Cambridge, Trinity College, R.5.22 1) Bede, "Ecclesiastical History," with OE "Caedmon's Hymn"; Cuthbert's "Epistola Cuthberti," with OE "Bede's Death Song"; 2) Lives of Saints; 3) King Alfred's OE "Cura Pastoralis"

Abstract

81. Cambridge, Trinity College, R.5.22 (717)

1) Bede, "Ecclesiastical History," with OE "Caedmon's

Hymn"; Cuthbert's "Epistola Cuthberti," with OE "Bede's

Death Song"; 2) Lives of Saints; 3) King Alfred's OE "Cura

Pastoralis"

[Part 1: RS 2.11, 3.18; Part 3: Ker 87, Gneuss 180]

HISTORY: A composite volwne of three originally separate manuscripts: Part 1 (ff. 1-43) is a 14c copy of Bede's "Ecclesiastical History"; Part 2 (ff. 44- 71) is a 12c collection of Saints' Lives; Part 3 (ff. 72-158) is a late 10c or early 11c century copy of King Alfred's OE translation of Gregory the Great's "Cura Pastoralis," lacking Alfred's prose preface. This copy of the "Historia Ecclesiastica" was used by Wheelock in his 1643 edition, quoted as "MS. T" 0ames 1900-04: 2.190). Part 3 (OE "Cura Pastoralis") shows Archbishop Parker's partly legible name in red pencil (in top margin of f. 72r is written a name that has been transcribed "Matthew Parker"; it is scarcely legible in parts, and it is not certain that it is "Matthew" rather than "Matthaeus"). Also, in hand of 16c, the Parkerian inscription 'Hie ipsus liber est quern Aluredus Rex misit ad Eccl( esi)am Syreburnensem I quern et transtulit e pastorali G · r' egorii La tine in Anglicwn'. "The statement that this is a Sherborne book, which cannot be deduced from anything in the manuscript, and the fact that the originally independent manuscript which precedes the OE on ff. 44-71 previously belonged to OohnJewel, bishop of Salisbury (1560-1571)], make it probable that, as Wanley surmised (1705: 168), this ... is the OE manuscript which Jewel sent to Parker from Salisbury library on 31 January 1568/9" (Ker, Cat., 133). But as Keynes (1992: 29) points out, Parker's attribution to Sherborne may be an inference drawn from the undoubted Sherborne connections of Cambridge University Library Ii.2.4 [99] or may "reflect a genuine tradition (in so far as it applied to an ancestor of R. 5. 22)." The fact that the Parkerian inscription occurs at the beginning of the Alfredian translation suggests that the three parts may have been bound together after they came into Parker's possession. The entire composite manuscript is listed as no. 8 among John Parker's manuscripts (Lambeth Palace MS 737, f. 153v). "It was given to the college in the seventeenth century, but it is not known by whom" (Keynes 1992: 29); James (1900-04: 2.189) speculates "Given by ?Neville or Parker(?)." The inscription by John Jewel on f. 43r (see below) would seem to indicate that the sanctorale (Part 2) at least is from Salisbury.

Binding leather, of 18c or 19c, recently repaired.