1000-1100 (There is an annotation in French on the first folio and James judged it of early 13C date. He also identifies three replacement leaves of 13-14C date.)
Priscian's "De grammatica libri xvi" and "De accentibus" (by Priscianus Caesariensis), the latter ending imperfectly; M. R. James's no. 28. Includes a few later leaves, decorated initials and, at the start, a Greek alphabet matched against numerals. The margins bear many pointing hands and sketches of faces.
Bede on Genesis and "on Exodus"; M. R. James's no. 14. Two separate works, in different hands of similar date. Item (2) is Bede's "De tabernaculo"; it ends abruptly while discussing Exodus 26. James judged the writing "beautiful"; there is a fine decorated initial at f. 1v. Attached to the binding at the beginning and end are partially erased leaves from another copy of Bede on Genesis, of about the same date.
Treatises on astronomy, etc.; M. R. James's no. 25. Contains: (1) an anonymous tract on celestial phenomena (apparently derived from Isidore's De naturis rerum), lacking initials and diagrams; (2) Sermones S. Augustini (96 sermons, most untitled). James gives detailed contents lists of both.
Writings of saints Ambrosius and Jerome; M. R. James's no. 27. Probably English work. Contains: (1) Liber ualde utilium preceptorum atque consiliorum de libris officiorum Beatissimi pape [erased] Ambrosii mediolanensis collectus; (2) Liber S. Jeronimi presbyteri contra Iovinianum; (3) Liber beati Ambrosii Mediolanensis episcopi de misteriis sine iniciandis; (4) Sermo primus de sacramentis ambrosii. Includes, at the front, a 15C list of herbs and a recipe in English.
Selections from Augustine: M. R. James's no. 49. Contains: 1) Augustinus super Genesim ad literam libri xii (ff. 1-99); 2) Augustinus de gratia novi testamenti (ff. 100-123; at f. 100 an initial has been cut out); 3) Prologus ex libro primo retractatus S. Augustini (f. 124); 4) Liber S. Augustini ad Honoratum de utilitate credendi (ff. 125-140); 5) Sermo S. Augustini de laude karitatis, incipit: Divinarum scripturarum mulitplicem (ff. 141-42); 6) An untitled tract, incipit: (O)mnis diuina scriptura circa triplicem intellectum, ends imperfectly (ff. 143-47).
A collection of sermons and extracts; M. R. James's no. 65. Contains: 1) Expositio missae. In virtute sancte crucis; 2) extracts on leprosy and on the Holy Ghost; 3) Sermo Gibuini de filio prodigo and three other sermons; 4) extracts; 5) - 13) sermons for particular days in the church calendar; 14) extracts; sermons: 15) Omnis caro corruperat; 16) Vie syon lugent; 17) In hunc modum loquitur patres; 18) De institutione misse et de intellectu eorum 19) Ut intinguatur pes tuus; 20) Oritur sol et occidit; 21) sermo in dedicatione ecclesia; 22) Intravit ihesus in quoddam castellum; sermons: 23) on the parable of the vineyard; 24) Ite baptizate; 25) Cum invitatus fueris ad nuptias; 26) for the first Sunday after Pentecost (Temptatus est ihesus); 27) for the third Sunday after Pentecost (Que mulier habens dragmas); 28) extracts; 29) sermo in Quadragesima; 30) for the 13th Sunday (Et approprians samaritanus); 31) Quid sit fides; 32) Exposition of some Levitical ceremonies; sermons: 33) for Palm Sunday; 34) magistri Petri in ... (Surge aquilo); 35) extracts; 36) sermon on the blood of the Lamb; 37) extracts; 38) Incipit de xij apostolis ubi nati fuerint ... ; 39)Questiones de diversitate in officiis ecclesiasticis. Ends imperfectly. The binding has a leaf of a 13C folio psalter in double columns, the same as in Q.B.3. and Q.B.8, with flyleaves from the smaller psalter used to bind Q.G.4 and 5. The latter include parts of psalms 42-45 and 23 and 26.
