This manuscript contains the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni (Life of St
Gregory the Great) by John the Deacon of Rome (b. c. 825; d. 880).
Contents: ff. 2r-3r: A preface for the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni ,
beginning: 'Incipit Vita Gregorii papae urbis Romae. Beatissimo ac
felicissimo domino Iohanni sanctae catholice et apostolice Romanae
ecclesiae...' ff. 3r-v: A table of chapters of the first book. ff.
4r-25v: First book of the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni . ff. 25v-27r:
Table of chapters of the second book. ff. 27r-58v: Second book of
the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni . ff. 58v-59v: Table of chapters of
the third book. ff. 60r-100r: Third book of the Vita Sancti
Gregorii Magni . ff. 100r-103v: Table of chapters of the fourth
book. ff. 103v-162v: Fourth book of the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni
. The explicit is followed by an alphabet in Caroline minuscule and
capital letters. The manuscript contains a few additions: f. 1r: An
extract of an antiphon with Anglo-Norman neumes and later musical
notations, beginning 'Orbata pontifice Wigorna erga (sic) hunc dei
civem hunc sibi presulem hunc sibi petit doctorem [...]', added in
the late 11th or early 12th century (see K. D. Hartzell, Catalogue
of Manuscripts (2006), p. 139) followed by an alphabet and an
extract of the prefatory letter of Gregory's homilies on Ezekiel in
a late 12th-century hand. Decoration:1 zoomorphic initial in brown
and red of Wormald's type I (see Wormald, 'Decorated Initials'
(1945), p. 134) with a large mask head and interlace decoration, at
the beginning of the text (f. 2r). Initials and chapter numbers in
Roman numerals in red. Four added sketches in the margin (ff. 113v,
123r).
Place
Preferred form
Worcester (Hereford and Worcester, United Kingdom)
