Egerton MS 2890

SERMONS, in Latin, by Odo of Cheriton (d. 1247), viz.: 1. "Incipiunt euangelia dominicalia iuxta expositionem magistri Odonis Anglici": fifty-nine sermons on the Gospels for Sundays from Advent to the 25th Sunday after Pentecost, together with Christmas (ff. 10, 13, 14b, three sermons), Ash Wednesday (f. 30), Easter Monday (f. 67b), Lesser Litany (f. 80), and Ascension (ff. 82, 84, two sermons). These correspond to the list of 66 sermons drawn up by Hervieux from five Paris MSS., two of which have colophons stating that the collection was completed in 1219 (L. Hervieux, Eudes de Cheriton et ses dérivés, 1896, pp. 19, 118, forming, vol. iv. of his Fabulistes Latins), except for the omission of the sermons for the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John, Innocents, Circumcision, Epiphany, Purification of the Virgin, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday (the first six of which are here classed with the Sermones de Festis, see below art 2, sermons i-vi), and for the inclusion (ff. 44-64b) of a long discourse on the Passion. This last, placed between the sermons for Passion Sunday and Easter, and apparently intended for Wednesday in Holy Week, is headed "Passio domini nostri Jesu Christi secundum Lucham" and beg. "Appropinquabat autem dies festus azimorum . . . Notandum quod facies uituli competenter Luche evangeliste adaptatur"; it is evidently the same work (lacking the prologue) as the "Tractatus de Passione" attributed to Odo, and found, in conjunction with his Sermons on the Sunday Gospels, in the Paris MS., Bibl. Nat., lat. 16506, and MS. 38 of Balliol College, Oxford (Hervieux, pp. 134, 140). As compared with the 69 sermons in Arundel MS. 231, which are attributed there to Odo jointly with Jean d'Abbeville and Roger of Sarum (Hervieux, pp. 136-139 ; Cat. of Romances, iii, pp. 57-78), nos. 1-4 correspond to nos. i-iv in the Arundel MS. ; 5-7 to vi-viii; 8-11 to xv-xviii; 12-20 to xxi-xxiv ; 22-52 to xxxi-lxi ; 53, 54 to lxiii, lxii; 55-59 to lxiv-lxviii. No. 21, the discourse on the Passion, is omitted in the Arundel MS. ; nos. v. (Christmas Eve), xii (Sund. aft. Christmas), xix (5th Sund. after Epiphany), xxx (Palm Sund.), and lxix (26th Sund. aft. Pentecost) of Arund. 231 are omitted ; and nos. ix-xi, xiii, xiv, and xx correspond to sermons i-vi in art. 2 below. The text varies considerably from that of Arund. 231, as might be expected from the composite nature of the latter MS. As regards the exempla, while some are omitted here, there is on the whole a close agreement with the Arundel MS., and still closer with the Paris MS. lat. 16506, which Hervieux (pp. 265-343) took as basis. Apart from the exempla, only a series of abridged extracts from the sermons has been printed, in 1520 (see Hervieux, pp. 142-145). Beg. "Dominica prima de aduentu domini. Matheus. XXI^o capitulo. Cum appropinquasset Ihesus Ierosolimis . . . Presens euangelium bis in anno legitur . . . quia causa utriusque aduentus in hoc evangelio mistice declaratur." Ends "ut a morte anime resuscitati sic in uia uiuere ualeamus ut ad uite gloriam perueniamus, prestante domino nostro, etc." f. 1.

2. Twenty-eight sermons on the Gospels for certain Church festivals. All but the first six, which are grouped in other MSS. with the Sermons Dominicales (see art. 1 above), are included, with many variations in order, in the 26 Sermones de Festis, a list of which, based on four Paris MSS., is in Hervieux, op. cit. p. 121. Another copy, of what appears to be the same series, containing 27 sermons, is in the Oxford MS. Balliol 38 (see Hervieux, p. 140). Exempla occur, though less frequentlv than in the Sermones Dominicales, and it is evident that both series have been used for the 13th cent. collections, such as those in Harley MS. 3244 and Royal MS. 7 D. i (see Cat. of Romances, iii, pp. 457, 477). Among the exempla are the following : (a) Pelican and her young. f. 170 ; (b) Dying hermit kisses theif's hands (= Harl. 3244, no. 109). f. 217; (c) Dead monk of Grandselve appears with black feet (ib. 108). f. 223b; (d) Bishop [Paulinus] goes into slavery to redeeme a widow's son (ib. 112). f. 228b; (e) Captive king and his three sons (see above, Add. MS. 38654, no. 1). f. 228b; (f) Serpent tracked by St. Germanus to adulteress's tomb (= Har1. 3244, no. 114). f. 242 b; (g) Priest's dead concubine seen as a mare ridden by the devil (ib. 115). f. 243; (h) Apologue of the three rings (= Roy.

