Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

A catalogue of Western manuscripts and papyri at Cambridge University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and selected Cambridge colleges

Cambridge, Peterhouse, MS 112

Stephen Langton, Commentaries on the Old Testament

Contents

Introduction: Stephen Langton was born c. 1150 in Langton by Wragby in Lincolnshire and educated at the University of Paris around the third quarter of the 12th century. He taught at Paris himself, before being appointed cardinal by Innocent III in 1206 and archbishop of Canterbury before the year ended. His appointment was bitterly opposed by King John, whose actions in response prompted a papal interdict in March 1208 and his own excommunication in November 1209. Only six years after Langton's election by the monks of Canterbury did John and the Pope come to terms, permitting him to travel to England and assume office in a kingdom from which he had been absent for four decades, and which was increasingly beset by political strife and division. Langton played a role in mediating between the king and his barons; the attempt to resolve these disputes through written and binding legal articles was likely Langton's idea, and he was instrumental in the negotiations later in 1215 that turned these demands for reform into perhaps the most famous political document in history, Magna Carta. In addition to his active pedagogical and political careers, Langton was also a prolific writer. According to later chroniclers, he glossed the whole Bible, and he is commonly credited with the innovation of dividing its contents into chapters. His writings reveal the influence of one of Paris's masters in particular, Peter the Chanter, though it is not known whether Langton was ever formally Peter's pupil. Some of Langton's commentaries were given first as lectures, and circulated by 'reportatio' - i.e. as notes taken down by his audience - before they were ever disseminated as books. The extent to which these reached a wide readership is indicated by the extant manuscripts, with over 120 surviving witnesses. Peterhouse MS 112 is one of three copies in which are grouped together commentaries on the Historical Books and Prophets in the Old Testament (the other two are Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine, MS 177 and Durham, Cathedral Library, MS A.I.7; Lacombe and Smalley Group E). The picture overall is complicated, however, by numerous variations in the rubrics and incipits for these texts and the inclusion or not of a range of different prologues, not all of which are Langton's own. For example, his prologue to Numbers on f. 73r is preceded immediately by another that is attributed in the Durham manuscript to 'P. Cancellarius Parisiensis', i.e. Peter of Poitiers. However, Beryl Smalley's collation of Langton's glosses on the Historical Books has demonstrated that Peterhouse MS 112 preserves their complete, original form, as do two other manuscripts: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, MS lat. 384 and Chartres, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 294. To this Rodney Thompson has added a further intriguing speculation: that the extracts for sermons on ff. 189r-190r and numerous of the annotations in the text were by Langton's own hand. The copying of the manuscript was evidently planned systematically (and the same features of this organisation may also be seen in Cambridge, Peterhouse, MS 119, Part 4, the companion volume to this manuscript). Production was divided into five codicological units: ff. 1-52, 53-72, 73-106, 107-154 and 155-188. At the beginning of each of these, the name of the first Old Testament book that was the subject of Langton's commentary in that unit was written in the bottom margin of the page, presumably by whoever organised the work and divided the exemplar between the scribes (these notes do not appear where new commentaries begin within a unit). Although the appearance overall is consistent, there are minor differences in layout and scribal hand. The quires are all numbered at the end, however only in the third unit did the scribe use catchwords. Blank space was often left at the end of each unit, except in the case of the first. Here, the change at Quire 5 from quires of twelve or ten leaves to a quire of eight leaves did not afford the scribe enough space to accommodate the text. This prompted him to add an increasing number of extra lines at the foot of each column, an adjustment he largely disguised by extending the four columns across an opening by the same amount (see ff. 48v-49r onwards). The absence of corresponding pricking marks for these lines confirms that this alteration to the layout was not planned. Each unit appears to have been copied by a single scribe, working concurrently with the others, except it seems for the fourth unit. Langton tended to emphasise the spiritual meaning of Scripture, and Phyllis Roberts has noted that homiletic material accounts for a large part of his commentaries. That those tasked with preaching sought out such contents is illustrated by the presence in the manuscripts of marginal and interlinear glosses, which drew out certain themes, identified passages of the Bible, and made the contents easier to navigate, select from and digest. Peterhouse MS 112 and its partner volume in Peterhouse MS 119 are heavily annotated by hands of the 13th century. There are few pages that are not marked in the margins numerous times, though the glosses rarely amount to more than a few words. Little is known of the history of the manuscript between its production and its arrival at Peterhouse by Christmas Eve 1418, when it was recorded in a catalogue of the college's books. Given the importance of preaching to medieval higher education, however, it is quite probable that these notes were added at a university, and that the book was owned or circulated in such a context, later coming into the hands of scholars at Peterhouse, who in turn added their own notes. Thomson observed that one of the 15th-century annotators of MS 112 is frequently found in other Peterhouse manuscripts and may be John Warkworth (c. 1425-1500), master of Peterhouse 1473-1500. Another in MS 112 may be William Dyngley (c. 1371-c. 1442), who added notes to ff. 1r-1v of MS 119. Dr James Freeman|Medieval Manuscripts Specialist|Cambridge University Library

Language(s): Latin

1. i recto
Tract on the Seven Deadly Sins
Language(s): Latin
2. i recto
Table of Contents
3. 1r-24r
Commentary on Genesis Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7744
4. 24v-52v
Commentary on Exodus Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7745
5. 53r-72r
Commentary on Leviticus Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7746
6. 73r-91r
Commentary on Numbers Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin

Without the prologue.

