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Alternative title

Vitae Sanctorum

Type of resource

mixed material

Extent

ff. 103 + 2

Date created

[ca. 1100 - 1199]

Language

Latin

Material

Vellum

Layout

42 and 40 lines to a page

Height (mm)

340

Width (mm)

212

Collation

1 flyleaf, 1(8) 2(10) (6 canc.) 3(8)-12(8) 13(8), 1 flyleaf.

Writing

in several excellent hands of the Christ Church, Canterbury, type

Foliation

ff. i-iii + 1-104 + iv-vi

Provenance

From Dover Priory. At top of f. 1r Liber de vita Sancti Martini et aliorum plurimorum sanctorum cum aliis diuersis contentis. Johannis Ryngewolde quondam monachi Douorie. cuius anime propicietur altissimus Amen. D. II. At bottom of f. 4r D. II. vita Sancti Martini et aliorum sanctorum. - Corpus quod ad sepulcrum. See Ancient Libraries of Canterbury and Dover, p. 49, no. 129.

Additions

Flyleaf (ff. iiir-iiiv) from an encyclopaedic work (xv). Articles on Elimenta. Eukaristia.

Summary

MS 42 is a compilation of saints' lives made at the Benedictine priory of Dover dating to the second quarter of the twelfth century. Its provenance is given by the typical Dover arrangement of two classmark- and contents-inscriptions, one on the opening page and one further on in the book; the classmark matches these up to an entry in the Dover catalogue of 1389 which gives the opening words of the page on which the second inscription occurs. We can be fairly certain that it was originally written at Dover because the same hand also occurs in another Dover manuscript, CCCC MS 462. The manuscript contains hagiographical texts, starting with the standard life of Martin of Tours, the epitome of a bishop saint. Two of the lives included are of very important English saints, Edmund king and martyr and Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury. It also contains an unusual collection of miracles of the Virgin Mary, and an incomplete legendary with some musical notation.

Contents

Vita Sancti Martini (incl. Vita Sancti Briccii) -- Passio Sancti Eadmundi -- Legendary (incomplete) -- Vita et miracula Sancti Dunstani -- Miraculae beatae uirginis Mariae -- Hymn for St Martin -- Office for Christmas

M.R. James Date

xii

Downloadable James Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:vv810qg8709/MS_42.pdf

Superseded Interim Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:cf382yw7802/42.pdf

Contains

• Sulpicius Severus, Vita Sancti Martini (incl. Vita Sancti Briccii). 1r-18v

  James

  Vita Sancti Martini. 1r-18v

  Author

  Sulpicius Severus

  Rubric

  (1r) Liber de Vita Sancti Martini

  Note

  In a later hand

  Rubric

  (1r) In natali Sancti Martini lectio I

  Incipit

  (1r) Beatus martinussabarie pannoniarum oppido oriundus

  Explicit

  (18v) sanctus eustochius successit magnifice sanctitatis. Imperante domino nostro Iesu Christo cui etc.

  Note

  (From Sulpicius Severus and Gregorius Turonensis)
  BHL 5610-16, 1451

• Abbo of Fleury OSB, Passio Sancti Eadmundi. 19r-25v

  James

  Abbonis Vita Sancti Eadmundi. 19r-25v

  Author

  Abbo of Fleury OSB

  Incipit

  (19r) Domino sancte metropolitane dorobernensium ecclesie

  Explicit

  (19v) ad amorem tanti martiris. Vale pater in Christo

  Incipit

  (19v) Asciti aliquando in brittanniam

  Explicit

  (25v) quibus meremur supplicium. per eum qui uiuit et regnat in secula seculorum. Amen

  Note

  Arnold, Memorials of St Edmunds Bury I 3 etc.
  BHL 2392

• Legendary (incomplete). 26r-62r

  Note

  Portion of a Legendary, in which at first Responses and Antiphons are given as well as Collects etc. Neumes are sometimes added. After a while only Collects and Lessons are given. The legends run from Silvester Dec. 31 to Nereus and Achilleus (May 12) and include Amandus, Angadrisma, Cuthbert, Translation of Nicholas, John of Beverley

• Osbern of Canterbury OSB, Vita et miracula Sancti Dunstani. 62v-81v

  James

  Osberni Vita Sancti Dunstani. 62v-81v

  Author

  Osbern of Canterbury OSB

  Note

  (Stubbs, Memorials of St Dunstan 69)

  Incipit

  (62v) Confrater eorum per eam que in Christo est regenerationem Osbearnus pacem bonam etc.
  (62v) Multorum sepe ac uenerabilium

