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Harley MS 105
- Record Id:
- 040-002045933
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 040-002045933
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000596.0x000122
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100056033210.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Harley MS 105
- Title:
- Compendium of saints’ lives
- Scope & Content:
-
This manuscript is a compendium of saints’ lives related to Canterbury. A main part is dedicated to St Augustine of Canterbury and St Mildred including their lives, miracles and the translation of their relics written by Goscelin of St Bertin. It includes also Goscelin's Libellus contra Inanes Sanctae Virginis Mildrethae Usurpatores (Tract against the inane usurpers of St Mildred), written as a result of the dispute between the Augustinian priory of St Gregory, Canterbury and the Benedictine abbey of St Augustine, where Goscelin was a monk. Seven lives of archbishops of Canterbury who were beatified followed this treatise. In addition to those texts, excerpts are also included from other works such as Cassiodorus's Historia Tripartita and Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica on St Augustine or St Lawrence.
Contents:
ff. 3r-37v: Goscelin of St Bertin, Historia Maior de Adventu Sancti Augustini, (Life and Miracle of St Augustine of Canterbury), preceded by capitula (ff. 3r-5v), beginning: 'Incipit liber de Adventu beatissimi Anglorum apostoli Augustini sociorumque eius in Brittaniam et de ipsius virtutibus. Potentissimus triumphator mundialis tyranni'.
ff. 37v-38r: Spurious decree of the Roman council under Pope Boniface IV, beginning: 'E concilio Bonefacii pape qui quartus a beato Gregorio fuit quod liceat monachis cum sacerdotali officio ubi ubi (sic) ministrare'.
ff. 38r-38v: Extract from Cassiodorus, Historia Tripartita, book 10, chapter 27, beginning: 'Theodoritus episcopus, quidam vir conversatione quidem monachica sed asperior consilio'.
ff. 38v-65v: Extracts from Goscelin's Historia Miracula and Translatio Sancti Augustini, (Miracles and translation of St Augustine), the chapters out of order, beginning with chapter 1: 'Cum Danorum adhuc paganorum exercitus Doroberniam obsideret', ending with the prologue: 'et posteros memores esse affectus nostri et servitii devoti quamvis ingrate'; it is continued by an extract from the Historia Maior de Adventu Sancti Augustini (ff. 65v-67r), written by a 13th-century English hand, beginning: 'Est vicus in pago Oxenfordensis', ending: 'sine fine victurus intravit. Quod nobis prestare dignetur Ihesus Christus Dominus noster, qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivit et regnat Deus in secula seculorum. Amen'.
ff. 68r-74v: Extracts from Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica, beginning with the end of Book 1, chapter 26 and the beginning of chapter 27: 'Converso ad fidem Christi glorioso rege Athelberto ac baptizato donavit ipsis doctoribus suis locum sedis, eorum gradui congruum, in Dorovernensi metropoli sua simul et necessarias in diversis speciebus possessions conferret. Interea vir Domini Augustinus venit Arelas'; ending with the beginning of Book 1, chapter 28: 'Hucusque responsiones beati pape Gregorii ad consulta reverentissimi antistitis Augustini'.
ff. 75r-135v: Goscelin of St Bertin, De Translatione Sancti Augustini, (On the translation of St Augustine); preceded by a prefatory epistle to Anselm of Canterbury (f. 75r) and capitula (ff. 75r-76v), beginning of the prefatory epistle: 'Dux Anselme patrum pater et vigor ecclesiarum quem celebrat titulis Romanus et Anglicus orbis, ne spernas imi pronum munus Gotcelini'; beginning of the text (f. 77r): 'Incipit liber I de translatione Sancti Augustini Anglorum apostoli et sociorumque eius. Post antique evangelici prothoparentis Anglorum Augustini solemnia celo triumphata'; book 1 (ff. 77r-113r); book 2 (ff. 113v-135v), preceded by a prologue (f. 113r), ending: 'regnantem cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto, per infinita secula semper collaudare. Amen'.
