Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 414: Gervase of Tilbury, Otia imperialia. Julius Valerius, transl., Historia Alexandri magni. pseudo-Turpinus, Historia Caroli magni et Rolandi. 'Dares Phrygius', De excidio Troiae historia. Walter Map, Epistola Valerii ad Rufinum, Tractatus de ortu deorum, Historia de adventu Enee in Italiam, De primis habitatoribus Anglia. Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia regum Britanniae

Description

Alternative title
Gervasius Tilberiensis. Gesta Alexandri, etc.
Type of resource
mixed material
Extent
ff. 3 + 282
Date created
[ca. 1300-1399]
Language
Latin
Material
Vellum
Layout
mostly 37-38 lines to a page
Height (mm)
206
Width (mm)
149
Collation
3 flyleaves, 1(10)-4(10) (wants 1) 5(10) 6(12) 7(10) 8(10) 9(12) (wants 10-12) 10(12) 11(12) 12(6) 13(4) (wants 4) 14(12) 15(8) 16(2) 17(10) 18(4) 19(10) (+2 after 1) 20(8) 21(8) 22(12)-29(12). Parker's pagination omits one leaf.
Writing
in several hands, rather rough
Foliation
ff. a-b + i-ii + pp. 1-394 + 394a + 395a + 395-562 + ff. c-d
Provenance
The heading of no. 6 points to a Franciscan house, and the general aspect of the book suggests East Anglia.
Additions
On ff. iv-iir are Parkerian notes and on f. iiiv a Parkerian transcript of the beginning of the text for the use of those who are unaccustomed to the contractions.
At top of 1r (p. 3) a small erasure and the title Ocia inperialia.
2 fo.
vincit edocuit

Abstract/Contents

Summary
CCCC MS 414 is a classic example of a medieval miscellany of historical, romantic and spiritual texts. Copied in the fourteenth century, the single most substantial text in this volume is the Otia imperiala by Gervase of Tilbury (c. 1140 -1220), an encyclopaedia of history and geography. Other texts present include the Historia Alexandri magni, the Historia Caroli magni et Rolandi of pseudo-Turpin (fl. second quarter of twelfth century), the Historia regum Britanniae and Prophetia Ambrosii Merlini of Geoffrey of Monmouth (d. 1154), accounts of the siege of Troy and of Aeneas' return to Italy, Walter Map (c. 1140-1210) Epistola Valerii ad Rufinum (also in CCCC MSS 107 and 177) with the commentary of John Ridewall OFM (d. after 1340), and a tract on the ancestry of Christ. James postulated an East Anglian provenance on the basis of the script and decoration, but this has never been confirmed. The manuscript contains a Parkerian guide to the contraction of words used by medieval scribes.
Contents
Otia imperialia -- Historia Alexandri magni -- Historia Caroli magni et Rolandi -- De excidio Troiae historia -- Epistola Valerii ad Rufinum ne ducat uxorem (De nugis curialium, dist. 4, 3-5), with the Commentary of John Ridewall OFM -- Tractatus de ortu deorum -- Historia de adventu Enee in Italiam -- De primis habitatoribus Anglia -- Historia regum Britanniae

