Clement Canterbury, Alexander Neckam, Alanus ab Insulis, Maurice de Sully, Peter Comestor — 13th century, early; England

Title

Clement Canterbury, Alexander Neckam, Alanus ab Insulis, Maurice de Sully, Peter Comestor — 13th century, early; England

Shelfmark

MS. Wood empt. 13

Associated place

Oxford

Place of origin

England

Date

13th century, early

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

xvi + 160 leaves (fol. 41 and two leaves after fol. viii are mostly torn away)

Hands

Late protogothic, at least three hands.

Along with his indexes, Clement Canterbury adds extensive marginalia and numbers the sermons in the collection in running heads.

Decoration

Unfilled initials in the index (fols. ix–xv).

Flourished initials alternating between blue and red (fols. 1r–129r).

Coloured initials in green and red (fols. 133r–156v).

Rubrics added under Clement Canterbury, written around his running heads (especially visible on fol. 71v).

Binding

Stamped leather over wooden boards with two clasps, now lost: S. Gibson, Early Oxford bindings, p. 17, no. 6, pl. VI. Blue and white headbands. Evidently executed on Clement Canterbury’s direction, since his extra quire is incorporated and his name is written in ink onto the leather of outside back cover: Clementis Cantyrbury, and above it the letters S C.

Acquisition

Bought by the library in 1690.

Provenance

Canterbury, Benedictine abbey of St. Augustine. Inscribed, Liber sancti Aug’. Cant’. Di VIII Gª IIº (fol. i verso); same hand (s. xiii/xiv): Ade supprioris. Emden suggests that Adam was a monk at Canterbury c. 1200–1215; this is one of fourteen entries for books associated with him. This volume is listed in the library catalogue alongside other homily collections: Bruce Barker-Benfield, St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury, BA1.675. Baxter, Bestiaries, 198–99 provides a note of Adam’s interest in sermons, with the suggestion that his bestiaries and stories might have been collected as sources of exempla for an active preacher.

Alphabetical subject-index by Clement Canterbury (fl. 1463-95), fols. ix–xvi, on an added quire (leaf before ix torn away with inscription). He also foliated the manuscript and added marginal notes and drawings. See Barker-Benfield, ‘Clement Canterbury’, p. 88, fig. 61; p. 91, no. XXI.4. Barker-Benfield, St Augustine’s, p. 778 suggests: His treatment of the book as virtually his own, and perhaps the style of binding, may suggest that he had borrowed it for use at Oxford in the 1460s–1470s.

Aug, 5, 1682. I rec’d this book from Mʳ Thomas Lees (sometimes of Alls. coll) schoolmaster of Faversham in Kent, by the hands of Edw. Waterman of Universitie College. Anton. à Wood..

Title

'45 sermones magistri Alexandri nequam. Ade supprioris'

Shelfmark

MS. Wood empt. 13

Summary

'45 sermones magistri Alexandri nequam. Ade supprioris' (fol. 1v), i.e. the sermons of Alexander Nequam or Neckham, beg. 'Nox precessit dies autem appropinquabit', with a concordance added in the late 15th cent. by Clemens Cantyrbery (fol. ix) and 'tituli sermonum' (fol. xvi), followed by a synopsis of the passion from the four gospels (fol. 145).

Date

Written in the early 13th century in England

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, bound in stamped brown leather on boards, Oxford work of about 1470

Physical extent

160 Leaves

Custodial history

This MS. was D viii G ii at St. Augustine's, Canterbury (fol. 1v), and was perhaps brought to Oxford by one of the scholars sent from St. Augustine's to Canterbury hall.'S.C.' and 'Clemens Cantyrbery' on outer back cover (see above).

'Aug. 5, 1682 I received this book from mr. Thomas Lees (sometimes of All Souls college) school-master of Faversham in Kent, by the hands of Edw. Waterman of Universitye college. Anton. à Wood' (fol. 1v).