Egerton MS 3088

TREATISES ON THE COMPOTUS by Bede and others; chronicles of Robert Losinga, Bishop of Hereford, and of Hugh of St Victor; and annals

of Dore Abbey, co. Heref.; etc. Latin. The MS. (formerly Chester Beatty Western MS. 59) is described fully by E. G. Millar, The Library of A. Chester Beatty, ii, 193o, Text, pp. 65-70, and Plate CXXII. See also Brit. Mus. Quart., -iii, 1933-1934, p. 18. Arts. 1-6 and 12 are apparently copied from Cotton MS. Tiberius E. iv; see C. W. Jones, 'Manuscripts of Bede's De Natura Rerum', Isis, xxvii, 1937, pp. 430-440, especially 432-433, 439-440. The contents are as follows:-

(1) Bede, 'De Temporum Ratione'. Printed by C. W. Jones, Bedae Opera de Temporibus (Medieval Academy of America Publication no. 41), Cambridge, Mass., 1943, pp. 175-291. At f. 16b the twelve hexameters of ch. xvi have been increased by twelve others beg. 'Me legat annales cupiat qui noscere menses'. (For another copy in Oxford MS. St John's College 17, f. 14, see H. 0. Coxe, Catalogus Codicum MSS.... in Collegiis Aulisque Oxoniensibus, Pars II, Oxford, 1852, Collegium S. Johannis Baptistae, p. 6.) The remainder of ch. xvi and chh. xvii-xxiv are wanting, through the loss of a gathering. At ff. 42-44b Bede's 'Epistola ad Wicthedum' (printed Jones, op. cit., pp. 319- 25) has been interpolated betw. chh. lxv-lxvi, the latter being renumbered lxvii. See Jones, op. cit., pp. 152, 170. ff. 1-69b.

(2) Bede, 'De Natura Rerum'. Migne, Patr. Lat., xc, 187-278. At f. 75 a long gloss from Cotton MS. Tiberius E. iv, f. 13ob, beg. 'Dicunt quidam consuerant nili fluminis' has been interpolated into the text. Printed by jones, art. cit., pp. 439-440. ff. 69b-76b.

(3) Bede, 'De Temporibus'. Printed by Jones, op. cit., pp. 295-303. Ch. xvi has been replaced by two spurious chapters, viz.:-(i) beg. 'Decennovennalis cycli prima constat ratio' (cf. MS. Laon 38 bis, Cat. général des f. 79;- (ii) beg. 'Unciarum quoque divisionem nosse' from 'De Temporum Ratione', ch. iv. ff. 79-79b. See Jones, op. cit., pp. 161-165. ff. 76b-79b.

(4) Dionysius Exiguus, Epp. duae de Ratione Festi Paschalis. Migne, Patr. Lat., lx-,,ii, 19-28. ff. 79b-83.

(5) Abbe of Fleury, 'Sententia de Differentia Circuli et Sperae', beg. 'Studiosis astrologiae primo sciendum est'. See A. van der Vyver, 'Les æuvres inédites d'Abbon de Fleury', Revue Bénédictine, xlvii, 1935, pp. 140- 150. Other copies include Cambridge MS. Trinity College 945, f. 2; Cotton MS. Vitellius A. xii, ff. 8-10b; Harley MS. 2506, ff. 3ob-32; and Glasgow, Hunterian MS. 85, f. 95v. ff. 83-85b.

(6) Robert Losinga, Bishop of Hereford, 'Defloratio' or abridgement of the Chronicle of Marianus Scotus, Books I and II. Cf. art. II below. Other copies are Cotton MS. Tiberius E. iv, ff. I62-175; Oxford MSS. Bodley Auct. F. 1.9, f. 2b; Auct. F. 3.14, f. 13; Auct. F. 5.19, f. I. See T. D. Hardy, Descriptive Catalogue of MS. Material (Rolls Series), ii, PP. 75-6, no. 108; and W. H. Stevenson, 'A Contemporary Description of the Domesday Survey', English Historical Review, xxii, 1907, pp.. 72-84, where ch. vii (ff. 88b- 89) is printed from two Oxford MSS. ff. 85 b-99.

(7) Abridgement of the Chronicle of Hugh of St Victor. See J. B. Hauréau, 20-2

Les æuvres de Hugues de Saint-Victor, Paris, 1886, pp. 187-191; G. Waitz, Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptorum xxiv Liber, p. 88; and W. A. Schneider, Geschichte und Geschichtsphilosophie bei Hugo von St Victor, Münster, 1933, pp. 15-16. Consists of (a) Prologue, beg. 'Fili sapientia thesaurus est' (cf. Royal MS. 14C. xiii, ff. 167-167b), ff. 99-101;-(b) Chronicle, mainly in the form of genealogical and other lists of names based on Jerome's translation of the Chronicle of Eusebius (Migne, Patr. Lat., xxvii, 33-675). In two parts, viz.:-(i) Secundum hebraicam veritatem', from the Creation to Augustus Caesar, beg. 'In principio celum et terra', ff. 101 b- 104;-(ii) 'Secundum septuaginta interpretes', from the Creation to Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241), including (ff. 108-108b) a description of the 'Tres Partes Mundi' abridged from the 'Excerptionum Priorum Lib. III' (Migne, Patr. Lat., clxxvii, 209-216). A rubric at f. 110b refers to verses 'in tertio folio sequenti', which actually occur however at f. 117. See below, on the collation of the MS. ff. 104b-110b;-(c) 'De Imperatoribus Romanis', beg. 'Deinceps conabor dicere regnorum ac regum' (Migne, Patr. Lat., clxxvii, 239), ff. III-III b;-(d) 'De Origine Francorum', beg. 'Franci [ab] origine Troiani' (Migne, op. Cit., 275), ff. 112-112b;-(e) 'De Origine Normannorum', beg. 'Normanni origine Dani' (Migne, op. Cit., 284), with a list of the kings of England terminating with Henry III, f. 112 b. ff. 99- 112b.

