The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

1. f.1 Inc. prologus b. Ieronimi presb. in librum de hebraicis questionibus in genesi
Qui in principiis.
Initial: Man on horse with sword repelling a bear who attacks him from behind.
Text f.2 has a large outline initial with panels containing dragons, and man carrying a fish.
Ends f.31b uiuant de altari. Expl. lib. b. ieron. presb. de hebr. quest. in gen.

2. f.31b Inc. prol. eiusdem in librum de mansionibus filiorum Israhel
In septuagesimo septimo psalmo.
Initial in green and red.
Text f.32b: outline initial.
Ends f.45: corruent in illis.
Expl. lib. b. ier. presb. de mans. fil. israhel.

3. f.45 Inc. prol. eiusdem in librum de distantiis locorum
Eusebius qui a beato pamphilo.
Initial in purple and green.
Text f.45b. Large outline initial with man and dragon.
Ends f.74: iuxta fontem roget.

4. f.74 Inc. prol. in librum interpretationum hebraicorum nominum editum a beato Ieronimo presbitero
Philo vir disertissimus.
Outline initial, with man.
Text f.75 has outline initial, man climbing, attacked by Dragon: below, man with mace holding rope attached to muzzle of dancing bear who holds a staff. The man is saying ABC: the bear replies A.
Ends f.108b: sathan aduersarius uel preuaricator.

5. f.108b Hebrew alphabet
Aleph mille.
Greek alphabet and numerals.

6. f.109b Note diuine legi necessarie
PP. Hoc in idiomatibus.
-astronomii diligenter exponunt (f.110).
f.111 is blank except for title on verso.

7. f.112 Inc. liber b. Ieronimi presb. de questionibus in librum Regum
Fuit vir unus.
Outline initial, with David (?) on lion-headed chair playing fiddle.
Ends f.132: sescentis aureis emisse.
Expl. lib. b. ier. presb. de quest. in lib. reg.

8. f.132 Inc. liber beati ieronimi presb. de questionibus in paralippomenon
In diebus eius diuisa est terra.
Outline initial: two dragons, head to head.
Ends f.150b: ut ruinas templi restauraret,
Expl. lib. b. Ier. presb. de quest. in paral.

9. f.150b Inc. de decem temptationibus
Hec sunt uerba que locutus
-ad terram considerandam.
Expl. de dec. tempt.

10. f.152 Inc. canticum debborae
Cecineruntque debbora et barach.
Initial in purple, with delicate green and brown ornament.
-sicut habes in ieremia propheta.
Finit cant. debbore.

11. f.155b Inc. lamentationes Ieremie prophete
Et factum est postquam.
-et sequendo uoluptatem carnis.
Expl. expositio super alfabeto hebreo.

12. f.160 Ieronimus ad Dardanum de musicis instrumentis
Cogar a te
-legis ueteris in manu iudeorum.

13. f.161 De partibus minus notis ueteris testamenti
In genesi
Sintagma doctrina
...
De Ep. Ioh. tercia.
Diotropes heresiarcha temporis illius aliquis superbus.

14. f.163b The symbols of the Twelve Signs in red with their names in capitals, and the verse
Sic duodena poli Chaldeus signa notauit.

15. f.164 Sententie excerpte de diuersis opusculis
Paulus apostolus non ab hominibus etc.
Apostolus interpretatur missus.
Epiphanius ad Iohannem.
Ambrose and Augustine are quoted as well as Jerome.
Ends f.169b:
melius est habere zachei staturam cum sanitate quam golie cum febre.

16. f.169b De spera celi
Affirmatur celum rotundum esse
-caritatem consequamur.

17. f.170 De lapidibus
laspis uiridis
-contra omnes incursus constantes.

f.170b 18. De mensuris
Mensurarum appellationes
-miliarium passus cc. pedes v.

19. f.170b Ad estimandum cuiusque rei altitudinem sole lucente
pro mensura illius rei teneto.

Bishop, T. A. M., 'Notes on Cambridge Manuscripts I', Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society 1 (1949-53), 432-41, at 437, 440-1.

Carley, J. P., The Libraries of King Henry VIII, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues 7 (London, 2000), H2.791.

Camille, M., 'Seeing and Reading: some Visual Implications of Medieval Literacy and Illiteracy', Art History 9 (1995), 26-49.

Dodwell, C. R., The Canterbury School of Illumination 1066-1200 (Cambridge, 1954), pp. 74, 119.

Eitschberger, A., Musikinstrumente in Höfischen Romanen des Deutschen Mittelalters, Imagines Medii Aevi 2 (Wiesbaden, 1999)

Fingernagel, A., Romanik, Geschichte der Buchkultur 4/1-4/2 (Graz, 2007) 2 vol.

Forsyth, I. H., 'The monumental arts of the Romanesque period: recent research the Romanesque cloister' in The cloisters: studies in honor of the fiftieth anniversary (New York, 1992)

Gameson, R., The Manuscripts of Early Norman England (c. 1066-1130) (Oxford, 1999), no. 167 [s. xii¹ (?pre 1124), provenance Rochester]

Kauffmann, C. M., Romanesque Manuscripts 1066-1190, A Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles 3 (London, 1975), no. 23, ill. 47, 48.

James, Catalogue, pl. V.

James, M. R., The Ancient Libraries of Canterbury and Dover (Cambridge, 1903), p. lxxxvi.

Ker, N. R., Medieval Libraries of Great Britain, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 3, 2nd edn (London, 1964)

Morgan, M., Bible of Illuminated Letters (New York, 2006)

Morgan, N., and R. M. Thomson, The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain. Vol.2, 1100-1400 (Cambridge, 2008)

Mynors, R. A. B., R. H. Rouse, and M. A. Rouse, ed., Registrum Anglie de Libris Doctorum et Auctorum Veterum, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues 2 (London, 1991), R6 n.

Resl, B., ed., A Cultural History of Animals in the Medieval Age, A Cultural History of Animals 2 (Oxford, 2007)

Robinson, P., Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries, 2 vols. (Cambridge, 1988), no. 376, pl. 50 [datable before 1124, from Rochester]

Uhlig, M. et al., eds., Le don des lettres: alphabet et poésie au moyen âge (Paris, 2023)