Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 173: The Parker Chronicle

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Abstract/Contents

Summary
In CCCC MS 173 is found the Parker Chronicle, one of the most important manuscripts for our understanding of Anglo-Saxon history. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the earliest history written in English, seems to have originated under the impetus of Alfred the Great's educational reforms, and a core set of annals was composed which were then augmented variously over the years in different places. Every version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is therefore different and has its own complicated transmission history. The Parker Chronicle, also known as the A-version, is the oldest manuscript surviving. It was started in the late ninth century and continued into the eleventh. It originated somewhere in Wessex, probably Winchester where it has mid tenth-century provenance, but had moved to the cathedral priory of Christ Church, Canterbury by the end of the eleventh century. Although the Chronicle is the most famous part of the manuscript, it also contains other very important material. In the same section as the Chronicle there are important early texts of the Old English laws of Alfred the Great and the late seventh-century laws of his distant predecessor on the throne of Wessex, King Ine (d. in or after 726), as well as a list of bishops and popes. A second volume was already bound with the Chronicle manuscript in the Middle Ages: this contains works by the late Antique poet Sedulius (fl. first half of the fifth century), in particular his Carmen paschale, a retelling of the gospels in bombastic Virgilian Latin verse. This part of the manuscript is older than the Chronicle, probably dating to the third quarter of the eighth century, and is an important witness to English scholarship before the disruption caused in the ninth century by Viking attacks. It seems to have the name of Frithestan, bishop of Winchester 909-31, on f. 57r. The volume was greatly valued by Parker and his circle; Parker brought the list of archbishops of Canterbury up to date to include own name. It was also used in the earliest printed book in Old English, Parker's Testimonie of Antiquitie.
Contents
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, A-version, preceded by the West-Saxon Royal Genealogy -- Acta Lanfranci -- Anglo-Saxon Laws of Alfred and Ine -- Lists of popes and English bishops -- Letter I to Macedonius -- Carmen paschale -- Hymn A solis ortus cardine -- Letter II to Macedonius -- Verses of Damasus on St Paul -- Elegia -- De ciuitate Dei, xviii.23 (excerpts) with three versions of Sibylline prophecies

Description

Alternative title Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Anglo-Saxon Laws. Sedulius
Type of resource mixed material
Extent ff. 56 + 27
Place Winchester
Date created [ca. 1099]; [ca. 700 CE - 1099]
Language English, Old (ca. 450-1100); Latin
Material Vellum
Layout two volumes
Height (mm) 290
Width (mm) 210
Collation Volume I: 1(8) (wants 1) 2(10) (1 canc., 8 canc.: one added) | 3(10) (3 and 7 canc., 10* added) 4(8) (wants 8) | 5(10) (1 canc.) 6 [marked E](14) (3, 5, 9 canc.) 7(4) (4 somewhat cut).Volume II: A(2) B(10) C(8) D(8) (wants 8).New Pal Soc.: 1(8) (wants 1) 2(10) (one canc., 7 added) 3(8) (+1) 4(8) (wants 8).
Writing beautifully-written
Foliation ff. i-ii + 1-83 + iii-iv
Provenance Volume I: It was in the Library of Christ Church, Canterbury, no. 311 in Prior Eastry's Catalogue (Ancient Libraries, pp. xxvi, 509). The first leaf with press-mark etc. has disappeared since Parker's timeThe first remaining page is numbered 3 by Parker.. It appears to have been written at Winchester down to the year 1001, and thereafter at Christ Church, Canterbury. Professor Earle suggested that it was transferred from Winchester to Canterbury when the monks at the latter place were endeavouring to repair the losses in their library caused by the fire of 1067 (Plummer, p. xxv note). Another possibility (New Pal. Soc.) is that Ælfheah, bishop of Winchester, may have brought it with him when he became archbishop in 1006. At the Dissolution the volume came into the hands of Dr Nicholas Wotton the first Dean of Canterbury, who gave it to Parker. See Introduction.
Additions The contents of the first volume are briefly these: Chronicle, ff. 1r-32r. Latin Acts of Lanfranc, f. 32r-32v. Laws, ff. 33r-52v. Lists of proper bishops etc. ff. 53r-55v (f. 56r, 56v blank.), A xiiith cent. scribble on the 2nd leaf of the Chronicle, another on f. 55v, and two others on ff. 26r and 27v of the Sedulius, seem to me to be all in one hand. If so, the two portions have long been bound together