M. R. James's no. 76. Contains: Epistola Hieronymi ad Demetriadum Virginem; Dicta Anselmi Archiepiscopi; Sermo S. Augustini de penitentia; Collaterales iiiior virtutum; De xii lapidibus; Orationes seu meditationes Anselmi Archiepiscopi; Expl. monologion Anselmi arch.: Inc. prologus in proslogion eiusdem; Proslogion Anselmi; Liber B. Augustini de presentia summi et veri ac omnipotentis dei; Seneca de institutione morum; Collatio Serapionis; De vestimentis sacerdotalibus; an exposition of the canon of the mass; a tract on prosody (wanting the first leaf); elegiac verses on death (30 lines); a dialogue on prosody; verses in another hand (wanting a quire); hymn to the Virgin; two unconnected lines of verse; prologue to a treatise on astronomy, with treatise beginning "Spera est rotundum et globosum corpus" and ending with instructions on making an astrolabe; and a gloss on the Lamentations.
Works of St Greory, Bishop of Nazianzus, bearing on the flyleaf the old title "Apologij gregorii cum aliis"; M. R. James's no. 38. A preface (Rufini ad Apronianum ... ) is followed by eight books: Apologeticus; De epiphaniis sive de natali domini; De luminibus sive secundis epiphaniis; De pentecosten de spiritu sancto; In semet ipso de agro; De ieremie dictis presente imperatore ... ; De reconciliatione monachorum; and De grandinis vastatione cum pater episcopus reticeret. There follows a separate treatise: Incipit tractatus in canone misse et de differentiis in faciendis crucibus ... a Ricardo abbate ecclesie premonstrati ordinis editus.
Sermons of Ivo of Carnot and others; M. R. James's no. 52. Contains: 1) fifteen sermons of Ivo of Carnot; 2) Liber B. Augustini de vita Christiani ad sororem suam viduam (identified in the 17C as by Fastidius Britannus); 3) an untitled tract, incipit: Exceptiones ecclesiaticarum regularum, partim ex epistolis romanorum pontificum;4) Sermo B. Augustini ep. de decem preceptis legis et de decem plagis egyptorum; 5) Libellus de iiiior virtutibus id est prudentia fortitudine temperantia et iustitia martini episcopiad mironem regem. 1) and 2) make up the first original volume, 3) the second, 4) and 5) the third.The volume is bound in a leaf of a folio psalter of 13-14C date, related to leaves found in Q.G.5, with two leaves of a smaller psalter.
Letters of Ivo of Carnot; M. R. James's no. 53. Contains 54 letters with (after letter 11) a sermon of St Augustine: Quomodo homo ad imaginem dei creatus est. At the beginning of the volume appear leaves from the same psalter as appears in hte binding of Q.G.4.
Boethius' treatises and other tracts; M. R. James's no. 64. Ocontains: 1) Boetii liber de trinitate, preceded by a table of contents and extracts about Boethius; the next four by the same: 2) Epistola ad S. Joannem Diaconum eccl. Rom. an tres pesonae de divinitate substantialiter praedicentur; 3) Epistola ad eundem quomodo substantie in eo quod sint ... ; 4) Confessio fidei christiani; 5) De Persona et Natura; the rest by Anselm: 6) Monologion; 7) Proslogion; 8) De incarnatione verbi; 9) Prefacio in subditos tractatus; 10) Tractatus de veritate; 11) Le libertate arbitrii; 12) De casu diaboli; 13) Libri ii contra gentiles, cur deus homo; 14) De conceptu virginali et originali peccato. Between 12) and 13) are 2 pp. of pencil notes (14-15C).
Acts of the Apostles with glosses; M. R. James's no. 40. Begins (f. 2): Quibus et (gloss: humanitate a divinitate). Ends: Explicit liber actuum apostolorum liber VIII [with symbol over]. D. C., which James says is thus written for "habet versus III. D. C.".
A sermon by Ricardus de Sancto Victore and a homily by John Chrysostom; M. R. James's no. 71. Contains: 1) A sermon on the Temptation of Christ, by Ricardus de Sancto Victore [Richard de Saint-Victor], incipit: Ductus est jhesus in desertum; 2) Omelia beati Johannis Crisostomi de muliere Chananea, in a different hand.
Bede's Martyrology; M. R. James's no. 31. At the front are some 14-15C calendar notes, with one folio missing. The Martyrology is followed by: 1) a form of cursing sacrilegious persons; 2) a statement of what a parish priest ought to know and do; 3) verses on the months; 4) the hymn "Saluatoris mater pia" with music on a four-line stave; 5) De beata Maria - eight sets of three lessons.
