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Alternative title

Vita Pauli. Vita Guthlaci

Type of resource

mixed material

Extent

ff. 66

Date created

[ca. 800 A.D.-899 A.D.]

Language

Latin, English, Old (ca. 450-1100)

Material

Vellum

Layout

19 lines to a page

Height (mm)

230

Width (mm)

140

Collation

1(8)-5(8) 6(10) (8 canc.) 7(10) (3, 7 canc.) 8(10) (4 canc.).

Writing

in an exquisite flat-topped minuscule of Celtic aspect

Foliation

ff. i-ii + 1-66 + iii-iv

Provenance

From St Augustine's, Canterbury: on f. 1r at top: Di. IXa Gradu tercio V. Lower down (xii): Vita S. pauli primi heremite. Vita S. Guthlaci. (xiv) Liber S. Aug. Cant. Not entered in the old catalogue.

Summary

CCCC MS 389 was written at St Augustine's, Canterbury in the late tenth century, and contains Jerome's Life of St Paul the First Hermit and the Life of St Guthlac by Felix of Crowland (eighth century). These are two very important texts for the anchoritic tradition: Jerome's Life of St Paul provided a model both for subsequent hermits and for those who wrote their uitae; while Guthlac was the original English hermit, pursuing his vocation in the wilderness of the fens rather than in the middle-eastern desert. This manuscript therefore shows an interest in the eremitical way of life at Canterbury at this time, further emphasised by the marking up of the Guthlac text into nine lections to be used on his feast day. It was written in late Square minuscule, the last type of Insular script to be used for Latin texts in England, and contains wonderful initials of Wormald's "Type II", with interlace work and grasping beast heads outlined in ink. In the second half of the eleventh century, perhaps circa 1070, an author portrait of St Jerome was added at the start of the manuscript in a late Anglo-Saxon style. The manuscript has a St Augustine's, Canterbury classmark, but is not included in the surviving catalogue.

Contents

Vita Sancti Pauli primi heremitae -- Vita Sancti Guthlaci

M.R. James Date

ix?

Downloadable James Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:mw641wp0309/MS_389.pdf

Superseded Interim Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:pj620zf9901/389.pdf

Contains

• Jerome, Vita Sancti Pauli primi heremitae. 1v-16v

  Author

  Jerome

  Note

  On f. 1v is a full-page drawing of Jerome, tonsured, beardless, in green robe, face R. seated in a rich chair writing in book on desk, with pen in R. and knife in L. hand. A dove at his ear. Architecture above, supported by shafts with acanthus capitals. A curtain, twisted up, hangs on R.<br />(2r) Preface. Title in red and green capitals. Very fine initial in black and red outline: interlaced work in black: dragons' heads in red

  Incipit

  (2r) Hieronimus presbiter natus a patre eusebio hunc librum scripsit in bethleem in loco uidelicet militum qui uocatur litostrotos: temnanus ait. si quidem aptum erat ut de milite in loco militum scriberetur uel in oppido stridodis quod nomen uersum a gothis dalmatia nuncupatur, etc.

  Explicit

  (3v) quia ambo in uita eorum adfirmauerunt uerbum eorum post mortem alterius alter dicit

  Note

  (3v) Rustic capitals, red

  Rubric

  (3v) De variis estimationibus quis utique primus monachus habitauit heremum

  Incipit

  (4r) Inter multos saepe dubitatum est a quo potissimum

  Note

  (P. L. XXIII 17)<br />(4r) Fine initial as on f. 2r<br />Titles of chapters in red rustic capitals. Initials usually plain purple, but sometimes in outline, interlaced<br />Ends

  Explicit

  (16v) tonicam pauli cum meritis eius quam regum purpuras cum poenis suis

  Rubric

  (16v) Finit liber

• Felix of Crowland, Vita Sancti Guthlaci. 17r-66r

  Author

  Felix of Crowland

  Note

  f. 17r is blank<br />on f. 17v is a faint pencil sketch in excellent style of a king throned full-face, a sword across his knee, holding up an admonitory finger to a beardless person on R.

  Rubric

  (18r) Incipit prologus (in vita) Sancti Guthlaci

  Note

  (by Felix: cf. MS 307. 1)

  Incipit

  (18r) In domino dominorum domino meo mihi pre ceteris regalium primatuum gradibus dilectissimo aelfuualdo

  Note

  (18r) Fine initial as on f. 2r

  Explicit

  (20r) principium in principio finem in fine conpono

  Rubric

  (20r) Explicit prologus<br />(20r) Incipit capitula libri Sancti Guthlaci anachorite

  Note

  Initials alternately green and purple: 53 capp. ending 22r

  Rubric

  (22v) In nomine trino et divino Incipit liber de vita Sancti Guthlaci strenuissimi ac perfectissimi anachoritae

  Note

  (red capitals)

  Incipit

  (22v) Fuit itaque in diebus aethelredi inlustris anglorum regis

  Note

  (22v) The first two words of the incipit in green and purple capitals<br />(22v) Magnificent initial of interlaced work and dragons' heads as on f. 2r<br />On f. 34v strofosus is glossed fræte<br />On f. 35v raucisonis is glossed hasgrumelum and horrescere hlyþan<br />On f. 41r strinebant (-debant) is glossed scriccettan<br />On f. 41v forcipe i. bile<br />On and after f. 57v viii lections are marked in the margin, from: Contigit ergo inter haec postquam dilectus dei famulus guþlacus ter quinis annorum uoluminibus<br />Ends

  Explicit

  (66r) Uiditque uidentes quos prius uidere negauit. Grates deo persoluens dignas quas nullus reddere nescit

  Rubric

  (66r) Explicit liber Sancti Guthlaci anachoritae

  Note

  Cf. MS 307. Acta Sanctorum II Aprilis, etc.<br />On f. 66v beginning of an alphabet in green capitals and a late scribble

TJames

68

Stanley

G. 2

Repository

UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

Location

MS 389

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