Bibliographic information

M.R. James Date ix-xi
Downloadable James Catalogue Record
Title
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:yf997gt4211/MS_173.pdf
Superseded Interim Catalogue Record
Title
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:jj710fg7394/173.pdf
Contains
Title
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, A-version, preceded by the West-Saxon Royal Genealogy. 1r-32r
James
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1r-32r
Note
The most recent edition is that of the Rev. C. Plummer, M.A., Corpus Christi College, Oxford (vol. I, 1892, II, 1899). His symbol for this MS. is Ā. He describes it fully at p. xxiii sqq. of vol. II
Facsimiles in Mon. Hist. Brit. pl. xxiii, xxiv and New Pal. Soc. pls. 134-136
On previous editions of the text see Plummer's Introduction
The Chronicle, mostly in single columns except f. 1v (part) to f. 4v sub fin. where it is in double columns: number of lines varying from 39 to 25
A complete survey of the hands in which this is written is given by Plummer, p. xxv, § 13 and in the New Pal. Soc. Plummer's list summarized is as follows: 1. To the end of f. 16r death of Suibhne in 891, and the year-number 892. 2. f. 16v including part of 894 (to Ac hi haefdon). 3. f. 17r-17v. 4. f. 18r to f. 21r sub fin. (end of 912). 5. f. 21r sub fin. to f. 24v sub fin. (end of 921) except three lines on f. 28v. 6. Three lines on f. 23v (gefaran mehte ... abraecon), four lines on f. 24v (beginning of 922): apparently more, now erased and re-written on f. 23v. A poor scribe. 7. f. 25r-25v to end of 924, half of f. 25v left blank. 8. f. 26r to f. 27v, end of 955. 9. f. 28r and year-number 968 on f. 28v. 10. f. 28v to f. 30r sub fin., end of 1001, except the last ten words. So far the Winchester portion. 11. (Year-numbers on f. 30r?) f. 30v to f. 31v, end of 1066, except the last sentence about the comet and the fragmentary charter at 1031. 12. f. 31v last sentence of 1066 and first part of 1070 to gehersumnesse mid aðswerunge. 13. The charter at 1031 and the remainder of 1070. 14. The Latin Acts of Lanfranc and some of the lists of bishops etc.
There are also numerous interpolations, most of them by the scribe 14 who is also according to Mr Plummer the scribe of Domitian A. VIII (the Latin-Saxon Chronicle called F). Others are: The annals 710 accidentally omitted, supplied by scribe 8. Additions at 923 and 941 by no. 11 (a Christchurch hand). Additions relating to Dunstan at 925 (first part), 943, 956, 959, 961, by no. 12. Early additions at (688), 728, 870, 890, 993, 1001. At 988 is a beautifully-written small Latin note on the death of Dunstan. The hands were dated as follows by Dr G. F. Warner (l. c. p. xxvii note). Nos. 1-6 900-930; no. 7 cir. 930; no. 8 cir. 960; no. 10 cir. 1000; no. 11 cir. 1075. For remarks on the character and affinities of the script, the description in New Pal. Soc. should be consulted
Cameron B17.1, incorporating the Chronicle poems Cameron A10.1-4
Title
Acta Lanfranci. 32r-32v
Note
The Latin Acts of Lanfranc are printed by Plummer, vol. I, App. B, pp. 287-292. In the MS. this Parkerian note is prefixed to them in the margin
(32r) hec habentur in libro S. Aug. cui titulus est Diversi tractatus monasterii S. Augustini
The book here mentioned was formerly in Parker's possession, but is marked in his Register as missing at the time when the collection was bequeathed to the College. It is now MS. 1213 in the Lambeth Library
Title
Anglo-Saxon Laws of Alfred and Ine. 33r-52v
Note
The next two quires containing the Laws are apparently all in one hand, with 25 lines to a page
Liebermann, Gesetze p. xxiv, calls this MS. E, and assigns it to cir. 925. It is the oldest of his authorities. Text, p. 16
The writer in New Pal. Soc. speaks of the writing as rounded English minuscules of the eleventh century
(33r) The capitula occupy ff. 33r-35r
(35v) blank
(36r) Laws of Alfred
(39v) Laws of Ine
Cameron B14.4
Title
Lists of popes and English bishops. 53r-56v
Rubric
(53r) Incipiunt nomina pontificum romane urbis
Note
The names as far as Damasus are in one hand: from Damasus to Julius in a second hand, and from Liberius (lx) to Marinus (cxxxv - the numbers being continued to clxx) in a hand which may be that of the Latin on f. 32r (Acts of Lanfranc)
Two blank pages follow (ff. 53v, 54r)