  Explicit

  (63r) ista aggredi temptabo

  Incipit

  (63r) Anglorum rege (A)thelstano anno quidem imperii eius primo

  Note

  Notes by Parker and Joscelin occur
  Ends imperfectly

  Explicit

  (81v) nec ab omnibus abstinendum putamus ne nulla esse uideantur que dicamus. Et quedam

  Note

  BHL 2344-5

• Boto of Prüfening OSB, Miraculae beatae uirginis Mariae. 82r-99v

  James

  Miracula Beate Virginis. 82r-99v

  Author

  Boto of Prüfening OSB

  Note

  (another hand)
  On miracles of the Virgin see Ward, Catalogue of Romances (Brit. Mus.) II p. 586 sqq. References are here given to that work. The present collection does not exactly correspond with any there described

  Incipit

  (82r) Ad omnipotentis dei laudem cum sepe recitentur sanctorum miracula

  Explicit

  (82r) largiente deo recitare studeamus

  Note

  1. Compline of Virgin instituted (Ward, p. 612)
  2. HildefonsusNos. 2-16 correspond almost exactly with the collection called by Mussafia HM (Hildefonsus - Murieldis) and regarded by him as the oldest. Ward, p. 604
  3. Gaude dei genitrix. Clerk who sang it rewarded
  4. Beggar sent to Paradise
  5. Ebbo
  6. Monk of St Peter's, Cologne
  7. Giraldus of Cluny
  8. Unlearned priest
  9. Petrus and Stephanus brothers at Rome
  10. Landgrabber saved
  11. Prior at Pavia
  12. Jeronimus of Pavia
  13. St Michael of Clusa
  14. St Michael in Monte Tumba
  15. Clerk of St Cassian at Pisa
  16. Murieldis of Fécamp
  17. Three knights plot to kill a man (Ward, p. 613)
  18. Nun of Shaftesbury (Ward, p. 614)
  19. Mead multiplied (Ward, p. 614)
  20. Abbot Elsin (Ward, p. 614)
  21. Crucifix of Toledo (Ward, p. 610)
  22. Foot healed at Vivaria (Ward, p. 619)
  23. Musa (Ward, p. 620)
  24. Lefricus of Westminster (Ward, p. 617)
  25. Evil Cleric saved (Ward, p. 617?)
  26. Jewish boy in oven (Ward, p. 601)
  27. Jew of Constantinople(Ward, p. 611)
  28. Drowned clerk (Ward, p. 612)
  29. Lily on grave of clerk (Ward, p. 605)
  30. Drunken cellarer: devil as bull (Ward, p. 612)
  31. Runaway monk

  Incipit

  (93r) Sic sunt quedam adhuc paucissima. de maria scripta miracula. que hic metro quamuis sunt condita. non sunt tamen minus utilia. sed iccirco sic eas scripsimus. ut placerent magis legentibus

  Note

  Miracles in metre follow (written as prose)
  32.

  Incipit

  (93r) Frater quidam qui in cenobio. Militauit celorum domino

  Note

  (Ward, p. 620)
  33.

  Incipit

  (93v) Olim erat cognitusquidam alter monachus. In illa prouintiaque fertur burgundia

  Note

  (Ward, p. 620)
  34.

  Incipit

  (94v) Quedam sanctimon[ialisuelut] fertur fuit talis. In conuentu feminarumchristi famulantium

  Note

  (Ward, p. 621)
  35.

  Incipit

  (95v) Fratres operamini. neque seducamini. Sperantes quid metere. si non uultis serere

  Note

  (Ward, p. 621)
  36.

  Incipit

  (96r) Huc uenite et audite omnes serui domini. Uolo namque rem narrare quam a quodam didici

  Note

  (Clerk tempted to deny the Virgin)
  (Ward, p. 621)
  37.

  Incipit

  (97r) Presul erat deo gratus ex francorum gente natus

  Note

  (Bonitus of Clermont, Ward, p. 622)
  38. In prose. Story of Theophilus
  (Ward, p. 595)

  Incipit

  (97v) Factum est autem priusquam incursio fieret

  Note

  Ends unfinished

  Explicit

  (99v) Qui claues regn(i) celorum a deo suscipiens

  Note

  BHL 5357

• Hymn for St Martin. 99v-99v

  James

  Hymn for St Martin. 99v-99v

  Note

  In another handwith space for musical notes
  (6 long lines)

  Incipit

  (99v) Laudes deo plebs decantet fidelis

• Office for Christmas. 100r-ivr

  James

  Office for Christmas. 100r-ivr

  Note

  (Lections principally)
  On f. 103r roughly written prayer to the Virgin
  (ivr) Scribbles on the last flyleaf, especially Per crucis hoc signum fugiat procul omne malignum. et per idem signum saluetur quicque benignum

TJames

83

Stanley

H. 2

Repository

UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

Location

MS 042

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