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Cotton MS Vitellius A XII, ff 4–77

Record Id:

041-001102960

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-001101582

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000001630.0x00029b

LARK:

SLARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100066406660.0x000005

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Cotton MS Vitellius A XII, ff 4–77

Title:

Ecgberht of York, Dialogus Ecclesiasticæ Institutionis; Abbo of Fleury, De Differentia Circuli et Spherae; Hrabanus Maurus, De Computo; Eight computistical poems; De Septem Miraculis Mundi; De Duobus Verticibus Mundi; De Diebus Aegyptiacis; Ordo Librorum Catholicorum in Circulo Anni Legendorum; De Vocibus Litterarum; Greek and Hebrew alphabets with interpretations; Untitled computistical tract; De Sex Aetatibus Hominis; Isidore of Seville (Pseudo-Gildas), De Natura Rerum; T-O world map; Abbo of Fleury, De Cursu Septem Planetarum per Zodiacum Circulum; Abbo of Fleury, De Duplici Signorum Ortu; Three runic alphabets; Calendar [with ‘Dog Days’]; Priscian, Versus de Caelestibus Signis; Versus de Duodecim Ventis; Calendar [with ‘Egyptian Days’]

Scope & Content:

Contents:

ff. 4v-8r: Ecgberht of York (d. 766), Dialogus Ecclesiasticæ Institutionis (Dialogue of Ecclesiastical Institutions).

ff. 8r-10v: Abbo of Fleury (b. c. 945, d. 1004), abbot of Fleury, De Differentia Circuli et Spherae (On the Difference between the Circle and the Sphere).

ff. 10v-40v: Hrabanus Maurus (d. 856), De Computo (On the Computus).

ff. 40v-41r: Versus de Duodecim Mensibus Anni (Poem on the Twelve Months of the Year), beginning ‘id circo certis dimensium partibum orbem’ [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 7632].

ff. 41r-41v: Tetrasticon Authenticum de Singulis Mensibus (Original Tetrasticon on the Separate Months), beginning ‘Hic Iani mensis sacer est en aspice ut aris’ [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 6489].

f. 41v: [?] Ausonius (d. c. 395), Versus de Singulis Mensibus (Poem on the Separate Months), 'Primus Romanas ordiris, Iane, kalendas' [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 12559].

ff. 41v-42r: An untitled poem, 'Dira patet iani romanis ianua bellis' [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 3727].

f. 42r: Versus de Duodecim Signis (Poem on the Twelve Symbols), beginning: ‘Primus ad est aries obscuro lumine la[m]bens’ [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 12524].

ff. 42r-42v: Versus de Cursu Anni (Poem on the Course of the Year), beginning, 'Bissena mensium vertigine voluitur annus' [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 1716].

f.42v: De Octo Tramitibus Circuli: Decem Novennalis (On the Eight Pathways of the Circle: Nineteen), beginning 'Linea Christe tuos prima est quae continet annos' [Schaller, Initia carminum Latinorum (2005), no. 8931].

f. 42v: Versus de Septem Dierum [...] [title partially illegible] (Poem on the Seven Days), beginning ‘Prima dies Phoebi sacrato nomine fulget’ [Schaller, no. 12491].

ff. 42v-43r: De Septem Miraculis Mundi (On the Seven Wonders of the World), beginning: ‘Primum capitolium romae salvium tutius quam civitas’.

ff. 43r-44r: De Duobus Verticibus Mundi (On the Two Poles of the World), beginning: ‘Duo sunt extremi vertices mundi’.

ff. 44r-44v: De Diebus Aegyptiacis (On the Egyptian Days), beginning: ‘Hos dies maxime observare debemus’.

f. 44v: Ordo Librorum Catholicorum in Circulo Anni Legendorum (Order of Catholic Books to be Read during the Year), beginning ‘In primis in .lxx. ponunt eptaticum’.

ff. 44v-45r: De Vocibus Litterarum (On the Pronunciation of Letters), beginning 'Omnes vero litterae a similitudine vocis characteras acceperunt'.

ff. 45r-45v: Greek and Hebrew alphabets with interpretations (also known as Interpretationes Hebraici et Graeci Alphabetorum), followed by a list of names for the Greek numerals.

ff. 45v-46r: A computistical tract on finding Concurrents and Epacts, beginning ‘Si vis scire concurrentes in nona kalendas aprilis’.

f. 46r: De Sex Aetatibus Hominis (On the Six Ages of Mankind), beginning ‘Prima infantia’.

ff. 46r-63v: Isidore of Seville (d. 636), bishop of Seville, but here attributed to Gildas (early 6th century), De Natura Rerum (On the Nature of Things).

