Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Augustine and Ps.-Augustine, Opera including Enchiridion, De diversis quaestionibus, De libero arbitrio, Retractationes, De doctrina christiana, De mendacio, Contra mendacium, De adulterinis coniugiis, De nuptiis et concupiscentia, De bono coniugali, De sancta virginitate, De disciplina christiana, De natura boni, De perfectione, De gratia et libero arbitrio, De correptione et gratia, Soliloquium, De agone christiano, probably written in Oxford in the early 14th century. The quire structure and the presence or absence of catchwords show that this is a collection of fascicules made separately by the same team, two of which (VII and IX) were augmented at an early date:
Fascicule I, f.1-76 (quires I-VII)
Fascicule II, f.67-76 (quire VIII)
Fascicule III, acephalus, f.81-109 (quires IX-XII)
Fascicule IV, f.110-121 (quire XIII)
Fascicule V, f.122-149 (quires XIV-XV)
Fascicule VI, f.150-241 (quires XVI-XXIII)
Fascicule VII, f.242-275 (quires XXIV-XXVI)
Fascicule VIII, f.276-353 (quires XXVII-XXXIII)
Fascicule IX, f.354-382 (quires XXXIV-XXXVI, the last being an early supplement)
Fascicule X, f.383-388 (quire XXXVII)
Fascicule XI, f.389-411 (quires XXXVIII-XXXIX)
Parchment: low quality with pronounced H/F contrast; prominent follicle marks; regular flaws; propensity to curl; edgecuts. Arranged: FH, HF.
Early modern foliation of the main body of the book in ink; augmented by modern foliation of the flyleaves in pencil.
flyleaves (f.i-ii) 2 singletons now glued at the gutter to f.1. Fascicule I: I-IV12, V6, VI12, VII10. Fascicule II: VIII4 (unclear whether a regular quaternion). Fascicule III: IX1 (f.81 – the final leaf of a quire of which the rest is lost), X4, XI-XII12. Fascicule IV: XIII12. Fascicule V: XIV12, XV16. Fascicule VI: XVI-XXII12, XXIII8. Fascicule VII: XXIV-XXV12, XXVI10. Fascicule VIII: XXVII-XXXI12, XXXII8, XXXIII10. Fascicule IX: XXXIV-XXXV12, XXXVI5 (= 4 + 1 [f.382]). Fascicule X: XXXVII6. Fascicule XI: XXXVIII13 (=12 + 1 [f.401]), XXXIX10. Endleaf, a singleton.
Text-block: 238-280 x 150-168 mm. Two columns (width, 72 mm). The dimensions vary within fascicules as well as from one to the next.
Fascicule I: the text-block gets steadily larger quire by quire from 240 x 160 to 274 x 156 mm.
Fascicule II: 268 x 155 mm.
Fascicule III gets steadily smaller quire by quire from 258 x 154 to 248 x 152 mm.
Fascicule IV: 242 x 152 mm.
Fascicule V: 245 x 150, then 254 x 152 mm.
Fascicule VI: generally c. 242 x 152 until the last two quires where 230 x 154 and 235 x 162 mm.
Fascicule VII: shrinks quire by quire from 244 x 154 to 233 x 154 mm.
Fascicule VIII: varies without discernible pattern between 232-242 x 150-158 mm.
Fascicule IX: 230 x 163 mm; the supplement 248 x 160 mm.
Fascicule X: 250-2 x 160-8 mm, except f.398v-401v where 256 x 168mm.
Lines: 40-62 (space, 5-6 mm; height of minims, 2 mm).
Fascicule I: 44, 48, 45, 44, 53, 62, 57 by quire. Fascicule II: 47. Fascicule III: 48-50. Fascicule IV: 46. Fascicule V: 51. Fascicule VI: 42-45. Fascicule VII: 42-44; supplement 50. Fascicule VIII: 44-47. Fascicule IX: 40-43; supplement 54. Fascicule X: 44-46; supplement 56.
Pricking: awl and knife. Ruling: lead and ink. Single verticals flank both columns (two in total in the intercolumnar space). First two and last one of the horizontals extended; often also an extra pair of horizontals in the upper margins to guide running heading.
All items except (x), (am), and (ap) written in Anglicana formata ; generally upgraded to a larger Textualis semi-quadrata for explicits. Varies in size and compression. The hand is closely similar, and probably identical to that which wrote DCL MS A.III.11, Part F.
(x) and (am). First stint: Textualis semiquadrata, compact, becoming more cursive as work progresses; second stint, cursive
(ap), written over text by Scribe 1, erased. Textualis semi-quadrata Decoration matching that in the rest of the book was supplied for the incipit, indicating that this hand is contemporary.
