Homilies; England (Worcester), s. xiimed; s. xiii1

Title

Homilies; England (Worcester), s. xiimed; s. xiii1

Shelfmark

MS. Hatton 116

Date

13th century, first half

12th century, second quarter

Language

Old English (ca. 450-1100)

Middle English (1100-1500)

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Pages i-vi, 403-8 are paper leaves of the date of binding. Pages 399-402 are parchment end-leaves taken over from the medieval binding .

Physical extent

iii + 201 + v leaves

Hands

Pages 1-395: 'A handsome, round, large hand of a type found commonly in West of England manuscripts of s. xii' (Ker 1957, p. 406). This Worcester hand is rounded, but degrees of angularity are also creeping in. The general aspect is slightly backward-leaning. The bodies of the letters are large in relation to the ascenders and descenders. The manuscript is blind-ruled. Worcester manuscripts (which this is) are crayon-ruled from about the 1130s and 40s. Treharne (2000) dates this hand and manuscript to s. xii2/4 (pp. 25-26). That dating is re-confirmed here, probably closer to the middle of the century than earlier, even though the ruling is blind. Palaeographical affinities can be found with the Worcester manuscripts, Worcester Cathedral Libary F. 82 and F. 83, both datable to s. xiimed. Small extracts of these manuscripts appear in Thomson 2001 (pl. 42 (a)-(f)). See Ker 1957, p. 406; Treharne 2000, pp. 25-26 a is Caroline, where the bow sometimes touches the preceding letter. The e of æ is very slightly taller than the top of a. Insular, rounded d is used in English, but with relatively high back, slightly shorter than that of ð; straight-backed d with an oblique serif to the right is used in Latin. f is Caroline and sits on the line, with the mid-stroke often touching the following letter in ligature. The head of f is occasionally slightly flattened. g is Caroline with a closed bowl, and is thus eight-shaped, one of Ker's (1957) defining characteristics of s. xiimed hands. From its top bow, it often ligatures with the following letter. h is Caroline. p has a well-defined horizontal foot (again, typical of mid-twelfth-century hands). r is consistently Caroline, with a curved serif. s is Caroline, with a determined onset stroke. Its head is occasionally slightly flattened. The cross-bar of the t is often pierced by the stem, a feature seen in mid-twelfth-century script. þ has a large bowl, and a descender that is slightly short in relation to the rest of the graph. The ascender of ð is higher than other ascenders, and the cross-bar curves up on the right. ƿ has a large pointed bowl, and short, straight descender. y is rounded, sits just on the line, or slightly below, and is consistently dotted in the middle of the v-shaped limbs. ascenders end in oblique serif rising from the left to the right or have a wedge. descenders are generally short and straight, with the exception of p, which has a straight foot across the descender. Occasionally, descenders curve gently to the left. Punctuation in the form of a semicolon at the end of a sentence occurs regularly up to p. 19, but seldom after that. The punctus is frequently used, and sits on the line. hyphens are used throughout at line ends, and at placed at a slight angle. Abbreviation marks are curved at the right, ending in a blob. The abbreviation for that consists of a þ with the abbreviation mark to the right of the ascender. Men is abbreviated to M (often uncial in shape) with a macron above it. leofestan is usually abbreviated simply to l with a line through it. Drihten is abbreviated with a macron over the t. The ˥ is formed with a 45º angle between headstroke and descender, and usually with a pronounced upward tick to the left of the headstroke.The tail tends to curve just below the line to the left. The st ligature is used but not consistently. The or ligature where the r is 2-shaped is used but not consistently. The Litterae Notabiliores are closely related to those seen in other Worcester manuscripts of this date, and slightly earlier. They are red, pen-drawn, and display little roundels in the leg or the bowl.

There are several layers of glosses by the Tremulous Hand. s. xiii1

Decoration

Initials and titles in red. Titles in rustic capitals or minuscules.

Musical notation

Pages 96-8 are blank, except for scribbles in the Tremulous Hand and some musical notes.

Binding

Bound in s. xvii/xviii uniformly with MS. Hatton 115. The rust-mark from a nail which held the strap of an earlier binding in position shows on pp. 391-402.

Acquisition

Given to the Bodleian by Hatton's son in 1675. Subsequently lent to Dr Thomas Marshall and by him to Franciscus Junius and returned to the Bodleian as part of the Junius collection after his death in 1678. Former shelfmark MS. Junius 24.

Provenance

At Worcester Priory in the first half of the thirteenth century, as it was glossed by the Tremulous Hand. Remained there until at least 1622, as it is mentioned in Young's catalogue.

Belonged to Christopher, Lord Hatton in 1644.

Title

Homilies in Old English, with Latin titles

Shelfmark

MS. Hatton 116

Summary

Homilies in Old English, with Latin titles, glossed throughout by the Worcester 'tremulous hand' for which see MSS. Hatton 20, 76. The sermons for saints' days, from st. Chad, beg. 'Men pa leofestan ic eow ongin' (p. 1). Page 398 contains a Latin Oratio de s. Katerina virgine, with a note by Thomas Barlow. Pp. 399-402 are part of a 13th-cent. compilation from Gratian's Decretum with marginal glosses referring to a complete copy.

Owing to an error in binding pp. 253-75 are to be read after p. 294, and pp. 275-90 after p. 252.

Date

Written in England, perhaps at Worcester, in the 2nd half of the 12th century

Language

Old English (ca. 450-1100)

Multiple languages

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment

Physical extent

408 pages

Custodial history

Acquired as MS. Hatton 115.