ff. 137r-188r: Goscelin of St Bertin, Vita et Translatio Sancte Mildrethe, (Life of St Mildred and translation of her relics). The life of St Mildred (ff. 137r-158r) preceded by a prologue (f. 137r) and capitula (ff. 137r-v), beginning of the prologue: 'Divinus interpres Ieronimus'; beginning of the text (f. 138r): 'Regum proles dignissima virgo Domini Mildretha'. The Translation of St Mildreth's relics (ff. 158r-188r), preceded by capitula (f. 150r-v), beginning: 'Translationem exposituri gloriose virginis Mildrethe ad locum quo nunc presentiam suam mirifice propalat'.
ff. 189r-204r: Goscelin of St Bertin, Libellus Contra Inanes Sanctae Virginis Mildrethae Usurpatores, Tract against the inane usurpers of St Mildred, written as a result of the dispute about the relics of St Mildred between the monks of St Augustine's and the canons of St Gregory, Canterbury, as the latter claimed that St Mildred's body lay in their church. The treatise is preceded by capitula (ff. 189r-v) and a prologue (f. 189v); beginning of the prologue: 'Scribimus non studio quemquam ledendi sed iura nostra defendendi'; beginning of the text (f. 188r): 'Iam itaque sideree Mildrethe translationem omni Anglie celeberrimam'.
ff. 205r-218v: Vita Sancti Adriani, (Life of St Adrian of Canterbury), beginning: 'Incipit libellus de adventu beati Adriani abbatis in Angliam eiusque virtutibus. Venerabilis abbatus Adrianus natione Affricanus comes et cooperator'.
ff. 218v-227v: Vita Sancti Theodori, (Life of St Theodore of Canterbury), beginning: 'Anno ab incarnationem Domini sexcentesimo sexagesimo quarto eclypsis solis facta est'.
ff. 227v-233v: Extracts from Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica related to St Lawrence of Canterbury (Book 2 Chapters 4 to 6) and from Goscelin of St Bertin, Miracula Sancti Augustini (Miracles of St Augustine), beginning: 'Assumpto ad celestia Deo dilecto patre Augustino successit in episcopatum famulis Christi Laurentius quem ipse iccirco (sic) adhuc vivens ordinaverat'.
ff. 233v-243r: Vita Sancti Melluti, (Life of St Mellitus), beginning: 'Precellentissimus anglorum apostolus Augustinus delectato rege Athelberto'.
ff. 244r-246v: Vita Sancti Iusti, (Life of St Justus), beginning: 'Ordinatus vir domini Augustinus in apostolatum Anglie'.
ff. 246v-249r: Vita Sancti Honorii, (Life of St Honorius), beginning: 'Beato archiepiscopo Iusto ad celestia translato sacrassimus Honorius pro illo est'.
ff. 249r-250v: Vita Sancti Deusdedit, (Life of St Deusdedit), beginning: Egregius Dei pontifex Honorius'.
Decoration:
Very large initials in colours and gold with foliate decoration and acanthus leaves and/or entwined animals (ff. 6r, 137r, 138r, 205r).
Large initial in gold on a blue ground (f. 3r).
Large initials in red, green, or blue, some with penwork decoration in the other colour or colours. Small initials in red or green. Text in alternating letters or words of red, blue, and green.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- England and France 700-1200 Project
Harley Collection - Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "040-002045933", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 105: Compendium of saints’ lives" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002045828
040-002045933 - Is part of:
- Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts
Harley MS 105 : Compendium of saints’ lives - Hierarchy:
- 032-002045828[0104]/040-002045933
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
-
1 volume
- Digitised Content:
- https://iiif.bl.uk/uv/#?manifest=https://bl.digirati.io/iiif/ark:/81055/vdc_100056033210.0x000001
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Latin
- Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1125
- End Date:
- 1174
- Date Range:
- 2nd or 3rd quarter of the 12th century
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
-
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- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Parchment.
Dimensions: 275 x 195 mm (text space 210 x 130 mm).