(8) Two notes on the Seven Ages, viz.:-(a) beg. 'Prima etas ab Adam usque ad Noe' (cf. Migne, op. cit., clxxvii, 215). Royal MS. 14 B. ix contains a somewhat similar note;-(b) beg. 'Prima etas in exordio sui continet creationem'. Both notes are found (in reverse order) in Royal MS.

12C. xix, f. 1b. f. 113.

(9) Abridgement of the Chronicle of Isidore of Seville (Migne, op. cit., lxxxiii, 1019-1058), beg. 'Adam annorum CCtorum xxxta genuit Seth'. ff. 113-114.

(10) Tables of the Paschal Cycle, etc., apparently corrected from Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae vi, xvii. (Migne, op. cit., lxxxir, 245-7.) See Jones, art. cit., p. 432. Beg. 'Paschalem cyclum Hippolytus episcopus'. f. 114.

(11) Extracts from William of Malmesbury, Gesta Pontificum Anglorum, iv, 163-5 (Rolls Series, ed. N.E.S.A. Hamilton, pp. 300-301), relating to Robert Losinga's abridgement of the Chronicle of Marianus Scotus. A rubric beneath reads: 'Hec scripta legi debet supra iuxta cronicam Mariani.' See art. 6 above. f. 114.

(12) Table of concordance of years of the Great Cycle, 1064-1596, in ten columns, apparently copied from Cotton MS. Tiberius E. iv, ff. 30b-31b. For interpretations of the calculations upon which each column is based, see Millar, op. cit., ii, pp. 67-68, and Jones, art. cit., pp. 432-433. ff. 1 14b-115 b.

(13) Nicholas Montacute, verses 'Ad Incorrupta Pontificum Nomina Conservanda' beg. 'Si vis pontifices romane discere sedis'. To the version printed in Florilegium Casinense, II, p. 12 (in Bibliotheca Casinense, ii, Casino, 1875) are here added 20 hexameters (the last three being in later hands) beg. 'Tertius Eugenius qui nunc prelatus habetur' and ending: 'Clemens successit

qui ius in pectore. gessit.' Another version is in Cotton MS. Domitian A. 'ii, ff. 96b-97. ff. 117-117b. xl (14) Annals, from the Incarnation to 1243, with additions in various hands to 1362. Of the latter, a large part relate to Dore Abbey, co. Heref., which is described on f. 134 as 'hec domus' and 'ista domus' and whose foundation, with that of Margam Abbey, co. Glam., is recorded in the original hand in the margin of f. 132. Arranged in three columns, the first and third headed 'Imperatores vel reges' and 'Pape [deleted by a later hand] Archiepiscopi et Sancti', while the second gives years, epacts and indictions, etc. The text from 687 (f. 126b) is printed by F. Liebermann and R. Pauli, Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptorum xxvii Liber, pp. 514-531. ff. 118-134b. Vellum; ff. iv+ 134. 320 mm. X 235 mm. XIII cent. Sec. fol., 'Incipit prefatio venerabilis Bede'. Dark blue morocco binding, gilt-tooled, by Charles Smith (cf. f. ii b), early XIX cent. Gatherings of 8 leaves (iii missing, xvi4, xix2). Contemporary numberings in roman figures on first leaf of i-xiv, xv numbered at end (f. 112 b), xvi is unnumbered and apparently a later insertion, xvii-xix are numbered xvi-xvii on the first leaf. Ruled, double columns, 35 lines to the page. Red and blue initials, some decorated. One large panel showing the signs of the Zodiac for April, May, June and July, f. 16b. Diagrams, tables, etc., in colour at ff. 19, 20, 21b, 22, 23b, 25, 72, 83b, 84b, 85; and architectural frames with foliage ornament, ff. 114b-115b. A tiny plummet sketch of the Crucifixion between the columns Of f. 22; and another of a small vessel (? a medical urinal), apparently contemporary with the rest of the ornament, f. 15. Notes of contents appear in a late 16th-cent. hand, ff. 1b-3; and in that of Thomas Rodd, bookseller, with pencilled comments by Sir Thomas Phillipps, ff. iii-iv. A partially legible note in another 16th-cent. hand mentions Dore Abbey, f. 116b. Apparently belonged, at least in 1243, to Dore Abbey and may have been written there (see art. 14 above). At f. 3 is a note: 'Sum Gulielmi Wooddi Bosburiensis [Bosbury, co. Heref.] 1578 olim Johannis Blaxton' (possibly the former owner of Sloane MS. 404). The name of an 18th-cent. owner (? John Baker) has been deleted at f. 2. Thomas Rodd II, sale-cat., 1838, No. 438*; Phillipps MS. 12200 (see f. ii) (see A. N. L. Munby, The Formation of the Phillipps Library up to the Year 1840 (Phillipps Studies no. 3), 1954, p. 47); Chester Beatty MS. W. 59 (f. i); Sotheby's salecat., 9 9 May 1933, lot. 49, Pll. 21, 22.