Oxford, St. John's College 154 Ælfric, "Grammar;' "Glossary;' and "Colloquy;' Ælfric Bata, Colloquies
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Abstract
420. Oxford, St. John's College 154
Ælfric, "Grammar;' "Glossary;' and "Colloquy;'
Ælfric Bata, Colloquies
[Ker 362, Gneuss 686]
HISTORY: An English manuscript of the late 10c/early 11c, containing language-teaching texts, including the earliest and most complete extant copy of Ælfric's "Grammar" and "Glossary"; Ælfric's "Colloquy" as revised by Ælfric Bata, and three Colloquy collections unique to this manuscript that were most probably compiled by Bata (cf. Lendinara 1983; Porter in Gwara and Porter 1997: 4-7). Ælfric Bata, a pupil of the more famous Ælfric the homilist, was probably a monk of Canterbury, who may have survived into the time of Lanfranc and certainly was still remembered unfavorably after the Conquest (Gwara 1997: 239, n. 2; Porter 1996: 656). This copy of Ælfric's "Grammar" and "Glossary" is Zupitza's ''A' and forms his base text. The manuscript was owned by Durham Cathedral in the Middle Ages: 'lib<er> s<an>c<t>i Cuthb<er>ti d<e> Dun<e>lmo' (f. lr, 12c), with a later inscription (in red), '7 de armario pre[cen]jtoris q<ui> alienauerit ab eo. anathema si[t]' and above this <in brown> 'donat<u>s a<n>glico .. : [the rest illegible]. Shelfmarks '2'7/N' and (earlier) 'E: the latter corresponding to the shelfmark of the "Donatus anglice" in the "grammar" section given in the Durham catalogues of 1391 and 1416, their second folio reading, " i. de'or hoc milite" (B[otfield] 1838: 33, 111; cf. Ker 1964: 75, Watson 1987: 32), being a misreading of 'ðeos boc mihte' (f. 2v/l). What appears to be an earlier defaced ex libris (11c) is at the top of f. 222v. The donation to St. John's is recorded on f. 2r: 'Liber Collegij Stj Johannis Baptista Oxon. ex dono | Christophorj Coles Artium Bacchalaurej, Ejusdem Coll[eg]i conuictoris |1611"'. A St. John's ex libris is on f. 220v and paper bookplate of the college is pasted on f. Sr. Early modern shelfmark 'Abac: ij - N°. 2' on f. lr (bottom) and cancelled on f. lv (top).