Foliation: ff. 251 ( + 1 unfoliated parchment leaf at the beginning; + 2 unfoliated parchment leaves after f. 135 and 1 after f. 188, and 2 at the end).
Script: Protogothic.
Binding: Post-1600. Brown leather with the arms of Sir Simonds D'Ewes in gold in the centre of each cover; metal clasps.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: Canterbury, Southeastern England.
Provenance:
The Benedictine abbey of St Augustine, Canterbury: evidence of the contents (lives of saints related to the abbey); evidence of the script and the decoration, according to Dodwell, The Canterbury School of Illumination 1066-1200 (1954); inscription regarding the translation of St Midred with the names of abbots Aelfstan and Roger with the date 1269: 'Clauditur hoc saxo Mildretha sacerrima virgo/ Cuius nos pretibus adiuvet ipse deus Amen / Verbi incarnati M [erased] xxx. Ego Aelfstanus Abbas transtuli corpus beate virginis de Insula taenet et hoc in loco honorifice condidi/ Ego Abbas Rogerus II ipsum corpus sub testimonio bonorum virorum inspexi. et iterato decencius in hoc loco collocavi. anno gratie Mcclxix mense maii', written by a late 13th-century English hand (f. 136v).
Added, extract from the Historia maior de adventu Sancti Augustini written by a 13th-century English hand (ff. 65v-67r).
Sir John Cotton (b. 1621, d. 1702), 3rd baronet: inscription that it belonged to him with the date 20 March, 1665, written by Sir Simonds d'Ewes, beginning: 'Ex escambio amici mei super honoratissimi Roberti Cottonis militis et baronetti', exchanged this manuscript for St Augustine's charters owned by D'Ewes (f. 1r).
Sir Simonds d'Ewes (b.1602, d. 1650), 1st baronet, diarist, antiquary, and friend of Sir Robert Cotton: inscribed 'Simonds D'Ewes 1625 Mar. 22' and 'Volumine sive Tomo 65' with Hebrew letters (f. 1v); added description of the contents (f. 2r); with his arms in the centre of the covers; added headings and rubrics (e. g., f. 8r); notes (e. g., f. 15r).
Sir Simonds D’Ewes (d. 1722), 3rd baronet and grandson of the former: inherited and later sold the D’Ewes library to Robert Harley on 4 October 1705 for £450 (see Watson,The Library of Sir Simonds D'Ewes (1966).
The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts.
Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish, née Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d.1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library.
- Information About Copies:
-
Full digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Digitised Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk.manuscripts/.
Select digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm.
- Publications:
-
A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-12), I, no. 105.
C. R. Dodwell, The Canterbury School of Illumination 1066-1200 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1954), pp. 52, 123.
Medieval Libraries of Great Britain: A List of Surviving Books, ed. by N. R. Ker, 2nd edn, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, 3 (London: Royal Historical Society, 1964), p. 44.
Andrew G. Watson, The Library of Sir Simonds D'Ewes (London: British Museum, 1966), no. A167, frontispiece and pl. IV.
M. L. Colker, 'A Hagiographical Polemic', Medieval Studies, 39 (1977) 60-108 (pp. 69-96).
Colin G. C. Tite, 'Lost or Stolen or Strayed': A Survey of Manuscripts formerly in the Cotton Library', British Library Journal, 18 (1992), 107-47 (p. 115).
D. W. Rollason, The Mildreth Legend: A Study in Early Medieval Hagiography in England (Leicester: Leicester University Press, 1982), pp. 22, 105-06, pl. 3.
Biblical Commentaries from the Canterbury School of Theodore and Hadrian, ed. by Bernhard Bischoff and Michael Lapidge, Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England, 10 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 82.
Richard Sharpe and James Willoughby, Medieval Libraries of Great Britain (Oxford: The Bodleian Libraries, 2015) http://mlgb3.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/mlgb/book/1505/?search_term=Harley%20105&page_size=500 [accessed 11 November 2016].
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)
- Notes:
- This manuscript is part of The Polonsky Foundation England and France Project: Manuscripts from the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, 700-1200.