Decorated initials, 3+ lines high, plus extensions or border bars of varying size, head items (a) capitula, (a) incipit, (b), (c), (g)-(k), (l) incipit, (l) sixth question (f.140v), (m)-(q), (r) incipit, (r) Book II, (s)-(w), (y), (z), (aa)-(aj), (ak) Incipit, (ak) Book II; (al), and (ao)-(aq). The letters and borders are constructed from tubes, punctuated by florettes, sprouting crude ivy leaves, plus occasional beast, bird, hybrid or dragonesque elements; predominantly coloured dusky blue, muddy pink, with details in red, orange, green, white, gold and silver; their quality rudimentary. The decoration has generally left stains on the facing page. Such offsets also appear on f.55r, 147r, 166v, opposite which there is (now) no decoration, perhaps reflecting periods when the leaves were disordered (the stain on f.166v is manifestly an offset from the decoration on f.169r). Subsections generally marked by 2-line-high initials, alternately red then blue flourished in the other colour. Further subdivisions via paraphs, alternately red then blue; some sentence capitals stroked in red. The 2- or 3-line-high spaces reserved for initial in added items (x) and (am) remained unfilled.
Rebacked by Tucketts, 7 March 1846 (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century). Wooden boards (11 mm); 4 raised bands; earlier blind-stamped leather covers preserved (three rectangles one inside the other, the central zone divided into three crossed squares, one above the other); two metal clasps; 345 x 220 x 82 mm; modern chemise. A slip in the book reports that the same rolls were used B.III.30 and Inc. 1 (Augustine; 1473), declaring the work Durham s. xvii, with the references ‘cf. Don[o]r’s Book; by Richard Curtis’. The impressions on the endleaf (f.412) from board channels correspond to their current positions.
Written in England, Oxford ?, early 14th century.
Inscription: Iste liber assignatur communi librarie monachorum Dunelm′ per Dominum Willelmum Poklyngton′ Monachum ibidem. et sacre Theologie Bacularium, early 15th century, f.iiv, top. William Pocklington, monk of Durham, B.Th. by 1406, died 1442/3.
Pressmark: 2 2i.K., f.1r, top right, 15th century (the K may have been added).
III, 38.xii – III.43, xi end, with contemporary interlinear and marginal glosses. Two consecutive leaves, written in Italy. Reused as pastedowns in an earlier binding, with consequent glue-staining
f.1r-3r, Capitula list, 136 numbered entries. 136 chapters, numbered in Roman numerals in the side margins. Textually distinct from the version in DCL MS A.III.11, Part E. Occasional ‘Nota’s copied by the main scribe. Light contemporary annotation by a second hand.
83 sections, numbered in Arabic numerals in the margins. Smaller script and extra lines in the lower margin were used so that the end of the text could be squeezed onto f.53r. Light annotation and correction by the original scribe. Annotations on f.34r in a different hand.
Running heading giving title and book number; chapter numbers in the margins; reference letters a-g down the intercolumnar space on each page. Regular marginal notes by the original scribe, apparently copied as part of the original transcription; a few (e.g. f.66v, 67r, 69r, 69v, 75v) added by a different hand.
Set out in alphabetical blocks (ending with U/V), each headed by the relevant letter. There are head-letters, but no entries, for G, K and Q. Each entry starts a new line, its initial stroked in red;headwords (generally not the first word of the entry) are occasionally underlined in red. The references (chapter number, book number, reference letter) were added by a different hand from that responsible for the main text; on f.78v they were occasionally misplaced and then linked to the correct entry by an ink line.
Arranged in alphabetical blocks, each headed by the relevant letter (no K; ends with X); most entries begin with the headword. References (question number, plus sometimes a letter) were copied as an integral part of the text. No reference for the final entry.
II.8, end only, owing to loss of preceding leaves.
57 sections numbered in Arabic numerals. A few annotations, the majority probably by the original scribe.
Book II starts on f.100v. The text ends half way down col. 1 on f.109v; the remainder of the page is blank. In Book I, every chapter but the last is preceded by a rubric. In Book II, the spaces reserved within the main text-block for rubrics remain unfilled; however, the relevant wording was supplied both in the margins in ordinary ink and as a consolidated list at the end of the text (in accordance with the rubric on f.109r and contrary to that on f.109v, only the titles for Book II are here included).
