greek and Hebrew alphabets, with notes; and (fol. 151) nearly all the prologue of st. Jerome to the 1st book of Samuel (beg. 'Viginti duas esse litteras': ends 'probari potest').

Fol. 153, A short commentary on the Pentateuch, practically a series of glosses: beg. 'In principio creauit Deus celum etc. Celum boni, terra mali'.

Fol. 1 is an unfinished leaf of a Latin Breviary of the 13th cent., written in France for an English Cluniac house.

Date

Made up of four pieces written early in the 13th century in England

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, in double columns

Physical extent

172 Leaves

Custodial history

'Andreas Bridge, precium iija iiijd', 16th cent.

Manuscript 3364 acquired by the Bodleian Library