Bibliographic information

M.R. James Date
xiv
Downloadable James Catalogue Record
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:bb437qy6362/MS_414.pdf
Superseded Interim Catalogue Record
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:zy579jy9151/414.pdf
Contains
  • Gervase of Tilbury, Otia imperialia. 3-248
    Nasmith
    Gervasii Tilberiensis otia imperialia ad Ottonem IV. 3-248
    Author
    Gervase of Tilbury
    Note
    Tria diversa opera quae Gervasio vulgo attribuuntur, nempe Commentarius de regnis imperatorum Romanorum Mundi descriptio, et Tractatus de mirabilibus mundi omnia in his otiis imperialibus continentur<br />(3) Gervasii TilberiensisOtia imperialia
    Rubric
    (3) Serenissimo domino suo Ottoni quarto, etc. (added)
    Incipit
    (3) Ottoni quarto romano imperatori semper augusto Geruasius tilberiensis vester dignacione marescallus, etc.
    Rubric
    (3) Collaccio regni et sacerdocii
    Incipit
    (3) Duo sunt imperator Auguste quibus hic mundus regitur
    Explicit
    (7) conregnetis in eternum cum Christo
    Rubric
    (7) Explicit prefatio Secuntur tituli capitulorum operis sequentis<br />(8) Prima libri decisio
    Incipit
    (8) Cum uniuscuiusque rei principium
    Note
    The end of Decisio I and beginning of II (from capitulum 24 de diluuio et archa: Leibnitz, p. 906) are wanting. A marginal note on p. 51 says, Hic deficiunt x folia de alio libro. require (?) supra in principio sed et ait augustinus<br />Decisio II begins in the section de ortu tigris et gangis (Leibnitz, p. 911 ?)<br />At p. 79 a page and a half are left blank: a quire was wanting, but was evidently supplied. The text on p. 81 continues without break
    Rubric
    (172) Incipit tercia decisio continens mirabilia uniuscuiusque prouincie
    Incipit
    (172) Ut operi cepto debitam consummacionis
    Note
    (178) The hand changes<br />There is a gap after p. 182, after the heading
    Rubric
    (182) De visione portarum inferni
    Note
    p. 183 deals with 'celatura lapidum'<br />Ends with the letter to John on p. 242
    Explicit
    (242) continuans aput deuotum dominum Imperatorem
    Note
    In a smaller hand, paragraphs mostly from the Letter and Gesta of Alexander, the Gesta Karoli, and Justin
    Rubric
    (242) De calice aque et arundinibus
    Incipit
    (242) In libro de situ indie et generibus hominum et ferarum ita legitur
    Note
    De ypotamis. De Scorpionibus. De miranda belua maris indici ... De valle iordia ... grippis, arundinibus, etc., seribus, signis in morte Alexandri, signis in morte Karoli, 7 dormientibus in germania, scripto hominis et umbra hominis, Cariboli, etc., statu iudeorum et balsamo, Parthis et eorum ortu<br />Ending imperfectly, p. 248
    Explicit
    (248) persequi destructores omiserunt. Eo tempore eciam theodotus
    Note
    The only printed text of the whole work is that in Leibnitz, Scriptores Rerum Brunsvicensium I 881-1005, taken from a MS. at Wolfenbüttel formerly at St Augustine's, Canterbury, collated for Leibnitz with the Corpus Christi MS. by Chr. Wasse of Queens' College
  • Julius Valerius transl., Historia Alexandri magni. 249-275
    Nasmith
    Vita Alexandri magni. 249-275
    Author
    Julius Valerius
    Note
    In the first hand
    Rubric
    (249) Incipiunt gesta Alexandri Magni et eius genere atque vita
    Incipit
    (249) Egipti sapientes sati genere diuino
    Explicit
    (275) extinctus occubuit
    Rubric
    (275) Explicit vita Alexandri
    Note
    Abridgment of Julius Valerius. Ed. Zacher. Ward, Catalogue of Romances I, p. 186 [actually pp. 120-122]
  • pseudo-Turpinus, Historia Caroli magni et Rolandi. 275-320
    Nasmith
    Turpini historia Caroli magni. 275-320
    Author
    pseudo-Turpinus
    Rubric
    (275) Epistola turpini de gestis Karoli
    Incipit
    (275) Turpinus dei gratia Archiepiscopus Remensis
    Explicit
    (275) deo placeas
    Rubric
    (275) Explicit<br />(275) Incipit tituli capitulorum sequentis hystorie que est de bello Roscidiuallensi karoli imperatoris magni
    Note
    Capitula (34)<br />Text
    Incipit
    (277) Gloriosissimus Christi apostolus Iacobus
    Explicit
    (316) beatus Matheus apostolus et ewangelista sua predicacione conuertit ad dominum
