Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 041: Old English Bede
Abstract/Contents
- Summary
- MS 41 contains the Old English translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History. This text is one of those made as part of Alfred the Great's campaign to translate into English "those books most necessary for men to know". MS 41 was written in the first half of the eleventh century probably somewhere in the south of England. It has a colophon asking for readers' blessings on the unnamed scribe. The manuscript is large in format, written in grand round script, and was obviously intended to be a high-grade book. Already in the eleventh century advantage was taken of its wide margins to add a variety of marginalia, ranging from the Old English poem Solomon and Saturn to liturgical texts and Old English charms. Probably at least some of these additions were made at Exeter: MS 41 was one of the manuscripts given to Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric (1050-72), and still contains the bilingual donation inscription cursing anyone who removed it thence. The decoration of the book consists of numerous ornated initials in brown outline and a drawing of Christ crucified.
- Contents
- Old English Bede with marginal additions
Description
| Alternative title | Bedae Historia Saxonice |
|---|---|
| Type of resource | mixed material |
| Extent | ff. 244 + 2 |
| Date created | [ca. 1000 - 1099] |
| Language | English, Old (ca. 450-1100); Latin |
| Material | Vellum |
| Layout | 25 lines to a page (27 in quires K-N) |
| Height (mm) | 340 |
| Width (mm) | 205 |
| Collation | 1 modern flyleaf, 1(8) 2(6) 3(8)-12(8) 13(10) (4 canc.) 14(8)-30(8) 31(6) (wants 6), 1 flyleaf modern. The first quire with an old mark is F (6); this marking goes to M or perhaps N (13): 14 is marked A; this marking runs to R(30): 31 has no mark. |
| Writing | in two principal hands of which one is remarkably large. Both are clear and black |
| Foliation | ff. a-b + i + pp. 1-490 + ff. c-d |
| Provenance | The volume was one of those given by Leofric to Exeter. On 244v is his inscription in good round minuscules, in Latin and Anglo-Saxon (Cameron B16.10.5): Hunc librum dat leofricus episcopus ecclesie sancti petri apostoli in exonia ubi sedes episcopalis est ad utilitatem successorum suorum. Si quis illum abstulerit inde, subiaceat maledictioni. FIAT. FIAT. FIAT. Ðas boc gef Leofric. b. into sce petres mynstre on exancestre þaer se bisceopstol is for (his) saƿle alisednysse 7 gif hig hƿa ut æt brede god hine fordo on þære e ... It is not entered in the list of Leofric's gifts contained in the Bodleian MS. Auct. D. 2. 16 and printed by Dugdale, Wanley, Warren (Leofric Missal) etc. |
| Research | This MS. was used by Abraham Whelock for his edition of 1644. Various notes on flyleaves and margins are in his hand. The last editions are that by Dr T. Miller, 1891 etc. (E. E. T. S.) (who gives an account of it in his introduction (§I p. xvii and §II), and a full collation of its text), and that by J. Schipper (Bibliotek der Angelsächsischen Prosa IV 1899). The date assigned by Schipper is the middle of cent. xi, and that assigned by Dr G. F. Warner is 1030-1040., It seems to me very likely that the volume was written in two main portions (quires 1-13 and 14-31) which were begun simultaneously. This view is suggested by the lettering of the quires, and I think the indications afforded by the initials and hands do not disagree with it. Dr Miller distinguishes four sections and a plurality of scribes. Schipper once held a similar view, but withdrew it in deference to the scribe's own assertion (in the verses on pp. 483, 484) that he wrote the book with his two hands. |
| Additions | The ornamentation of this book is interesting. It consists chiefly of decorative initials which are irregularly inserted. They are in outline: a faint wash of red has been applied in some cases. In many instances the pencil sketch (afterwards executed in ink) is visible., The margins have been utilized for the transcription of a good many interesting texts. Some of these (especially the Salomon and Saturn) are well known. I do not think that a complete list has been given, and I attempt one here. Wanley (Cat. p. 114) takes account of the Anglo-Saxon passages only. |
Bibliographic information
| M.R. James Date | xi |
|---|---|
| Downloadable James Catalogue Record | |
| Superseded Interim Catalogue Record | |
| Contains |
|
| TJames | 278 |
| Stanley | S. 2 |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/qd527zm3425 |
| Location | MS 041 |
| Repository | UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
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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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