Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermones super cantica canticorum

14th century, last quarter

parchment

ii, 161, i' leaves

270 × 190–195 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 2r–161r) Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermones super Cantica canticorum

Incipit: Uobis fratres alia quam aliis de seculo aut certe aliter dicenda sunt

Explicit: cognoscens et cognitus diligens et dilectus ihesus christus dominus noster qui est super omnia deus benedictus in secula amen

Note:

Sermons 83-86 not included.

f. 161v blank.

Editions: Leclercq (1957); Leclercq (1958).

Physical Description

Secundo folio

exultans in spiritu

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. SL1–SL2, SR1, RCI

Support: Western paper

Leaf dimensions: 270 × 190 mm

Note: SL1 originally pastedown.

Watermark 3

SL1–SR1,

Motif: Beehive; Tumba.

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–161v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 270 × 195 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

Collation

Note: Viscoll collation.

Formula: 1-12(8), 13(6+2), 14(8), 15-16(6+2), 17-20(8)

Note: Quires 13, 15, and 16 consist of three bifolia to each of which two glued-together single folia have been added as a unit to make quires of eight leaves.

Catchwords: Catchwords on quire 3 and 6 and on every quire starting from no. 8.

Condition

Textblock

A few holes (e.g. f. 28, f. 139), some with traces of stitching (e.g. f. 99, f. 133). A few larger stains around edges of folia (e.g. f. 23r).

Layout

Locus: ff. 2r–161r

Columns: 2

Ruled lines: 37–39

Written area: 200 × 135/150 mm

Note: Ruling and guidelines in lead point.

Script

Textblock

Description:

Gothic textualis.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(f. SL2r) Centre page in brown ink in an early modern hand: ‘Sancti Bernhardi Sermones in Salomonis Cantica Canticorum’. Below in pencil in a modern hand: ‘Migne 183, ep. 785 ff’.

Textblock

(f. 1r) Top of page: two lines of c. 10-12 words in faded ink, now illegible; bottom right, upside down in black ink in a medieval hand: ‘pro Anselmo lx B’(?); below, upside down, in faded brown ink, barely legible: ‘ ............ ⟨fratris ordinis⟩ ’.

(f. 1v) Top of page in brown ink by a medieval hand: ‘Iste liber est ecclesie ............ in monte pav⟨onis⟩ quicumque eum furatus fuerit in sempiternum dampnatus sit amen’; below, in lighter brown ink: ‘Bernhardi super Cantica’; below in brown ink by an early modern hand (the same as (f. SL2r)?) ‘D. Bernhardi Sermones in Salomonis Canticum canticorum’; below: a geometrical figure (pen trial?) in black ink.

(f. 2r) Glued into outer margin: a parchment label with the title and signum found in the 1734 catalogue, ‘Bernhardi sermones 24’. Above column a in an 18th-century hand: ‘Sermo 1’. Bottom left corner in pencil by a modern hand: ‘27’.

(ff. 2r–161r) Various contemporary marginal notations of different kinds, lengths and hands throughout (e.g. (f. 46r)), for instance corrections (e.g. (f. 2r), (f. 161r)), topics (e.g. (f. 32r)), exegesis (e.g. (f. 34r), (f. 136r)), and several more extensive comments in faded ink, barely legible (e.g. (f. 26v), (f. 38r)); also a few modern notations in pencil (e.g. (f. 43v), (f. 45r)).

(f. 161v) Top and bottom of page: a couple of pen trials.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in black ink. Full rubrics in red ink for sermons 2-28, sermon numbers only for sermons 2-42.

Initials:

(ff. 2r–58r) Puzzle initials over 3-10 lines in red and blue with flourishing in red. (ff. 7r–159v) Plain initials over 3 lines alternating in red and blue ink with florishing in blue or red and ascenders and descenders extending another 3-11 lines alongside the textblock.

Binding

Description:

Medieval binding. Tan leather over wooden boards. 3 double raised bands and 2 endbands. Originally, 2 clasps (presumably pin clasps) and leather straps. LCOand RCO: originally 4 round corner bosses. Top left corner of LCI: National Library book label with current signum. Spine, stamped in gold: the current signum, ‘A 154’.

Binding dimensions: 285 × 205/205 × 65 mm

Condition: Leather heavily worn. Spine renovated; original pastedowns replaced and endleaves added at a later date. Numerous wormholes. LCO: board and leather cracked and glued together; a long tear in the leather stitched together. Spine: leather cracked; top endband missing. Clasps and straps missing. All 8 corner bosses missing. LCI: front pastedown detached; board and binding attachments visible.

History

Origin

Origin unknown. A former librarian dates the manuscript to the 14th century, last quarter.

Provenance

Provenance unknown. The phrase ‘in monte pav.’ in the owner's note on f. 1v may possibly stand for Mons Pavonis, i.e. Bamberg . The name of the church that owned the manuscript has, however, been erased.

The manuscript has been at the National Library since at least the 17th century and is listed as no. ‘111’ in Jache's catalogue of 1698 (U 122) and no. ‘24’ in the catalogue of 1734 (U 125 e).