Bible; M. R. James's no. 11. Finely written and illuminated. James gives a detailed list of subjects of the historiated initials at the head of the books; his collation lists some mutilations and losses.
Bible; M. R. James's no. 3. 13C with decorated initials; the first quire is missing, so the text begins at Genesis 36 v. 24. James has a note on the order of the books. The Eusebian Canons occupy 2 pp. after the Apocalypse. In the flyleaves are two 15C lists of the books of the Bible.
Glosses on Isaiah (ff. 1-116), Tobit (ff. 117-129) and Ruth (ff. 129-34); M. R. James's no. 50. Parts of two leaves from a large 13C missal are attached to the covers. The gloss on Isaiah is in a different hand from the other two and has "a good rough initial".
Works of Augustine; M. R. James's no. 16. Contains: (1) Augustinus in libro ii Retractionum, Contra donatistas auctoritate beatissimi episcopi et martyris cipriani; (2) Aurelii Augusti ypponensis episcopi contra Donatistas de Baptismo libri septem; (3) Augustinus in libro ii Retractionum, Uenit etiam tunc; (4) Aur. Augustini Doctoris ypponensis Ep. Liber de Natura et Gratia; (5) Epistola Prosperi ad B. Augustinum Ep. ; (6) Epistola S. Hylarii Arelatensis Ep. Ad S. Augustinum ypponensem Ep. ; (7) Aur. Augustini Doctoris ypponensis Ep. Libri duo de predestinatione Sanctorum et de Bono perseuerantie ad Prosperum et Hylarium. The text is well written, with coloured initials. Bound in two consecutive sheets of a psalter containing parts of psalms 34-38 and 43-49. A piece of a 15C table appears in the binding. The flyleaf has a 12C table of contents and a 15C pressmark: "Augustinus de baptismo et de natura et gracia et alia litera. B".
Miscellaneous tracts; M. R. James's no. 34. Contains: 1) a catalogue of Rievaulx library, in two lists the second being approximately a shorter replica of the first [James transcribes both]; 2) Introductiones in Theologiam; 3) Fallacie [incipit: Fallacia apud logicos dicitur]; 4) Loci [incipit: Locus argumenti est sedes argumenti]; 5) Summa de diuersa uocabulorum significacione edita a mag. Will. De monte (called at the end Tropi theologici); 6) notes on vices; 7) Excerpta moralia [incipit: Ad edificacionem animarum et morum informacionem]; 8) Sermons without heading (incipits: Hora est iam uos de sompno surgere; Excitare volens apostolus; Deus manifeste veniet deus noster non silebit]; 9) Aelredi Abbatis Rievallensis oracio pastoralis, with an extract from a letter by Aelred and his dying words; 10) Consuetudines Cisterciensium, ending with the Privilege of pope Innocent in a different hand; 11) Letter by "Stephanus cisterciensis ecclesie servus" [Stephen Harding] to T. abbot of Sherborne; 12) Bernardi Antiphonarium sive liber de musica, and Tonale, ending with verses on the numbers of chapters in each book of the Bible; 13) Bernardi silvestris liber de creatione rerum, interspersed with verses after the manner of Boethius and Martianus Capella; 14) Lines on prosody with interlinear notes [incipit: Regula splendescit quia sillaba longa patescit].
A miscellany including Dioscorides' De virtutibus herbarum and De natura lapidum; M. R. James's no. 44. Contains: 1) Paula liber de cura egritudinem parcium totius corporis [on the hair only]; 2) Dicta philosophorum, per Petrum Alfunsum [Alfonso], without title; 3) Priscianus de accentibus; 4) Dioscorides, De virtutibus herbarum; Dioscorides, Liber de natura lapidum, in French verse; 5) some paragraphs on the polishing of precious stones. The cover is lined with part of a leaf of a 13C servce book, containing lessons and antiphons from Isaiah.
Psalter; M. R. James's no. 21. Contains psalms and canticles, preceded by hymns and followed by the litany, "sequences" and "Virgo gaude". Names of saints in the litany have been altered to match the Sarum form. The "sequences" include music for the first verse of each.The end flyleaf is from a 13C missal; its contents include the proper prefaces for Easter.
