Cambridge, Trinity College, O.2.31 Prosper, "Epigrammata"; "Disticha Catonis"; Bede, "De die iudicii"; Prudentius, "Dittochaeon"

Abstract

89. Cambridge, Trinity College, 0.2.31 (1135)

Prosper, "Epigrammata"; "Disticha Catonis";

Bede, "De die iudicii"; Prudentius, "Dittochaeon"

[Ker 95, Gneuss 190]

HISTORY: Written in Anglo-Caroline minuscule of the 10c. James (1900-1904: 3.129) finds two hands: Bishop and Keynes (1992:26) identify the scribe of the "Disticha Catonis" with Bishop's Christ Church scribe (iv), and the Bede with Bishop's scribe (vii). The Prosper is identified as having been written by several hands. Most of these, along with Bishop's (iv) and (vii), also appear in Cambridge, Trinity College, B.4.27, and two in B.14.3 [78]. The initials are also stylistically closely related to those in B.14.3. For these reasons, the book is presumed to have been written at Christ Church, Canterbury. James (1903: x, cf. p. 11), in an addendum, tentatively calls attention to an item in a Christ Church catalogue in CUL Ii.3.12 (ca. 1170), no. 158: "Cato. Prosper. Sedulius. Prudentius. Arator. in uno uolumine." Some of the Latin glosses in the Prosper and "Disticha Catonis" are syntactic, suggesting that the book may have been used for teaching Latin (Wieland 1985:163-64). There are numerous OE glosses, including 13 scratched glosses. Across the top of ff. 42v, 41r (as originally ordered), a chant in honor of StJEthelthryth of Ely has been written in a hand of 11c, with French neumes. This may suggest that the manuscript went to Ely. The manuscript was given to Trinity College by Roger Gale in 1738.