Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 004: The Dover Bible, Volume II

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Abstract/Contents

Summary: This second volume of the Dover Bible contains the latter part of the Old Testament from the Book of Psalms, and the whole of the New Testament, and these books have historiated or ornamental initials. The artists of this volume are different from the first volume, and their work is best parallelled in North French or Flemish manuscripts of the second quarter of the twelfth century - it is possible that they may indeed have come from the border region of France and Flanders, and this is suggested by characteristic iconography from those parts. Some of their work shows Italo-Byzantine influence, but quite different in appearance to that of the first volume, and characterised by patterned linear folds in the form of 'nested V's'. Figures have large faces with staring eyes and heavy dark eyebrows. The two volumes of the Bible found their way into Matthew Parker's collection after the dissolution of the priory at the Reformation.
Contents: The Dover Bible, Volume II

Description

Alternative title	Bibliorum Pars II
Type of resource	mixed material
Extent	ff. 283
Date created	[ca. 1400 - 1499]; [ca. 1100 - 1199]
Language	Latin
Material	Vellum
Layout	double columns of 44 lines
Height (mm)	532
Width (mm)	360
Collation	I(8) (+1) II(8)-XX(8) XXI(12) (2 canc. in 2nd half) XXII(8)-XXXV(8). The old foliation remains.
Writing	It is the second volume of MS 3 and (with the exception of the first quire) seems to be in the same hand
Foliation	ff. i-ii + 1-283 + iii-iv
Provenance	The Dover press-mark has disappeared but there is no doubt of the provenance., I think the artist who illuminated no. 4 was not the illuminator of MS 3. It also seems to me that the illuminator of no. 4 and Eadwine, the artist of the Canterbury Psalter at Trinity College, have a good deal in common. It is antecedently probable that this Bible was made at Christ Church Canterbury, of which Dover Priory was a dependency.