De oculo spirituali, and other tracts; M. R. James's no. 75. Contains: 1)Tractatus de oculo spirituali, with table; 2) Medulla philosophorum, preceded by table; 3) an untitled tract ("De virtutibus"), preceded by table. The fly-leaves include: a leaf of a chronicle, with the year 968 mentioned and the names Lotharius Nicholaus Adrianus; a leaf and a half of "Interpretationes nominum"; and parts of two leaves from a psalter or service book with the beginnings of verses from psalms 13 to 40.
A collection of tracts: M. R. James's no. 66. Contains: 1) Tropi magistri petri cantoris parisius; 2) Subtilis exposicio simboli traditi a beato anastio [=Athanasio]; 3) Exposicio parvi simboli s. laicorum, with Representacio temporum que finierunt ab inicio mundi usque ad finem [on two leaves which are missing]; 4) Sentencia dominice orationis exposita breviter nec non utiliter, ubi tanguntur .vii. peticiones prout comparantur .vii. donis spiritu sancti; 5) Sententia beati Roberti lincolniensis episcopi de fide et articulis fidei incipit; 6) Sententia sancti Roberti lincolniensis episcopi de confessione; 7) a tract with incipit: Debentes de vobis racionem bonam reddere; 8) Tractatus de penitentia brevis et utilis; 9) Tractatus de quatuor virtutibus cardinalibus; 10) Tractatus de sompno brevis; 11) Augustinus de assumptione B.M. V., ending imperfectly. There are five flyleaves from a ms. of similar form and date, the first four being the two middle sheets of a quire from a treatise on preaching.
Two fragments of medieval tiles and two pieces of moulded stonework found on 9th August 2017 during works carried out to replace plaster on walls in cloister court. Tiles are possibly from the later part of the nunnery era of the College site, so late 15th century.
A well-known work by Petrus Comestor; M. R. James's no. 5. The main text has decorated initials in red and blue; it ends in the chapter "de dyonisio areopagtia". There are two flyleaves taken from a 10-11C missal, beginning with part of the gospel for the Decollation of St John the Baptist and ending with collects and lessons for the feast of the Assumption.
Peter Lombard's Sentences; M. R. James's no. 15. Rated "an unremarkable copy", with marginal notes in various hands. Bound at the front and back several Anglo-Saxon semi-palimpsest leaves originally containing a Durham version of Aelfric's Homilies; ff. 4-9 have been used for a 14-15C tract, "Cum summa teologice discipline diuiditur in duas partes".
Two chronicles; M. R. James's no. 58. Contains: 1) the Scala chronica of Thomas Gray [d. 1369], down to the death of Henry III (1272), in French prose, imperfect at the beginning; 2) a Latin chronicle starting from 1042 and ending, imperfectly, with the death of Simon de Montfort [1265] - an extract from the Annals of Waverley, a Cistercian house near Farnham, Surrey. The last quire is misbound.
Theological treatises; M. R. James's no. 24. According to an old table of contents, they are: (1) Quidam tractatus de morte et eius circumstanciis; (2) Sermo de S. Benedicto; (3) Speculum religiosorum; (4) Expositio de sex alis Cherub. (with diagram of cherub); (5) Speculum theologie factum a magistro Johanne Welensi (with diagrams of tower of wisdom and trees of virtues and vices); (6) Explanacio ligni vite; (7)Vita Aluredi Abbatis Rievall. [life of Ailred, abbot of Rievaulx], by Walter Daniel; (8) Aluredus Abbas Rievallen, de onerbius, incomplete (truncated at homily 17, out of 31, according to index at f. 79); (9) Notule de historia aurea collectae; (10) Kalendarium plenum nominibus sanctorum quolibet die per annum (calendar associated with Durham, with placenames written above names of saints); (11) Legenda de Sancta Elizabeth; (12) Meditaciones S. Augustini.
A collection, "summa Wanlensis et summa de oculo morali cum tabula"; M. R. James's no. 67. Contains: 1) Summa collectionum (explicit: tractatus qui dicitur commune loquium compositus a fratreJoh. Walensi de ordr. fratr. minorum ...) [that is, by John of Wales; 2) extracts: Repletus spiritus sancti gratia, and Hugo de claustro anime; 3) Oculus moralis per Lincoln.; 4) a table in two columns. There are flyleaves from a 14C mss and the binding is two sheets of a 13C psalter containing parts of four psalms.