(54v) Then the list of the Popes who sent palls to archbishops, mostly in one hand of cent. xi (scribe of Acts of LanfrancLanfranc's name is written in capitals.): but the last two entries are added later, viz. Urbanus Anselmo, Paschalis Radulfo
(55r) The lists of Archbishops and Bishops on the next leaf are in one hand, English of cent. x (?). They are in five columns
(55r) Column 1: Nomina archiepiscoporum dorouernensis ecclesie, i Agustinus to xxiii Dunstan
(55r) Column 2: Nomina episcoporum hrofensis ecclesie, i Paulinus to xv Ælfstan
(55r) Column 3: Nomina episcoporum orientalium Saxonum i Mellitus to xx Ælfstan
(55r) Column 4: Nomina episcoporum australium Saxonum i Ƿilfrið to xvii Æþelgar
(55r) Column 5: Nomina episcaporum occidentalium Saxonum. i. Primus occidentalium Saxonum birinus fuit episcopus qui cum consilio honorii papae uenerat brittanniam to xix Ealhferð After xiii the numbers were originally written wrong and corrected
(55v) On verso, original hand
(55v) Col. 1 continues lists of West Saxon Bishops. xx Tumberht to xxvii ælfheah
(55v) Col. 2. Nomina episcoporum Scireburnensis ecclesie i Aldhelm to xix æƿelsige
(55v) Col. 3. Nomina episcoporum ƿiltuniensis ecclesie i æþelstan to vii sigric
And, below
(55v) Nomina episcoporum cridiensis ecclesiae i Eadulf to iii Alfƿold
(55v) Besides these are three Latin paragraphs in brown ink in Christ Church (Canterbury) hand, viz.
a. (col. 1)
(55v) Nomina episcoporum lindisfarnensis id est dunelmensis ecclesie. Aidanus, Finanus etc.
ending
(55v) Walcherus, Willelmus, Rannulfus
b. (col. 4)
(55v) Nomina episcoporum eboracensis ecclesie Primus ipsius ecclesie presul erat paulinus. Ordinatus arusto (sic for a iusto) archiepiscopo accipiens pallium ad consecrandum dorobernensem archiepiscopum ab honorio papa Hac enim de causa pallium habuit. (Here 1.5 lines erased.) Turbatis postea rebus northanhymbrorum paulinus rediit cantiam et quoniam rofensis ecclesia pastore tunc fuerat destituta: inuitante honorio archiepiscopo curam ipsius ecclesie suscepit. in qua moriens pallium reliquit. Post cuius discessum ab ecclesia eboracensi quod fuit anno. dc xxxiii dominice incarnat. usque dcc. xxxv. annum incarnacione dominice hoc est per cii. annos presides eboracenses non habuerunt pallium. Primus ipsius ecclesie presul paulinus. Ceadda, Wilfridus etc. to Thomas, Gerardus, Thomas
c. Across the page at bottom
(55v) Sciendum quod theodorus archiepiscopus sepe northanhymbrorum prouinciam sua presentia uisitauit epos, ordinando et in quibus locis ante non fuerant constituendo et alia primatis anglorum officia administrando. Testatur namque beda quod pulso ab episcopatu pro sua inobedientia Wilfrido duos in eius locum substituit episcopos (etc. he ordained other bishops and presided at a synod in Northumbria). Hec et alia nonnulla ex iure primatis anglorum suo tempore ibidem exercuit. etiam eo tempore quo eboracensis ecclesia suum episcopum habuit. bosam uidelicet qui Wilfrido successerat
After this a hand more like that of the Lists, but not identical with it, writes
(55v) Hec sunt nomina regum cantie post aduentum Sancti Augustini, Ægelberhtus, Eadbaldus, Hercanberhtus, Egberhtus, Lotharius, Wihtredus, Eadberhtus, Ægelbertus
The last leaf of the quire (7) is ruled but blank (f. 56r-56v): edges have been cut off it
Title
Sedulius, Letter I to Macedonius. 57r-58v
James
Sedulius. 57r-58v
Author
Sedulius
Note
(cent. viii-ix Bradshaw)
ff. 1r-2v are in single lines, in a different hand from the restf. 2v may very well be by a third hand, 33 lines to a page. The rest is in double columns of 27 lines. Both hands are of Celtic aspect. The first is much rounder and more legible than the second
At the top of f. 1r in large capitals is
Rubric
(57r) FRI ÐESTAN
Note
(57r) (followed by diacon in minuscule)
The first three letters appear to have been written over some others, two of which appear to be IN. The letters in DES (with a tall minuscule s) seem perhaps to be altered from DEI. I have some suspicion that an inscription in capitals IN DEI NOMINE has been partly erased and adapted to FRIÐESTAN. Dr G. F. Browne, Bishop of Bristol, has suggested that this name may be an early signature of Frithestan afterwards (909) Bishop of Winchester
References are made here to the edition by Huemer in the Vienna Corpus Scriptt. Eccl. Latt. (1885) for which this manuscript was not used
Rubric