f. 63v: A note on the division of the world among the sons of Noah: ‘Tres filii noe diviserunt orbem in tres partes post diluvium. Sem in Asia. Cham in Affrica. Iaphet in Europa’.

f. 64r: A T-O world map, with a list of provinces written for each of the three parts.

ff. 64r-64v: Abbo of Fleury, De Cursu Septem Planetarum per Zodiacum Circulum (On the Course of the Seven Planets through the Circle of the Zodiac), incomplete, containing the treatise’s ending only.

f. 64v: Abbo of Fleury, De Duplici Signorum Ortu (On the Double Rising of Symbols), beginning: ‘De duplici ortu signorum dubitantes’.

f. 65r: Three runic alphabets; followed by a runic inscription with a Latin transliteration above: ‘pax vobiscum et salus pax’.

ff. 65v-71r: Calendar [with ‘Dog Days’].

f. 72r: [?] Priscian (fl. 500), Versus de Caelestibus Signis (Poem on the Heavenly Symbols), beginning: 'Ad Boreae partes arcti vertuntur'.

f. 72r: Versus de Duodecim Ventis (Poem on the Twelve Winds), beginning ‘Quatuor a quadris consurgunt limite venti’.

ff. 72v-77v: Calendar [with ‘Egyptian Days’].

[ff. 51r, 51v, 78r, 78v are blank].

The manuscript contains a number of later addition:

f. 4r: A (?) 12th-century inscription: ‘Rabanus de Compoto’.

f. 71v: Additions to the Calendar, added in the (?) 2nd half of the 12th century.

Decoration:

Diagrams in red or brown ink (ff. 9r, 10r, 48v, 50r, 52r, 53v, 56v, 59r, 60v, 64r)

Architectural columns in red ink for tables on f. 35v and f. 36r. Large ‘KL’ initials in red ink in the Calendars (ff. 65v-77v; ff. 73v-77v); 2 large foliate initials outlined in red or black ink, some with red fillings (ff. 8r, 12r); medium initials in red or brown ink. Rubrics in red. Roman numerals in red.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Cotton Collection
England and France 700-1200 Project

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-001101582
040-001102958
041-001102960

Is part of:

Cotton MS : Cotton Manuscripts
Cotton MS Vitellius A XII : Computistical memoranda; Ecgberht of York, Dialogus Ecclesiasticæ Institutionis; Abbo of Fleury, De Differentia Circuli…

Cotton MS Vitellius A XII, ff 4–77 : Ecgberht of York, Dialogus Ecclesiasticæ Institutionis; Abbo of Fleury, De Differentia Circuli et…

Hierarchy:

032-001101582[0802]/040-001102958[0002]/041-001102960

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Cotton MS

Record Type (Level):

Item

Extent:

Part of Cotton MS Vitellius A XII

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1075

End Date:

1099

Date Range:

4th quarter of the 11th century

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Physical Characteristics:

Dimensions: approximately 205 x 140 mm (text space: 195 x 100 mm).

Script: Protogothic.

Custodial History:

Origin: Salisbury, Southwestern England.

Provenance:

The Cathedral church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Salisbury: copied by a known late 11th-century scribe from Salisbury (‘Scribe viii’ according to Webber, Scribes and Scholars (1992), p. 14): the Calendar on ff. 72v-77v was written in the second half of the 11th century by a Continental scribe who was working either on the Continent or in England. It was corrected by another known late 11th-century scribe from Salisbury (‘Scribe i' according to Webber, Scribes and Scholars (1992), p. 12); recorded by the antiquary John Leland (b. c. 1503, d. 1552) in his 1542-catalogue of Salisbury Cathedral library: as ‘Computus Rabani’ and ‘Dialogus Ecclesiasticae Institutionis à Domino Ecgberto Archiepiscopo Eburacae Civitatis’ (Itinerary, ed. by Smith, I, p. 263). Since these works are not recorded in the catalogue of Salisbury Cathedral’s library that Patrick Young [Junius] (b. 1584, d. 1652) made in 1622, it appears that Cotton had acquired these items by this time.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Names:

Abbo, Saint, Abbot of Ramsey Abbey and Fleury Abbey, c 945-1004,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000117422910,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/9966678
Ecgberht of York, Saint, Archbishop of York, d 766,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000393135379,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/287337629
Hrabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mainz, c 780-856,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000121441065,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/95147534
Isidore of Seville, Saint, Bishop of Seville, c 560-636,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000122756296,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/803890
Magnus Ausonius, Decimus, c 310-c 395,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000121474924,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/109786483
Priscian, fl 500-530,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000399133112,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/76294069

Subjects:

Grammar
Science
Theology

Places:

Salisbury, England