7 D. i, no. 2). f. 244; (i) "Beatus Theodolus," Bisliop of Sion, and the soul confined in a block of ice (= Harl. 3244, no. 117). f. 247 b ; (k) Imprisoned miner "in montibus Borgundie" fed by his wife's offerings for his soul (ib. 118). f. 248; (l) Dead knight apears to comrade (ib. 119; see also Add. 38654, no. 9). f. 249; (m) Dead Countess of Champagne set up by abbot for her knights to gaze at (see B. Hauréau, Notices et Extraits, iii, 1891, p. 70). f. 250b; (n) Burgher fills his tomb with food for the poor (= Roy. 7 D. i, no. 180). f. 250b; (o) Bad custom in the world, the young die (= Harl. 3244, no. 121). f. 251: (p) The dead rise to protect their friend (= Roy. 7 D. i, no. 194). f. 252b. The sermons are as follows: (i). "In natali prothomartyris" [St. Stephen's day], beg. "Dicebat Ihesus turbis . . . Istos duos nominat." f. 169. (ii). "In natali s. Iohannis euangeliste," beg. "Dixit Ihesus Petro." f. 170b. (iii). "In natali Innocentum", beg. "Angelus domini apparuit Ioseph." f. 172b. (iv). "In circumcisione domini," beg. "Postquam consumati sunt dies octo." f. 174b. (v). "In epiphania," beg. "Cum natus esset Ihesus." f. 176. (vi). "In purificatione b. uirginis," beg. "Postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis." f. 179. (vii). "In annunciatione b. Marie," beg. "Missus est angelus." f. 181b. (viii). "In inuentione s. crucis," beg. "Sicut fulgur exit." f. 184. (ix). "In natiuitate Iohannis babtiste," beg. "Helisabeth impletum est tempus." f. 187b. (x). "In natale s. Marie Magdalene," beg. "Rogabat lhesum quidam phariseus." f. 191. (xi). "In transfiguratione domini," beg. "Assumpsit Ihesus Petrum." f. 194b. (xii). "In assumptione b. Marie." beg. "Intrauit Ihesus in quoddam castellum." f. 199. (xiii). "In natiuitate b. Marie," beg. "Liber generationis Ihesu Christi." f. 203b. (xiv). "In festiuitate S. Michaelis," beg. "Accesserunt discipuli ad lhesum." f. 206. (xv). "Sermo in sollempnitate omnium sanctorum," beg. "Gaudeamus omnes in domino." f. 209b. (xvi). "In sollempnitate omnium sanctorum," beg. "Videns Ihesus turbas." f. 211b. (xvii). "De euangelistis," beg. "Designauit dominus alios lxxii." f. 215 b. (xviii). "In natale apostolorum," beg. "Hoc est preceptum meum." f. 219b. (xix). "Aliud," beg. "Dixit Simon Petrus ad Ihesum." f. 223. (xx). "De martyribus," beg. "Nisi granum frumenti cadens." f. 227b. (xxi). "Aliud," beg. "Dixit Ihesus discipulis suis, Si quis uult post me uenire." f. 230. (xxii). "De confessoribus," beg. "Sint lumbi uestri precincti." f. 232b. (xxiii). "Aliud," beg. "Homo quidam peregre proficiscens." f. 236b. (xxiv). "De uirginibus," beg. "Simile est regnum celorum .x. uirginibus." f. 239. (xxv). "Aliud," beg. "Simile est regnum celorum thesauro abscondito." f. 241. (xxvi). "In dedicatione eclesie," beg. "Ingressus Ihesus perambulabat Ierico." f. 244b. (xxvii). "De defunctis," beg. "Dixit Martha ad Ihesum, Domine si fuisses hic." f. 247 b. (xxviii). "Aliud," beg. "In illo tempore. Dixit Ihesus discipulis suis, Ego sum panis uiuus." f. 250 b. Ends "Post dissolutionem carceris quiescere valeamus. Saluator mundi qui cum patre etc." After this is added, in a 17th cent. hand, "Conpletum est hoc opus anno 1219 pridie calendas Januarii" (doubtless taken from the colophon to the Sermones Dominicales in the Paris MS., B.N. lat. 16506, see Hervieux, p. 134). f. 253.

Vellum ; ff. ii + 253. 7³/₄ in. x 5¹/₄ in. XIII cent. Double columns of 35 or 36 lines. Gatherings of 8 leaves (last⁵), with catchwords. Sec. fol. "preparari." Flourished initials in purple and red, with a large decorative initial at the beginning. Green morocco binding by

L. Binet, 19th cent. Bookplate of arms of Don Feliciano Ramirez de Arellano, Marqués de la Fuensanta del Valle (late 19th cent.).