MS 131
Cassiodorus, ca. 487 - ca. 580 Senator
[Historia ecclesiastica tripartita]
Cassiodorus, Historia tripartita ; Martinus Polonus, Chronicon ; Vegetius. manuscript
Title in M. R. James catalogue: Cassiodori Historia tripartita, etc.
England, between ca. 1350 and ca. 1400.
1 volume (iii, 218, ii leaves) : parchment, initials ; 30.5 x 20.5 cm.
Late 14th-century copies of [1] Cassiodorus' Historia ecclesiastica tripartita (ff. 1-141v; each book preceded by a table of contents) and [2] Martinus Polonus' Chronicon pontificum et imperatorum (ff. 141v-200v); followed by a mid-14th-century copy of [3] Vegetius' De rei militari (ff. 206-217v).
[1] The MS of Cassiodorus is no. 105 in the list of 138 copies by W. Jacob, Die handschriftliche Überlieferung der sogenannten Historia Tripartita des Epiphanius-Cassiodor (Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur ; 59) (1954), 44, 127-132, where it is listed as group Vc with St John's College, Cambridge, MS 169.
[2] The Chronicon of Martinus Polonus has the chronicle of the popes on verso sides and the chronicle of emperors on recto sides from f. 150v to f. 197r, which ends with the annal for 1270 and the death of the king of Navarre; after this the chronicle of the popes continues for another 7 pages, ending at 1285 (Honorius V). Many additions and corrections in the margins, including a mention of St Francis of Assisi at 1238 (f. 194v, where the text refers to St Dominic).
Following the Chronicon of Martinus Polonus is a 15th-century 'Tabula de cronicis Martini', with leaf references (ff. 201v-202); ff. 201r, 202v-205v are blank.
[3] The copy of Vegetius includes the preliminary notice indicating five books, also found in British Library, MS Royal C. i, f. 281; according to the table book 5 begins at 'Precepto maiestatis tue' (4. 31) but there is no indication of a new book in the text. The chapters are not numbered; f. 218rv is blank.
Folio iii is a medieval endleaf, formerly pasted down.
Folios 1-141, 151-200 have a medieval foliation: 1-141, 1-50.
Written space: 225 x 130 mm (ff. 1-200v) ; 253 x 172 mm (ff. 206-217v).
Written in two columns of 49 lines (ff. 1-200v) or ca. 63 lines (ff. 206-217v), the latter with frame ruling.
Collation: 1-11¹² 12⁸ +2 leaves before 1 (ff. 133-134) 13-16¹² 17¹⁴ wants 12-14, blank, after f. 200 18⁴ +1 leaf after 4 (f. 205) 19⁸ 20⁶ wants 6, blank, after f. 218.
Red ink signatures on quires 1-15 are of the usual late medieval kind, except that the series begins with + (see ECL MS 47); it runs +, a-o.
Quires 1-17, 19, 20 numbered at the beginning I-XVII, XVIIII, XX; since the 'Tabula de cronicis Martini' (quire 18) is later than the numeration this suggests that a quire is missing after the end of the Chronicon.
Written in anglicana, the 'Tabula' more or less currently.
Intials of [1] and [2]: on ff. 1 and 142, red and blue, with blue, red and violet ornament, extended on f. 1 to form a continuous border; other initials similar but 4-line, or 3-line, blue with red ornament. Initials of [3] are in an unusual and unattractive style, 3- or 2-line, blue with red ornament.
Secundo folio: et agere.
Rebound at Eton in around 1720.
Written in England.
Inscription on f. iii verso: "Donum M. Rogeri Lupton Iuris canonici Professoris et huius Collegii quondam Prepositi"; also with some annotations in his hand in the margins, e.g. f. 116.
Former Eton shelfmark: Bl.4.4.
This catalogue record is based on the work of Neil Ker and M.R. James, as cited in the references below.
Ker, N. R.. Medieval manuscripts in British libraries, v. 2 (1977), p. 751-752
James, M. R. A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts in the library of Eton College (1895), 131
Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae, 1697, 36
Eton College Library, MS 131
Given to Eton and with annotations by Roger Lupton, provost of Eton 1503/4-1535.
18th century English calf binding.
Martinus, Polonus
Cassiodorus, ca. 487 - ca. 580 Senator
Church history Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600 Manuscripts.
Christianity History Manuscripts.
World history Manuscripts.
Military art and science Manuscripts.
Martinus, Polonus Chronicon pontificum et imperatorum.
Vegetius Renatus, Flavius. De rei militari.
Lupton, Roger, 1456 - 1540 former owner.
Slatter, John, active 1693 - 1721 bookbinder.
England.
lat
B50088