A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges

MS. Lat. liturg. b. 16

Summary Catalogue no.: Not in SC (late accession): no description available

Contents

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Miniature, fol. 3a (Florence, 15th century, first quarter).

Initials.

History

Origin: 12th century – 16th century ; Italian; English

MS. Lat. liturg. b. 16, fol. 2

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Legendary (?) (fragment)

The surviving text is part of the Miracula of St Clement, from Gregory of Tours, Liber Miraculorum, in a version with an added prologue beginning 'In (divinis) voluminibus refertur quod secretum regis' (BHL 1855; Mombritius, Sanctuarium, ed. A. Brunet (Paris, 1910), I.344-6). This version is found in several Italian legendaries (e.g. BAV, Ott. lat. 106, printed in Gregory of Tours, Les livres des miracles, ed. G. F. Grégoire (1857), pp. 407-8) and it is likely that our fragment is from such a manuscript. Text of our fragment: 'refertur quod secretum ... namque anteriorum[sic] umbre' (verso; cf. Mombritius 344.49-345.2) and 'eamus inquit dilectissimi fratres ... fidelis suis orationem im|' (recto, cf. Mombritius 346.14-23)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: fragment of one leaf
Dimensions (fragment): 170 × 125 mm.

Layout

Originally in 2 columns, as is clear from the quantity of missing text between the recto and verso of the fragment. Ruled with a hard point.

Hand(s)

Late Caroline minuscule: /d/ with straight back; usually long /s/ (rarely short /s/ at word end); ampersand for 'et'; 'straight' form of /r/ after /o/; Italianate abbreviations for 'qui', '-que', '-bus'.

Additions:

Later additions in a humanist cursive script, written upside down in relation to the main text: ‘Nullus dolor est quem non longinquitas temporis minuat ac molliat’ (There is no grief which time does not lessen and soften) from Epistulae ad Familiaris (Marcus Tullius Cicero ad fam., 4,5) and ‘fecundi calices, quem non fecere disertum?’ (Whom have not brimming goblets made eloquent?) Horace, Epistles, 1,5,19.

History

Origin: 11th century ; Italy (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Removed from the binding of an unidentified book.

"Found in the library", 1975.

Record Sources

Description by Holly Smith, Feb. 2025.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Peter Kidd, Checklist of Western Medieval Manuscripts Acquired 1916-

Last Substantive Revision

2017-07-01: First online publication.