The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

Shelfmark B.1.38
Manuscript Title Expostion on the Gospel of St Matthew and St John, etc
Alternative Title An Exposition of the Gospels
James Number 36
Century 13th14th15th
Physical Description 61 lines to a page.
Provenance Whitgift On the last leaf is the inscription (xvi) Stephanus Batmannus sacrarum literarum theologiae professore.
Donor Whitgift, John (1530/31?–1604), Archbishop of Canterbury, Master of Trinity
Size (cm) 19.5 x 12.5
Folio 165 + 6 + 2 ff.
Material Parchment
Language LatinMiddle English
Collation 16 | a8 (wants 1)-18 m12 (wants 1) || n12 o8-u8 (wants 8) || ii2.
IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/B.1.38/manifest.json
Online Since 12/09/2015

Contents

1. f.1b in a hand of cent.xv.
(O)ptandum esset uobis nunc sedere super bonum ignem. Unde uenite ad prandium quia uenerabiles homines expectant aduentum uestrum. Ista aura est madida et pluuiosa quod non possum laborare nec ire extra uillam. Unde benedictus deus oculi uestri sunt pulcri et clari.
It consists of a number of detached sentences intended to satirise monkish Latin. It ends:
Reverende domine yemeham roma cantuariam proficiscens
and continues on f.3.
2. f.2. Cent. xiii-xiv
Et cum uenisset dominus Rex apud Westmonasterium machinabatur ut dictum est qualiter possit clam recedere a Westmonasterio usque Windelsore et hoc precepto īutus uenit dominus Rex ad S. Paulum. uenerunt et eodem tempore...idem Rex alemannie Iohannes comin de Scocia Henr. de percy marmaduc de tueinge et ducti fuerunt ad turrim london. incarcerandum.
(Epistola Guidonis Apostolicae sedis legati Epis. Lond.
et aliis.)
Guido miseracione diuina Salerni Ep....
Licet ex probabilibus coniecturis
-urbani quarti anno quarto.
Domino Episcopo Sabin' Salerni. Oleum effusum nomen uestrum.
Ends imperf.-nos remittimus in
33 lines to a page.
f.3 continues f.1b.
Ends. Istud stadium concordat bene ad istam tabulam. Ista cathedra concord.... bene ad istam au...
f.3b another hand (xv?)
Admonicio S. Augustini in sermone ad populum domini. (P.L. xxxix. 2276.) Rogo uos fratres karissimi quociens ad ecclesiam transitis longe a uobis deicite ociosos sermones.
Ends f.6b
sine deo qui aliquando amatur propter pecuniam etc.

I. f.1 An Exposition on St Matthew in English
þe prologe of þe schorte exposicioun on matheu.
þe holi goost seiþ bi þe profite sacarye of ioon baptist and þ ou child schal be clepid þe profite of þe hi ’este.
Ending: þat scheddist þi preciouse blood for þe loue of mennus soulis graunte þis mode (?). Amen.
Text. Ye book of generacioun of Ihesu crist ye sone of dauiþ þe sone of abraham. Þe book þis book is as a schoppe of graces as in a riche mannus schoppe ech man fyndiþ þe þing þat he sekiþ.
Ends f.98a: the last line is cut off.
Which is kyng of glorie · and god blessed into worldis al .....þe lordis passioun. her endiþ þe ex. f.98b (xvi)
An Exposition in the Englishe vppon the holi Evangelists
Mathew and John of Ancient Antiquite. valet ·4· solidos.

II. f.99 Exposition on S. John
In þe biginnyng þat is in wisdom or in ye [Ioon above ye] fadir was þe sone crisostom.
Ends f.165b
So it is myche esier to him for to do for he is god blessid
aboue alle þingis into worldis of worldis. Amen. crisostomi.
Below (xvi)
amicitia rixas odit
frindshiƿ hateth contempt [this line in Insular characters]
amite chideng hateth.
f.172 in Batman's hand?
A Juell of price to them yt ar wysse beholde and See
More precius than govlde who will vnfolde a jemme let bee,
Thoughe ragged and torne by mothes halff worne and veri ill to reade,
The substance is better bearr wth ye letter so shalt thou meede.
Of Mathew and John who liste to skanne and what the autor ment.
By actorites olde who liste controlde his Christian intent.
Thow far bee wise doo not dispise,
take paines and thow shalte see
What tymes longe past did note at last,
the thing yt makes all free.

Bibliography

Mooney, L. R., The Index of Middle English Prose Handlist 11: Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge (Cambridge, 1995), pp. 1-2.

Hargreaves, H., 'Popularising Biblical Scholarship: the Role of the Wycliffite Glossed Gospels', in The Bible and Medieval Culture, ed. W. Lourdaux and D. Verhelst (Leuven, 1979), pp. 171-89

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