    Rubric
    (316) Explicit
    Note
    Ward, Catalogue I 546. Cf. MS 292, MS 318
    Rubric
    (316) Qui legis hoc carmen turpino posce iuuamenUt pietate dei subueniatur ei<br />(316) Finitur hystoria Belli Roscidiuallis
    Note
    pp. 317-320 blank
  • 'Dares Phrygius', De excidio Troiae historia. 321-343
    Nasmith
    Daretis Phrygii de excidio Troja historia, Cornelio Nepote interprete. 321-343
    Author
    Dares Phrygius
    Note
    (321) Dares Phrygius
    Incipit
    (321) Cornelius nepossalustio
    Explicit
    (321) ad pollicitum reuertamur
    Incipit
    (321) Peleus rex in peloponense essonem fratrem habuit
    Note
    (341) Hand changes<br />The last section on f. 340 begins
    Incipit
    (340) Pentesilea ex consuetudine
    Note
    The first on p. 341 begins
    Incipit
    (341) Hoc postquam multis verbis dixit
    Explicit
    (343) huc usque historia daretis scripta est
    Incipit
    (343) Quis troianorum quem grecorum occiderit. Hector prothesilaum
    Explicit
    (343) palamonem. ephistrephum. ficidium
    Note
    Added<br />(343) Tot numerus occisorum 1839000 .i. occidentium centum milia triginta milia et nouem milia<br />Ward, Catalogue I p. 12
  • Walter Map, Epistola Valerii ad Rufinum ne ducat uxorem (De nugis curialium, dist. 4, 3-5), with the Commentary of John Ridewall OFM. 343-366
    Nasmith
    Valerius ad Rufinum de nuptiis non habendis cum expositione. 343-366
    Author
    Walter Map
    John Ridewall OFM
    Note
    (343) Valerius ad Rufinum (Mapes, De Nugis Curialum Distinctio IV)
    Incipit
    (343) Loqui prohibeor et tacere non possum - scripsisse videar. Vale. Amen
    Rubric
    (349) Explicit epistola Valerii ad Ruffini de non ducenda uxore
    Incipit
    (349) Incipit exposicio eius<br />(349) Loqui, etc. Hec epistola continet principaliter tria
    Explicit
    (366) rugose frontis et tristis offenditque correptos
    Rubric
    (366) Explicit
    Note
    This is the comment of John Rideval or Ridewas. Tanner, Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibernica, p. 630
  • Tractatus de ortu deorum. 367-396
    Nasmith
    Tractatus de ortu deorum. 367-396
    Note
    The former hand
    Rubric
    (367) Incipit tractatus de ortu deorum et integ(umen)tis breuibus et utilibus<br />(367) Maria. Jhesus. Jhoannes. Andreas. franciscus
    Incipit
    (367) Dii quos pagani finxerunt et adhuc colendo uenerantur homines olim fuisse
    Explicit
    (396) quod equum constat esse velocissimum
    Rubric
    (396) Explicit tractatus de ortu deorum et integumentis breuibus et utilibus
    Note
    By Johannes Anglicus? a copy of his Integumenta on the Metamorphoses of Ovid is in Bodl. MS. Digby 104, f. 161
  • Historia de adventu Enee in Italiam. 397-419
    Nasmith
    Historia adventus Eneae in Italiam. 397-419
    Rubric
    (397) Incipit hystoria de itinere de aduentu Enee in ytaliam
    Incipit
    (397) Superius autem excidio troie secundum Daretem explicito. Iter enee in ytaliam casusque suos quidam Paulus ita prosequitur. Eneas igitur cum anchise patre et ascanio filio
    Explicit
    (419) et cepit albanum ciuitas Rome subiecta esse, etc.
  • De primis habitatoribus Anglia. 419-421
    Nasmith
    De primis habitatoribus Angliae. 419-421
    Incipit
    (419) Anglia modo dicta olim Albion dicebatur et habebat inhabitatores gigantes
    Explicit
    (421) Et sic veritas clarescit historie de primis habitatoribus huius terre, etc.
  • Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia regum Britanniae. 421-562
    Nasmith
    Galfredi Monumetensis historia Britanniae. 421-562
    Author
    Geoffrey of Monmouth
    Rubric
    (421) (Galfridus Monumetensis)
    Incipit
    (421) Dum mecum multa
    Explicit
    (422) gratulatur affectu
    Incipit
    (422) Britannia insularum optima
    Note
    The prophecies of Merlin occur as usual<br />Ends
    Explicit
    (562) transferre curaui
    Note
    Apparently not mentioned by Hardy
TJames
237
Stanley
P. 10
Repository
UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library
Location
MS 414

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-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License
Download