The Summa of Raymond de Peñaforte, and other tracts, incomplete; M. R. James's no. 69. Contains: 1) on the flyleaves, notes including extracts from saints Augustine and Bernard, and memorial verses; 2) Summa Raymundi, on the sacraments; 3) a tract on marriage law, in a different hand; 4) [Summa Raymundi, on marriage,] incipit: Quoniam frequenter in foro penitentiali dubitaciones circa matrimonium. At least one quire of the last has been lost.
Papal decretals; M. R. James's no. 6. Contains [numbered by the order in its contents list, following James]: (1) a contents list of (2) text and gloss of Decretales Gregorii Novi; (3) Constitutiones nove duo innocencij iiiti (incomplete); (4, interrupting 3) Constitutiones alexandri iiiiti; (5 - bound after 6) Decretalis bonifacii in sixto libro, entitled in the contents list "Expositio super id et libro vj prout concernit visitationem episcopi dunelm et conventus dunelm"; (6) liber sixtus non glo[ssatus] (another copy of book 6 of the decretals of Boniface VIII, 1298, in another hand and with a table of chapters). With flyleaves from a 13C law ms.
Aegidii Foscarii summa juris canonici, and other works; M. R. James's no. 68. Contains: 1) Notule Decretalium: an analysis of the decretals in five books; 2) miscellaneous notes; 3) Aegidii Foscarii summa juris canonici; 4) notes on canon law and church procedures; 5) Libellus fugitivus compositus a mag. nepote de monte albano, in the same hand as no. 3; 6) extracts from a statute (?) and a document about churches and a chapel at Gesinham. A deed of the Bishop of Lincoln is inserted between ff. 80 and 81.
Contains accounts for the year 28-29 Henry VI. A full transcript appears in Arthur Gray, The Priory of Saint Radegund, Cambridge (Cambridge, 1898), pp. 145-160.
A legal formulary; M. R. James's no. 18. Spine title: Forma Compositionum Cartarum Obligacionum Acquietanciarum Indenturarum Libellorum et Appellacionum cum aliis pro studio Abbatis. Includes wills dated 1399 and 1403. The first quire is missing. The flyleaves come from one or two unfinished musical service-books (14-15C), one leaf containing antiphons for the feast of the Assumption.
A Wycliffite New Testament; M. R. James's no. 47. Complete apart from the loss of one leaf containing text from the end of 1 John to the start of 3 John; includes high-quality ornamentation. The text consists of: 1) a table of "matters" of each gospel; 2) a lectionary, after the use of Salisbury; 3) the text of the New Testament, including prologues; 4) "Here eendith the apocalips of Jon ... And bigynneth the lessouns and pistlis of the olde testamente that ben red in the chirche bi al the yeere".
Not in M. R. James' Catalogue. Incipiunt (f. 1a): hore de eterna sapientia. Anima mea desideravit te. Text enclosed in floriated border, with decorated initials; believed to be of North German provenance.
Wycliffite texts, principally Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (imperfect), in English; M. R. James's no. 30. The first volume contains: 1) an unidentified fragment, imperfect at both ends; 2) "xii capituli" [12 chapters], imperfect at the start; 3) Bernardus de dignitate clericorum; 4) De uita b. M. virginis [incipit: "Circa uirginem uero ex qua incarnacio facta fuit"]; 5) "Incipiunt quedam miracula de S. Maria"; 6) Hic incipiunt meditaciones de passione. Both 5) and 6) are in a 15C hand. The second volume contains the Gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke, in a small hand of early 15C date, ending at the 9th chapter of Luke, verse 24.
Extracts from the constitutions of Clement V', made up of "De summa trinitate et fide catholica R. Clemens vus" and "De rescript. R. - Abbates aut alii religiosi"; M. R. James's no. 29. Colophon: "Nomen scriptoris est thomas plenus amoris/ Iste liber constat Petro de Abyngdon/ Stephano". James notes that Thomas "plenus amoris", probably translatable as "Fullalove", is a name that commonly appears in Oxford mss.
Contains accounts for the year 29-30 Henry VI. A full transcript appears in Arthur Gray, The Priory of Saint Radegund, Cambridge (Cambridge, 1898), pp. 161-176.
Contains accounts for the year 21-22 Edward IV, in a more summary form than in the preceding two rolls. An endorsement records that the document was formally examined on 17 Jan. 1682. A transcript appears in Arthur Gray, The Priory of Saint Radegund, Cambridge (Cambridge, 1898), pp. 176-179.
