Add MS 6162

COLLECTION RELATING TO THEOLOGY AND MONASTIC DISCIPLINE: apparently compiled at Durham Cathedral Priory; mid 15th cent. Imperfect at beginning and end. Latin. Origin: England. This MS. and its relationship to Cotton MS. Vitel. E. XII is discussed in W. A. Pantin, Documents illustrating the activities of the General and Provincial Chapters of the English Black Monks 1215-1540, ii (1933), Camden Third Series, xlvii, pp. xvi-xix. Pantin associates these compilations with the priorate of John Wessington, 1416-1446. Before it was damaged in the Cotton fire, Vitel. E. XII was used by C. Reyner in Apostolatus Benedictinorum in Anglia . . . (1626). For post-medieval provenance of this MS. see Add. 6156.

Paper and vellum; ff. 438. 220 x 145mm. Gatherings of 12, paper between inner and outer bifolia of vellum. At least one quire is lacking at each end of the MS. Catchwords regular, including the last folio. Signatures: arabic numerals 1-6, bottom centre and bottom right-hand corner recto of first six folios of each quire, some cropped. Single columns. One documentary cursive script throughout. Most of the items are numbered in arabic numerals, top right-hand corner recto, in a contemporary hand, as follows, medieval article numbers in brackets: art. 1 a-g (1-7); art. 3 (8); art. 5 (9); articles 6-8 (10); art. 9 (11-12);

art. 10 (13); art. 11 (14); art. 12 (15). Initials in red and blue penwork. Watermark: a mont. Nr. Briquet 11684.

Contents:

1. ff. 1-25. Prose works of Laurence, Prior of Durham, Latin poet (d. 1154). See: J. Raine, Dialogi Laurentii Dunelmensis . . ., Surtees Soc., 70 (1880), the preface of which contains a life of Laurence; A. Hoste, 'A survey of the unedited work of Laurence of Durham . . .', Sacris Erudari, xi (1960),

pp. 249-265, which lists the known manuscripts of Laurence's works, the present MS. being mentioned on p. 256;- U. Kindermann, 'Die fünf Reden des Laurentius von Durham', Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch, 8, pp. 108-141. (a) Consolacio de morte Amice. Imperfect at beginning. ff. 1-8;-

(b) Prologue to the Hypognosticon. Beg. 'Omnis ars vel disciplina'. Printed as an appendix in Raine, pp. 62-65. See also Kindermann, p. 110, n. 3.

ff. 8v-10v;- (c) Oracio Laurencii pro Laurencio. Beg. 'Non possum socij mei vel admirari'. Printed in Kindermann, pp. 128-130. ff. 11-13v;-

(d) Oracio Laurencii pro Naufragis. Beg. 'Frustra boni cives illud efficere'. Printed in Kindermann, pp. 130-133. ff. 13v-16v;- (e) Oracio Laurencii pro Juvenibus compeditis . . . Beg. 'Difficile satis est princeps invicte pietatis'. Printed in Kindermann, pp. 134-137. ff. 17-20v;- (f) Invectio Laurencii in Malgerium. Beg. 'Quenam hec est intencio tua, Malgeri'. Printed in Kindermann, pp. 137-140. ff. 20v-24v;- (g) Oracio Laurencii pro Milone. Beg. 'Multis, pater, pro Milone verbis opus non est'. Printed in Kindermann, pp. 140-141. ff. 24v-25.

2. f. 25v. Extract from the 'Quodlibeta' of Henrik Goethals al. Henry of Ghent, archdeacon of Tournai, concerning whether black monks can eat meat. See also art. 9 below.

3. ff. 26-31v. Chronology of the foundation of monasteries of black monks in England. Beg. 'Rex Edgarus in regem levatus'.

4. f. 31v. Short life of Uhtred of Boldon, attributed to John of Wessington, Prior of Durham 1416-1446. Beg. 'Memorandum quod anno domini 1333 primo ad Boldon'. Printed from this unique manuscript in BIHR (1925),

p. 46. See M. E. Marcett, Uhtred of Boldon . . . (1938), pp. 1-24.

5. ff. 32-32v. Assessements of tenths for the dioceses of England and Wales. For another copy, see Cotton Vitel. E. XII, f. 82. Followed by miscellaneous memoranda on taxation of the diocese of Durham, the measurement of England, etc.

6. ff. 33-34. List of abbots and priors called to the provincial chapter of the Benedictine order, according to a book of the abbot of Selby. Printed in Reyner, op. cit., App. 3, pp. 110-111, from Cotton Vitel. E. XII.

7. f. 34. Extract from the 'Summa Summarum', bk. 1, pt. 7. See Royal MS.

10 D.X.

8. ff. 34v-35v. Record of taxation assessments of the abbeys and priories of the black monks, taken from a book of the abbot of Selby. Printed in Reyner, op. cit., from a copy in Cotton Vitel. E.XII; a fragment only of the text in that MS. has survived the Cotton fire (f. 92v).

9. ff. 36-40. Extracts from various works concerning the eating of meat by monks, etc.: (a) From the 'Quaestiones' of St Thomas Aquinas. ff. 36-37;- (b) From the Rule of St Fructuosos, Archbishop of Brage. f. 37;- (c) From the Rule of St Isidore of Seville. f. 37;- (d) From the Rule of St Benedict. ff. 37v-40.

10. ff. 40-42. Treatise on the Rule of St Benedict. Beg. 'In omnibus omnes magnam'.

11. ff. 42-44. Form of profession by John of Beverley, Warden of Durham College, Oxford.

12. ff. 44v-48. Acts of the first provincial chapter of the united English Province of the Benedictine Order; Northampton, 10-14 June 1338. Printed from various manuscripts including the present in Pantin, op. cit., pp. 5-12.

13. f. 48v. Memoranda on ecclesiastical and monastic regulations. Imperfect at end.