London. British Library, Cotton MS Titus D XXVI

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Source
The British Library, Polonsky Pre-1200 Project
Library
London. British Library
Shelfmark
  • British Library, Cotton MS Titus D XXVI
Biblissima authority file
Language
  • Latin
  • Old English
Title
  • Liturgical and computistical collection (‘Ælfwine’s Prayerbook’), including rules of confraternity
Description
  • Cotton MS Titus D XXVII and Cotton MS Titus D XXVI originally formed one manuscript which began with Cotton MS D XXVII and was followed by Cotton MS D XXVI (see Henel, De temporibus anni (1942)). Contents:f. 1r-v: An early modern table of contents.f. 2r-v: Directions for devotions added in the first half of the 11th century, beginning: 'Ælce sunnan dæg bebeod þe ðære þrynesse naman'.f. 3r: A list of dates quite similar to the computistical genre of the 'Six ages of the world', beginning: 'A principio usque ad diluvium anni mille sexcenti .lvi. . A diluvio usque ad Abraham anni .ccxcv. et fiant simul anni trium aetatum mille .dccccxlviii'. ff. 3r-v: Early version of an amulet measured according to the length of Christ's body and the wood of the Cross: Rubric 'De mensium ( sic ) salvatoris', beginning: 'Haec figura sedecies multiplicata perficit mensuram Domini Nostri Ihesu Christi corporis et est assumpta aligno preciosa dominice', ending (f. 3v) : '[...] in qua conscriptum Iudei illud titulum habuerunt: 'Hic est rex Iudeorum''. ff. 3v-4v: A prognostic, including the three critical Mondays with Egyptian days, Rubric: 'Hic noctantur dies egyptiaci qui observandi sunt per omnia nequis sanguinem audiat in eis minuere'. beginning: 'Dies enim aegyptiaci in quibus nullius modi nec per ulla necessitate non licet hominem'.ff. 4r-v: Temporal prognostics for the three miraculous days, beginning: 'Tres dies sunt in anno cum totidem noctibus'.f. 4v: Texts on Dog days and other lunar days, mainly to caution people against these days. Rubric: 'Quali tempora aperienda sit vena', beginning: 'Incipiente artucanis vel arcturi adque siria stella'.f. 5r: Egyptian days without the last four days, a list of unlucky days in the agricultural year, beginning: 'Incipiunt dies aegiptiaci qui in anno observandi sunt'. ff. 5r-6r: Distances between the Earth, moon, sun and stars, predictions of the weather based on the colour of the moon and an account on the rainbow mainly based on Bede's De natura rerum, beginning: 'Pythagoras vero vir animi sagax scribit a terra ad lunam cxxvi milia stadiorum esse collegit a solem autem ab ea duplum inde ad .xii. signa triplicatum'. f. 6r-v: A bloodletting lunarium, rubric: 'De flebotomatione vel de minuendo sanguine', beginning: 'Luna prima. Tota die bonum est'. ff. 6v-7v: Birth prognostics or nativitates, rubric: 'De nativitate infantium', beginning: 'Die dominico hora diuturna. Sive nocturna uti li ( sic ) erit qui nascetur magnusque et splendidus'. ff. 7v-8r: A birth lunary, rubric: 'Incipit lunares Sancti Danielis de nativitate', beginning: 'Luna .I. qui natus fuerit'.ff. 8r-9r: A medical lunary to predict illness, rubric: 'Incipit lunares de aegris', beginning: 'Luna .i. qui inciderit difficile evadet'.f. 9r-v: A dreams lunary, rubric: 'Incipit lunaris de somnis', beginning: 'Luna .i. quicquid videri'.ff. 9v-10v: Thunder prognostics (brontology), rubric: 'De tonitruis dierum vel trium', beginning: 'Si notaverit hora vespertina'. ff. 10v-11v: Revelatio Esdrae, rubric: 'Incipiunt signa de temporibus', beginning: 'Si die .i. feria fuerint kl. ianuarii'. ff. 11v-16r: Somniale Danielis, beginning: 'Aves in somnis videre et cum illis pugnare'. An early modern hand has added above the incipit: 'Alphabetum Somniale exemplum ex Danielis libro'. f. 16v: A rubric for a Latin formula (for the use of the priest before any celebration of divine service) added in the first half of the 11th century in a blank space: 'Þis ðu scealt singan þonne ðu wylt ðwean þine handa 7 þine eagan', with the Latin formula (f. 16v): 'Lutum fecit ex puto ( sic ) dominus. Ad te levavi oculos meos, usque in finem. Kýrrieł Christeł Kýrrieł'. ff. 16v-17r: A recipe against ulcers added in the first half of the 11th century in a blank space, beginning: 'Wið þa blegene genim'. ff. 17v-18r: Rules of confraternity between the abbot of New Minster and unspecified abbots and bishops. This formula is a slightly later addition of the first half of the 11th century, beginning: 'Þis is þæra gerædnyssarium ( sic ) þe biscopas 7 abbodas geræd habbaþ'. ff. 20r-50v: A series of devotions based on the penitential Psalms and three special offices, rubric 'Capitula vigilia unius apostolic', beginning: 'Iustum deduxit Dominus per vias rectas et ostendit illi regnum Dei'. ff. 51r-56v: A Litany of saints for New Minster, beginning: 'Kyrrie leison. Christe leison. Christe audi nos'.ff. 56v-79v: Prayers with the rubric: "Collecta oremus', beginning: 'Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui dedisti nobis, fidelibus tuis'.f. 79v: A charm for finding a thief, rubric: 'Pro furto', beginning: 'Si habes aliquam rem perditam, scribe has litteras in carta virgine'.f. 80r-v: The beginning of the Gospel of St John, rubric: 'Initium Sancti Evangelii secundum Iohannem', beginning: 'In principio erat verbum, et verbum erat apud Deum'.Decoration:Titles in red in rustic capitals. Numerous plain initials in red, blue, green and purple.A miniature as in Cotton MS Titus D XXVII, which precedes a major devotional section, St Peter seated on a throne between two columns supporting a trefoiled canopy, holding a double key in his right hand and a book in his left hand. Below him is a supplicating monk who may represent Ælfwine, holding a book in his left hand. The folds of the clothes, curtains and arches are shaded with green and red (f. 19v).
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  • Public domain in most countries other than the UK
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