DCL MS. C.IV.7Glosses on Cicero, Plato, Boethius
Held by: Durham Cathedral Library: Durham Cathedral Manuscripts

A composite volume made up from 3 separate pieces: flyleaves (f.1 and 70) fragments of Leviticus from an 8th century Northumbrian Bible; (I), f.2-49, glosses on Cicero, Plato and others; (II), f.50-69, glosses on Boethius.

Digitised: https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t2mkh04dp72d.html

Physical description of manuscript
Support

Parchment

Extent: i+i+68+i+i f
Size: 230 mm x 150 mm
Binding

Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century)

Manuscript history
Provenance

List of contents added to washed area of f.1 shows that all the present items had been brought together by 12th/13th century, and that the collection then also included Prima rethorica at the start and Tractatus super Macrobium between the present f.41 and 42. The catalogue entries for 1395 and 1416 (Cat. Vet., pp. 30, 31: F. Prima Retorica. Glosa super Retorica. Tractatus super Macrobium. Glosa super Platonem. Tractatus super Artem Metricam II fo., quadam) show that the volume had retained this form in the early 15th century.

SECTION: (flyleaves)
Physical description of section of manuscript
Support

Parchment

Extent: 2 f
Size: 260 mm x 228 mm
Layout

Two columns, 30 lines.

Script

Written in Insular Half-Uncial by one scribe.

History of section of manuscript
Creation

Two leaves, one at front and back; both folded in half, apparently to use as wrappers. The front-leaf has two ?sewing holes on the fold; its outer face appears to have been washed, to clean off the script (later titles added). Written in Northumbria, 8th century.


Manuscript contents
(flyleaves)     f.1 and 70
Original title: Leviticus
Date: 8th century
Language: Latin

Contains text of Leviticus 14.46-15.16 and 26.5-28

SECTION: (I)
Physical description of section of manuscript
Collation

I-IV10, [lost quire(s)], V8 (=10 with leaves 9-10 lost).

Signatures: Contemporary signatures I-IIII on the first four quires.
Layout

Two columns 70 lines.

Script

Written in lateCaroline Minuscule

History of section of manuscript
Creation

Written in England, early 12th century.


Manuscript contents
(a)     f.2r-30v
Modern title: Glosses on Cicero De inventione rhetorica
Author: Magister Gulielmus (possibly William of Champeaux)
Incipit: In primis materia et intentio huius rethoris scilicet ciceronis querenda est
Explicit: Que restant in reliquis libris dicemus quod forsitan fecit
Rubric: Glosa Super Rethoricam ciceronis
Language: Latin
(b)     f.30v-41v
Modern title: Glosses on Pseudo-Cicero, De ratione dicendi ad Herennium
Author: Magister Gulielmus (possibly William of Champeaux)
Incipit: Cum T de v partibus rethorice se tractaturum promiserat, inventione prima parte exposita, ut et alias exponat
Explicit: Et hoc est quod dicit acute et cito reperiemus.
Rubric: Etsi in familiaribus
Language: Latin
(c)     f.42r-49v
Modern title: Glosses on Latin version of Plato, Timaeus
Author: Bernard, of Chartres
Incipit: Socrates de r p x libris disputauit
Explicit: et incommutabiles substantias quattuor principalium corporum quod superius promiserat
Language: Latin
Edited: Dutton 1991
(d)     f.49v
Modern title: Notae Platonicae
Language: Latin
Edited: Dutton 1991, p.235-8
SECTION: (II)
Physical description of section of manuscript
Support

Parchment

Extent: 20 f
Collation

I-II10

Layout

Two columns 42 lines

History of section of manuscript
Creation

Written in England, mid 12th century.


Manuscript contents
(e)     f.50r-66r
Modern title: Glosses on Boethius, De institutione arithmetica
Incipit: Incipiunt arithmetice anicii Manlii Seuerini Boetii
Explicit: Contra quod dicitur, hemitonium non esse sonum secundum musicam sed semitonus
Language: Latin

f.66v-68r blank

(f)     f.68v-69r
Modern title: Two diagrams
Language: Latin

Diagrams showing four elements and foru elements, seasons, humours and ages of man.


Microfilm
Microfilmed in 1985/86 by the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, St John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minnesota. Copies held by them and Durham Cathedral Library.

Digitised material for Durham Cathedral Library MS. C.IV.7 - Glosses on Cicero, Plato, Boethius
Digitised April 2017 as part of the Durham Priory Recreated project There are magnets visible on the image of f.2r. f.1 is a folded over piece of parchment. The text on f.2r is very close to the edge of the page and so the fold-over had to be pinned down in order to prevent it from sticking out and obscuring the text on f.2r. A flat magnetic strip was placed behind f.1, and then three small square magnets were carefully placed along it to hold down the fold-over. After trying several other ways of holding the fold-over down; this proved to be the safest and neatest method. The four fold out images (shot on the Guardian Stand) have been added as image numbers 006a, 006b, 144a and 144b.
https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t2mkh04dp72d.html
Bibliography

Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss.   OCLC citation, Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).

Dutton, P., ed., Bernard of Chartres, Glosae super Platonem   OCLC citation , (Toronto: PIMS, 1991)

Mynors, R.A.B., Durham Cathedral manuscripts to the end of the twelfth century. Ten plates in colour and forty-seven in monochrome. With an introduction [including a list of all known Durham manuscripts before 1200]   OCLC citation, (Durham: 1939)

Index terms