Bibliographic information

M.R. James Date	xv and xii
Downloadable James Catalogue Record	Title https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:nk125sm2554/MS_4.pdf
Superseded Interim Catalogue Record	Title https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:qq486mr7554/4.pdf
Contains	Title The Dover Bible, Volume II. 1r-283v Note The first quire is a 'supply' of cent. xv in a fine upright narrow English hand (1r) Prologue to Job 1. Incipit (1r) Cogor per singulos Note 2. Incipit (1v) Si aut[em] fiscellam Note 3. Incipit (1v) Iob exemplar Note (2r) Capitula (2v) Initial in blue and red to text (9v) This quire ends in c. xxix (10r) The original hand begins (10r) liberassem pauperem (xxix 12) Rubric (13v) In nomine domini incipit origo prophetie dauid regis psalmorum numero centum quinquaginta Incipit (13v) Dauid filius Jesse Rubric (14r) Psalterium rome dudum positus Note (14r) Initial. Beatus vir, red and white ground. Above, David crowned plays psaltery and strikes gold bells (5) with hammer. A woman (?) on R. blows a pipe. Below. David as shepherd plays harp: ox, rain, and goat nibbling tree on R. (23v) Quid gloriaris (Ps. li), fine decorative initial (33v) Domine exaudi (Ps. ci), fine decorative initial, stork, snake, and rabbit-headed dragon (36r) Dixit dominus (Ps. cix) has blue initial larger than the rest (42v) Ps. cli (Pusillus eram) is appended (43r) Prologues to Proverbs 1. Incipit (43r) Jungat epistola Note 2. Incipit (43r) Tribus nominibus uocatum Note 3. Incipit (43v) Tres libros Salomonis Note (43v) Capitula (60) (44r) Initial, red and white ground. Solomon crowned, with book, teaches Rehoboam (in cope) and another on R. Rubric (53r) Explicit liber prouerborum VI D CC XL Note (53v) Capitula of Ecclesiastes (31) (53v) Initial decorative, with fox Rubric (56v) Explicit liber Ecclesiastes uersus D CCC V Note (57r) Initial to Canticles. Solomon crowned, richly dressed, holds scroll of which one end is in a wooden case: Ecce tu pulchra es amica mea Rubric (58v) Explicit liber cantica canticorum v. num. CCLXXX Note (58v) Prologue to Wisdom Incipit (58v) Liber sapientie apud hebreos Note (58v) Capitula (47) (59r) Initial. (Reproduced in Camb. Ant. Soc. Proc., Vol. VII, pl. VIII (2)) Above in segmental space (white ground) Christ half-length crossnimbed holding scroll (one end of it in a wooden case) Diligite iustitiam qui iudicatis terram. On either side of His head in blue the letters R(ex) R(egum) D(ominus) D(ominantium). Below, on green ground with white band, in C. nude criminal with loincloth and bandaged eyes stands full face: a ring confines his legs closely together. His arms are bound behind him. On L. and R. groups of seated judges, two hold red stones (?), one a staff (65v) Prologue to Ecclesiasticus Incipit (65v) Multorum nobis etc. Rubric (66r) Explicit prefatio Ieronimi presbiteri (!) Note (66r) Capitula (129) (66v) Initial. A bearded man sits face R. in a chair on whose back is carved a human head. A Dove with cross-nimbus is at the writer's ear, and he has on a board before him a leaf inscribed: omnis sapientia. Red and white ground. The desk in this picture is interesting (85r) The last chapter of Ecclus. is Oratio Salomonis Rubric (85r) Explicit liber ecclesiasticus v num. II DCCC Note (85r) Prologue to Chronicles Incipit (85r) Septuaginta interpretum Note (85v) Initial A with three tiers of busts on different coloured grounds, one bust in the top row and three in each of the others: all of bearded men, the topmost wearing a red hat (97v) 2 Chron. Decorative initial, the central part gold with ornament in black (113r) Prologue to Ezra Incipit (113r) Utrum difficilius Note (113v) Decorative initial (117v) Nehemiah, small initial (123v) Prologue to Esther Incipit (123v) Librum hester uariis Note (124r) Decorative initial (129v) Prologue to Tobit Incipit (129v) Chromatio et Heliodoro (129v) Tobi filius ananihel Note (129v) Panelled gold initial (133v) Prologue to Judith Incipit (133v) Iudith uidua (133v) Apud hebreos liber iudith Note (134r) Decorative initial with dragon (139v) Capitula of 1 Maccabees (60) (140r) Prologue Incipit (140r) Machabeorum libri duo prenotant Note (140v) Initial. Alexander crowned in C. crowns two small youths standing on R. and L., he on L. holds a sword. The ground has been blue, now scraped off (154v) Capitula of 2 Macc. (53) (155r) Decorative initial, blue ground carefully scraped off Rubric (165r) Explicit Machabeorum lib. IIus uer. habet I DCCC Note (165v) Canons of the Gospels in fine arcaded frames of gold and colour with foliage at top (167r) Epistola beati Ieronimi ad Damasum (title in large coloured capitals) Rubric (167r) Beatissimo pape Damaso Note (167v) Prologues 1. Incipit (167v) Plures fuisse Note 2. Rubric (168r) Eusebius carpiano Note 3. Rubric (168v) Ieronimusdamaso Incipit (168v) Sciendum etiam nequis Note (168v) Argumentum Incipit (168v) Matheus ex iudea Note (168v) Breviarium Incipit (168v) Nativitas Christi (Capitula 28) Note (169v) Initial large. Matthew nimbed seated turns to R. and holds up book. Ground blue scraped off (184r) Initial to Mark (no prologue) decorative (193v) Initial to Luke. Luke nimbed in blue chasuble, stole and alb, plunges a knife into the throat of a red ox. Brown ground (209r) Initial to John. Splendid decorative I with central medallion containing a nimbed bearded head (220v) Prologues to Acts 1. Incipit (220v) Actus apostolorum nudam quidem Note 2. Incipit (220v) Lucas natione syrus Note (220v) Capitula (71) (221v) Initial. Luke nimbed seated holds up a tablet with rounded top in R. hand and metal stylus in L. Green ground (236r) Prol. Epistolarum apostolorum Incipit (236r) Non ita ordo Note (236v) Capitula to James (19). Argument Incipit (236v) Jacobus apostolus sanctum Note (236v) Initial represents trunk of a tree with blue snake twined about it (238r) Capitula 1 Peter (21). Argument Incipit (238r) Discipulos saluatoris Note (238r) Initial. Peter throned full-face, with curtain hung behind. He is in low mitre, chasuble (red) with pall, blue dalmatic, stole, alb and has pastoral staff. Blue ground scraped (239v) Capitula 2 Peter (11). Argument Incipit (240r) Per fidem Note (240r) Initial. Above, fox and cock crowing, both red : below, wolf (?) and stork extracting bone from his throat. Blue ground scraped (241r) Capitula 1 John (20). Initial decorative (242v) Capitula 2 John (5). Argument Incipit (242v) Usque adeo Note (242v) Initial decorative, blue and white, and black on gold (242v) Capitula 3 John (5). Argument Incipit (242v) Gaium pietatis causa Note (242v) Initial. On R. man rubbing blue lump (?lapis lazuli) on marble block (?grinding colour): green ground: on L. man with palette painting wall. Blue ground, scraped (243r) Capitula of Jude (7), no argument. Decorative initial (243v) Prologues to Pauline Epistles 1. Incipit (243v) Epistole pauli ad romanos causa Note 2. Incipit (243v) Pauli apostoli epistole numero xiiii (243v) Omnis textus uel numerus epistolarum Note 3. Incipit (244r) Primum queritur quare Note (244r) Argumentum ep. ad Rom. Incipit (244r) Romani ex iudeis (244v) Romani sunt in partibus Rubric (244v) Versus Damasi Incipit (244v) Iam dudum saulus Note (245r) Capitula (30) (245r) List of 14 Epistles (245r) Initial to Rom. Paul with long cross and book. Blue ground scraped (251r) 1 Cor. Capitula 24. Decorative initial rather plain (256r) 2 Cor. Prol. Incipit (256v) Post actam penitentiam Note (256v) Capitula 20 (256v) Initial. Paul seated with book blessing. Blue ground scraped Rubric (260r) Explicit epistola secunda ad corinthios scripta de macedonia. uersus DXC Note (260r) Gal. Prol. Galathe sunt greci. Capitula 12 (260r) Initial decorative Rubric (262r) Explicit epistola ad Galathas S(c)ribens eis ad epheso uersus CC XCII Note (262r) Eph. Prol. Incipit (262r) Ephesii sunt asiani. Capitula 10 Note (262r) Initial. Paul in an almost dancing attitude holds up book (264r) Phil. Prol. Incipit (264r) Philipenses sunt macedones Note (264r) Capitula 8 (264r) Initial like 1 Cor. (265v) Col. Prol. Incipit (265v) Colosenses et hi Note (265v) Capitula 10 (265v) Initial in colour as last (266v) 1 Thess. Prol. Incipit (266v) Thessalonicenses sunt macedones Note (266v) Capitula 9 (267r) Initial ut supra (268r) 2 Thess. Prol. Incipit (268r) Ad Thessalonicenses secundam Note (268r) Capitula 6 (268r) Initial decorative with gold (268v) 1 Tim. Prol. Incipit (268v) Timotheum instruit Note (268v) Capitula 12 (269r) Initial without gold (270r) 2 Tim. Prol. Incipit (270r) Item timotheo Note (270v) Capitula 7 (270v) Initial without gold (271v) Tit. Prol. Incipit (271v) Titum commonefacit Note (271v) Capitula 6 (271v) Initial without gold (272r) Philem. Prol. Incipit (272r) Phylemoni familiares Note (272r) Capitula 4 (3) (272r) Initial without gold (272v) Heb. Prol. Incipit (272v) In primis dicendum Note (272v) Capitula 23 (272v) Gold and coloured initial (276v) Laodicenses. Capitula 4 (276v) Prol. to Apoc. Incipit (276v) Iohannes apostolus et euangelista Note (277r) Capitula 24 (277r) Initial. John sleeps on island. Divine hand in cloud on R. Blue ground, scraped (283r) Text ends
TJames	358
Stanley	Under C. 5
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/fn354xs7634
Location	MS 004
Repository	UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Collection

Parker Manuscripts

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