London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius B. i OE Orosius; "Menologium," "Maxims II," Anglo-Saxon

Abstract

227. London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius B. i

OE Orosius; "Menologium," "Maxims II," Anglo-Saxon

Chronicle (C-text)

[Ker 191, Gneuss 370]

HISTORY: The manuscript is a composite. Ker dates Part 1 (ff. 3-111 containing the Orosius [Bately's siglum C]) to "s. xi1 " and Part 2 (the verse texts and the C-text of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) to s. "xi2 ." The ascription of an Abingdon provenance for the C-text of the Chronicle is owing mostly to tradition and is difficult to sustain (O'Brien O'Keeffe 2001: lxxiv-xcii). In the early modem period the manuscript was known or used by a number of antiquarians. Robert Recorde (d. 1558) made extracts from the Chronicle, probably while it was in the possession of Robert Talbot, prebendary of Norwich (d. 1558) (Wright 1937: 170-71; Graham 1997); in the upper margin of f. 3, Talbot has written 'Rex Alfred<us> Orosiu<m> interp<re>tat<us> <est> Boetiu<m> <et> Beda<m> de histo<ria> eccl<esi>astica.' Talbot underlined names in Tiberius B. i and made marginal notations throughout.John Leland ( d. 1552) copied Talbot's inscription, his underlined Anglo-Saxon place names, and a few of his English and Latin glosses into his own "Collectanea" (BL, Cotton Julius C. vi, ff. 99v-100v; Hearne 1774: 4.122-25). Laurence Nowell made a partial copy of the C-text in BL, Additional 43,704, ff. 94r-107v (Lutz 1982: 324-30). John J oscelyn (1529-1603) had access to Tiberius B. i, and he filled in lacunae in the C-text at the years 1055, 1065, and 1066, supplied 'Humbran' and 'mid oreom hund scypum', both in 1066, and supplied 'god man 7 cla:ne 7 swioe a:oele' to the incomplete end of 1056 C. When J oscelyn knew the manuscript, Tiberius B. i was in the possession of William Bowyer (d. 1576), keeper of the records in the Tower (BL, Cotton Nero C. iii, f. 208r). By 1621 Robert Cotton had acquired the manuscript from Robert Bowyer by exchange (see the 1621 Cotton catalogue, BL, Harley 6018, ff. 154v, 158r). Across the top margin of f. 112r Robert Cotton notes 'Cronica Saxonica Abbingdonia: ad annum 1066'. William Somner made a transcript of Tiberius B. i in the process of compiling his 1659 dictionary (now Canterbury Cathedral Library, Lit. C. 5, ff. 5-74, rectos only; for Somner's use of Tiberius B. i see Lutz 1988: 7-15).