Text ends, f.121v, col. 1. Col. 2 is blank. Light contemporary annotation, generally flagging themes. The original chapter numbering went awry after 42 (the following chapter being designated 13) and all subsequent numbers had to have their first numeral corrected.
390 numbered sections, each with its own rubric, the last being De diuiciis. Numerous minor corrections, seemingly by the original scribe
The incipit of the sixth and final question (f.140v) is mark by a decorated initial plus border bar (nos. 1-5 are marked by flourished initials). Light contemporary annotation, including reference to Anselm, f.140r (Quire 4, end). Text ends at top of f.152r/col. 2; rest of the page, all of f.152v, and the first column of f.143r, blank.
A few contemporary Nota marks
Sermo 350
Retractationes II.4 followed by De doctrina christiana. Text ends f.193r, col. 1, top; the rest of the column is blank. Light contemporary annotation throughout.
Space reserved for an initial rubric remained unfilled. Divided into 25 numbered sections. Light contemporary annotation throughout.
No initial rubric. Running heading: Liber contra mendacium. Divided into 42 numbered sections.
Space reserved for first rubric remained unfilled.
Preface to (t)
Book I only. Two subdivisions marked by paraphs; 36 chapter numbers added to the margins in lead (some of the numbers subsequently inked over). Light but persistent contemporary annotation throughout.
A single major subdivision marked at ‘Semel autem initium conubium in ciuitate dei nostri’. Intermittent contemporary section numbering. Occasional contemporary DM, exm, and Nota marks written by the main scribe.
Divided into 55 numbered sections. Running heading in lead. A few contemporary and some added Notas.
Text is divided into 19 numbered sections. Early annotation in the margins
A contemporary 14th century supplement, written by a different hand and to a smaller gauge than most of the texts, but with marginalia (f.271r-v) by the same hand as annotated (w). Text ends halfway down f.275v, col. 1; the rest of the page, blank.
33 subsections marked by a paraph in the text and a number in the margin; other subdivision marked by a paraph only. Light contemporary annotation in red.
Divided into 71 sections by numbers in the margins plus brown ink paraphs inserted into the text. Light but persistent contemporary annotation both in ordinary ink and in red ink.
Boxed section numbers to 44 in the margins. Light contemporary annotation in red throughout.
Boxed numbers to 77 in the margins. Light contemporary annotation in red.
Ends halfway down f.333r, col. 1; the rest of the column, blank. Boxed numbers to 20 in the margins. Regular contemporary annotation.
Attributed to Augustine. The space reserved for initial rubric remained unfilled. Occasional marginal notes by the original scribe.
Section numbers to 23 in the margins. Occasional contemporary annotation.
Contemporary Nota lines in red.
Plagues are numbered in the margins. A couple of contemporary annotations.
Light but persistent contemporary annotation.
Attributed to Augustine. Light contemporary annotation.
Persistent contemporary annotation. Text ends halfway down f.352v col. 1. The rest of f.352v and all of f.353, blank.
Book 2 starts on f.360r; chapter numbers in the margin to 21 for Bk I and to 26 for Bk II. Occasinal added Nota marks.
Space reserved for initial rubric remained unfilled. 14 subsections marked by paraphs. Themes intermittently flagged in the margins by the original scribe; some added Nota marks.
Early addition, starting on 5 formerly blank leaves at the end of quire XXXV, continued on the added short quire XXXVI. Themes flagged in the margin by the original scribe.
The scribe continued into the lower margin for 6 extra lines on f.388v col. 2 in order to complete the text. Subdivided into 33 sections, numbered in the margins. A few added Nota marks.
Possibly by Alcherus of Clairvaux. Text divided into 29 chapters, numbered in the margins. Extensive contemporary annotation throughout.
f.399r-401v originally contained text by the main scribe, which was erased to make way for the continuation of the present text, written by scribe 3. The incipit initial was supplied (in the same style as the rest of the decoration in the book), but section initials were not. Chapter numbering intermittently added in the margins, 14th century; light 14th century annotation.
The names, Or′ and Aug′ are written in red in the margins beside the relevant questions and responses. f.411v, blank.
Bloomfield, M.W., ed., Incipits of Latin works on the virtues and vices 1100-1500 AD including a section of incipits of works on the Pater Noster (Cambridge, MA: Mediaeval Academy of America, 1979)
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.
,
Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).
de Hamel, Christopher, Glossed books of the Bible and the origins of the Paris book
trade , (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Boydell Press,
1984)
Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris,
approximately 1100-1160, Commentarium in
Psalmos ,
Library of Latin Texts A (Turnhout: Brepols, 2010)
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] ,
(Durham: 1939)