(57r) Incipit epistula sedulii ad macedonium praesbiterum
Incipit
(57r) Sedulii iuxta fidem catholicam christiani. Inquo sunt haec uersibus heroicis paschalis carminis Libri u.
Note
(57r) Sancto ac beatissimo patri macedonoi presbitero sedulius in christo salutem
(p. 1)
Incipit
(57r) Priusquam me uenerabilis pater
Explicit
(58v) Cum [patre et corr.] sancto spiritu per omnia (in cuncta corr.) secula seculorum
Note
(p. 13)
Corrector adds in space
(58v) h p usque ad passionem et resurrectionem ascensionemque domini nostri Ihesu Christi
Red capitals
Rubric
(58v) Explicit epistola Sedulii ad Macedonium presbiterum
Title
Sedulius, Carmen paschale. 59r-79v
James
Sedulius. 59r-79v
Author
Sedulius
Note
The second hand
(59r) Large initial P with serpent heads and panels of interlaced work: dotted with red and ? purple
Incipit
(59r) Paschales quicumque dapes
Note
(p. 14)
Titles are in small capitals: often in the margin
Smaller initials are sometimes plain Roman in red: some are of the Celtic type, with dots about them
(68r) A bit of Celtic ornament drawn in the margin
(68v) Upper L. corner in red RA. Each book has an interesting initial
Ends
Explicit
(79v) per tanta uolumina libros
Note
(p. 146)
Rubric
(79v) Explicit liber u.
Title
Sedulius, Hymn A solis ortus cardine. 79v-80r
James
Sedulius. 79v-80r
Author
Sedulius
Rubric
(79v) Incipit carmen (de laud)e christi
Incipit
(79v) A solis ortus cardine
Note
(p. 163)
Explicit
(80r) caelis reddidit
Rubric
(80r) Explicit carmen de (?na)t' domini nostri Ihesu Christi
Title
Sedulius, Letter II to Macedonius. 80r-81r
James
Sedulius. 80r-81r
Author
Sedulius
Rubric
(80r) Incipit Epistolis sancti Seduli ad
Incipit
(80r) Sancto ac beatisimo patri macedonio praes. Sedulius in Christo salutem
Note
(p. 171)
Incipit
(80r) Praecipisti reuerendae mi domine paschalis carminis textum
Note
Ends f. 25r col. 1
Explicit
(81r) cum patre et sancto spiritu per omnia secula seculorum. Amen, beatissime ora pro me pater, finit
Title
Verses of Damasus on St Paul. 81r-81v
Incipit
(81r) Iam dutum salus (saulus) procerum praecepta secutus cum domino patrias uellet praeponere leges
Note
(Verses of Damasus on St Paul, P. L. XIII 379)
Ending
Explicit
(81v) Sancte tuus damasus uoluit triumphos
Title
Sedulius, Elegia. 81v-82v
James
Sedulius. 81v-82v
Author
Sedulius
Incipit
(81v) Cantemus socii domino cantemus honorem
Note
(Hymnus I. p. 155)
(81v) At bottom an omission of a couplet is supplied
Ends
Explicit
(82v) Cum sancto spiritu gloria magna patriFinit hoc opusculum deo gratias. Amen
Title
Augustine, De ciuitate Dei, xviii.23 (excerpts) with three versions of Sibylline prophecies. 82v-83v
Author
Augustine
Rubric
(82v) Hec sunt uaticiniae sibillae (?de Christo)
Incipit
(83r) In manus infidelium post ea ueniet. dabunt et deo alapas manibus
Explicit
(83r) Et tunc ab inferis regressus ad lucem ueniet primus resurrectionis principio reuocatus ostenso
Note
(Aug. de civ. dei xviii 23 from Lactantius)
Incipit
(83r) Iudicii signum tellus sudore madescit
Note
(Aug. de civ. dei xviii 23)
Explicit
(83v) e caelo ignisque et sulphur(is) annis
Incipit
(83v) Hos predicens uersus sanctus / Agustinus ex libro sybellae adsu / mens in xxuii (blank) dei de greco / translates inseruit. non nulli hanc / sybellam aput grecos / natam ferunt eo tempore quo / romulus romam condidit in iudea / aesaia et osse profetantibus regnante ezechia, alii uero belli troiani temporibus quaedam de Christo / manifesta scribsise
Rubric
(83v) Item in / ... uersos de aduentu Christi
Incipit
(83v) Iudicii signum su / dauit rupada tellus / et saecli ueniet qui / cuncta lauabit secoram / celsus iudex orbemque probabit / etc.
Note
The writing of col. 2 is very faint. Ends
Explicit
(83v) Salpix luctifera caelo tune uoce sonabit / Adfore iam monstrantur erumnasque adfore / Saeculi. loetiferumque chaus monstrauit terra de (?hiscens)
Note
This second version is not among those given by Alexandre (Oracula Sibyllina II 230)
In the earlier part have been a good many Anglo-Saxon glosses, but a large number are erased. After col. 1 of f. 8v glosses of any kind decrease markedly in number
Old English glosses to Sedulius are Cameron C97.2
TJames 269
Stanley S. 11
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/wp146tq7625
Location MS 173
Repository UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

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