Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 171B: Scotichronicon (Volume 2)
Description
Abstract/Contents
- Summary
- CCCC MS 171, divided into two parts, A and B, since James' description in 1912, contains Walter Bower's Scotichronicon by Walter Bower (1385-1449), a history of the kingdom of Scotland beginning with its foundation with the arrival of Scota, daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh. This chronicle was a continuation and expansion of the Chronica gentis Scotorum by John Fordun (d. after 1363). The manuscript was written c. 1447-9 at the Augustinian abbey of Inchcolm in Fife and was amended under the direction of Bower himself, abbot of Inchcolm (d. 1449). It is considered to be one of the most important texts of late medieval Scottish historical writing in existence and was used as the basis for the nine-volume edition of the text published under the general editorship of D. E. R. Watt. There are a few coloured full and half-page drawings of major narrative events such as the Battle of Bannockburn and the Coronation and funeal of Alexander III. It is not known how this manuscript came to be in Parker's collection.
- Contents
- Scotichronicon (Volume 2)
Bibliographic information
- M.R. James Date
- xv
- Downloadable James Catalogue Record
- https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:hg810nm7528/MS_171B.pdf
- Superseded Interim Catalogue Record
- https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:sm769dq9874/171B.pdf
- Contains
-
- Scotichronicon (Volume 2). 151r-371v
- Note
-
(153v) Liber VIII, capitula
(155r) Text
(182r) Liber IX, capitula
(183r) Text
(205r) Liber X, capitula
(206r) Text
On 205r is a half-page drawing. Alexander III beardless crowned, with massive sceptre, seated between two men, one of whom holds a sword upright: green cross on a base on R. On L. an old man girt with sword steps forward and says benach de re albane alex mak alex. Reproduced Nat. MSS. of Scotland II 84
(225r) Liber XI, capitula
(226r) Text
(225v) Drawing of the funeral of Alexander III, almost without colour. Four men bear the coffin, which has coped lid and white pall with yellow cross, to R. six clerks in copes walking in pairs follow. This is a particularly fine picture. Reproduced Nat. MSS. of Scotland II 85
(239r) blank
Chapters 32, 33 seem to be wanting
(253r) Liber XII, capitula
(254r) Text
(265r) a full-page drawing of the battle of Bannockburn. At the top is a castle on a hill, and houses at the foot. Two powerful warriors on horseback are fighting in front. The drawing is animated and clever. Reproduced in Nat. MSS. of Scotland II 86
(271r) Liber Xlll, capitula
(272r) Text
(292v) Liber XIV, capitula
(293v) Text
(318r) Liber XV, capitula
(319r) Text
(336r) Liber XVI, capitula
(337r) Text
Ends - Explicit
- (353v) ministerio gramatum de se ad posteros transmittemus
- Note
-
Verses in larger hand
(353v) Aura sileto ratis mea litus habet . freta gratisdesero . subsisto . sit laus et gloria ChristoHic opus hoc finit et scribere desinit auctorquod Scoticronicon iure uocare soletContinet iste liber actus gestus uenerandosregum pontificum sic procerum populi Quinque libros fordon . vndenos auctor arabatsic tibi clarescit sunt sedecim numeroErgo pro precibus petimus te lector eorum(ut) sint regnicole scriptor uterque poli... Discolus est Christe cui liber non placet iste
(353V) Paragraph from Augustinus de doctrina Christiana
(353V) Table
Abbas - Zelotipia
(363R) Colophon - Incipit
- (363r) Qui ad honorem dei et profectum legencium
- Note
-
asks for the prayers of the reader and ends with three distichs. The last
(363r) Detur autori merces equata la(bori)Dentur autori post mortem gaudia (cell) - Rubric
- (363r) Explicit liber Scotic(roni)con. Deo. gracias
- Note
-
(363r) Verses, on numerical equivalents of letters
(363r) A caput est numerum quincentumB dicit numerum quem dicimusC centum signat numero si poetc.
(363v) In a fine small hand which appears here for the first time - Rubric
- (363v) Isidori lib. quinto ethimol. de medicina
- Note
-
Other extracts
(363v) Arist. libro de problematibus
Also on the plague - Rubric
- (363v) Incipit tractractatus contra pestilenciam
- Note
- (John of Bordeaux)
- Incipit
- (363v) (Hic inc.) nobilis tractatus
- Explicit
- (364r) alterius non timebit
- Rubric
- (364r) Epistola Sancti Bernardi ad Ramundum militem de cura et modo rei familiaris
- Incipit
- (364r) Gracioso et felici militi
- Note
- (P. L. CLXXXII 647)
- Explicit
- (364v) perducat sua dampnabilis senectus
- Note
-
365r-369v blank
(368v) A very badly written note in French about the East. Sardenay, Nazareth are mentioned (12 lines)
a longer note in the same hand on f. 370r, headed
(370r) Item ad eundem de Roma
Beginning
(370r) de Rome en grece premierement ... / de cicile puille etc.
On the upper part of this page is a paragraph in the hand of the main text
(370r) Notandum quod comes orchadie solet antiquitus esse comes Katanesie ... / fuit Rollandus fundator et dotator ecclesie s. magni
Ends
(370r) Tercia filia comitis malisii copulatur Gothredo sper qui genu ... / mortuum sine herede de se genito
(370v) A pedigree of Kings of France and England, the last of whom is Henry V
Also a damaged note in red
(370v) >Ao mo ccccxlix in vigilia natiuitatis domini obiit dus Walterus / B(ow)makar abbas insule sancti / (Colum)be qui scripsit hunc librum
This is preceded by a note in black in the same hand
(370v) Ultimo die Octobr. Ao cxliiij iiijto obiit / dus Andreas de Kirkaldi abbas / de Dunf(ermline) et in die sancti bricii electus / est ric ... sacrista. Ao / cto obiit / dus Wus broun magister in theologia / monachus de dunf. in festo s. calixti
(371r) English verses on the Nine Worthies - Incipit
- (371r) Hectour of troy throu hard feichtinge in half thrid ȝere slew xix ...
- Note
-
The worthies are
HectorAlexanderJulius CesarJosueDavidJudas machabeusArthurCharlez of franceGodfrey bolȝon
ending with - Explicit
- (371r) Robert ye brois throu hard feichting wt few vencust ye mti (miȝti ?) kyng / of Ingland Edward twyse in fit at occupide his realme but rit / at sumtyme was set so hard at had not sex til him toward
- Note
-
(371r) Yhe gude men at yir bulletis redis Deme ȝe qwha dochtiast was in dedis
A note on the Stewarts
(371r) Notandum quod barbarius ponit ... stewartis venisse de wallia et originem habuisse / de fleance etc.
(371r) A faint note on Walter Bowart follows
(371v) Latin proverbial verses a good deal mutilated, and some quotations from the Revelations of St Birgitta of Sweden
- Scotichronicon (Volume 2). 151r-371v
- TJames
- 62
- Stanley
- F. 9
- Location
- https://purl.stanford.edu/cr633rp5601
- MS 171B
- Repository
- UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction:
- Images courtesy of The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For higher resolution images suitable for scholarly or commercial publication, either in print or in an electronic format, please contact the Parker Library directly at parker-library@corpus.cam.ac.uk
- License:
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).