Stegmüller, Bibl. 7747
7. 91r-104v
Commentary on Deuteronomy Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7748
8. 107r-113v
Commentary on Joshua Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7749, 1
9. 104r-119v
Commentary on Judges Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7750
10. 119v-120v
Commentary on Ruth Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7751
11. 121r-130v
Commentary on I Kings Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7752
12. 130v-136v
Commentary on II Kings Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7753
13. 136v-146v
Commentary on III Kings Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7754
14. 146v-154r
Commentary on IV Kings Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7755
15. 155r-158r
Commentary on Tobit Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7761
16. 158r-162r
Commentary on Judith Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7762
17. 162v-165r
Commentary on Esther Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7763
18. 165r-168v
Commentary on I Ezra Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7759
19. 168v-173r
Commentary on Nehemiah Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin

Continues without interruption from the commentary on I Ezra (col. 2, l. 43).

Stegmüller, Bibl. 7760
20. 173r-183v
Commentary on I Maccabees Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7764
21. 183v-188v
Commentary on II Maccabees Stephen Langton
Language(s): Latin
Stegmüller, Bibl. 7765, 1
22. 189r-190r
Extracts for sermons
Language(s): Latin

'This could be Langton's autograph' (Thomson, p. 62).

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: 2r: deploraret
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: Codex: i + 188 + i leaves. Both front and rear endleaves are each one half of a bifolium, the other half now the pastedowns. 345 × 235 mm.
Foliation:

19th-/20th-century foliation

i + 1-188 + 189

Numbering in pencil in the top right-hand corner of the recto side of the first leaf of each quire, and on the last leaf of the preceding quire where this marks the end of a codicological unit (see Collation). The rear pastedown is numbered '190'.

Collation

Production divided into five codicological units: ff. 1-52, 53-72, 73-106, 107-154 and 155-188 (see Summary for further discussion).

  • Quires 1-212 (ff. 1-24)
  • Quires 3-410 (ff. 25-44)
  • Quire 58 (ff. 45-52) ;
  • Quires 6-710 (ff. 53-72) ;
  • Quires 8-1010 (ff. 73-102)
  • Quire 114 (ff. 103-106) ;
  • Quires 12-1510 (ff. 107-146)
  • Quire 168 (ff. 147-154) ;
  • Quires 17-1810 (ff. 155-174)
  • Quire 1912+2 (ff. 175-188: 13th and 14th leaves inserted, a bifolium)

Quire numbers at the end of each quire.

Catchwords, present in one unit only (ff. 82v, 92v, 102v).

Layout

1r-52v 250-300 × 175-185 mm. Ruled in leadpoint, frame and line, in two columns. 70 lines to the page, extending beyond pricking marks to 75 on ff. 48v-50r, 83 on ff. 50v-51r, 87 on f. 51v, 83 on f. 52r, and 86 on f. 52v, written above top line. Pricking marks.

53r-72v 245-250 × 185 mm. Ruled in leadpoint, frame and line, in two columns. 64-70 lines to the page, written above top line. Pricking marks.

73r-106v 250 × 185 mm. Ruled in leadpoint, frame and line, in two columns. 70 lines to the page, written above top line. Pricking marks.

107r-154v 245-260 × 180-185 mm. Ruled in leadpoint, frame and line, in two columns. 61-78 lines to the page, written above top line. Pricking marks mostly cropped.

155r-188v 250-255 × 185 mm. Ruled in leadpoint, frame and line, in two columns. 60-68 lines to the page, written above top line. Pricking marks.

Hand(s)

Written in small neat early gothic bookhand, by at least five hands. The same is found in Part 4 of the companion volume, now Cambridge, Peterhouse, MS 119 (ff. 42r-156v).

Decoration

Two- to six-line initials in red or blue, with contrasting infill and marginal flourishing in blue or red, at the beginning of most of the commentaries and occasionally further opening chapters or other textual divisions (ff. 1r, 2r, 24v, 53r, 73r, 91v, 107r, 121r, 155r, 158r, 162v, 173r, 183v).

Very occasional plain initials in red or blue (f. 134v, 136v, 138r, 141r-143v, 146r-148v, 150v-151r, 153r, 165r-165v) or in the same brown ink as the text (f. 132v).

Red chapter numbers in the margins.

Additions

The manuscript is heavily annotated in several hands of the 13th to 15th centuries. Thomson suggests that the extracts for sermons found at ff. 189r-190v may be in the hand of Stephen Langton (c. 1150-1228) himself (see Thomson, p. 62). One of the later hands is frequently found in other Peterhouse manuscripts, and is perhaps that of John Warkworth (c. 1425-1500), master of Peterhouse 1473-1500; another may be William Dyngley (c. 1371-c. 1442), Peterhouse scholar and bibliophile.

Two tables of contents on f. i recto, the first written by a 13th-century hand for this volume, and the second ('In altero volumine') for its companion, Cambridge, Peterhouse, MS 119, Part 4. Both lists are headed 'Stephanus Cantuariensis Archiepiscopus et sancte Romane Ecclesie Cardinalis', probably by the same hand as the second list. To the right, another 15th-century hand has listed other books of the Old Testament not covered by the contents of these volumes

Note of the contents, being the first part held in Peterhouse library, and details of Stephen Langton's biography, written by an 18th-century hand on the front pastedown.

'James 112' written in pencil by a late 19th-/early 20th-century hand on the front pastedown.

Peterhouse Library stamp, f. i recto.

Binding

Standard College binding, 18th century; the cover is a reused College lease dated 1765; medieval parchment endpapers. The front pastedown (and subsequent few leaves) has several rust marks in a vertical line down the centre, 'probably from rivets fastening skin to the boards of a half binding' (Thomson, p. 62).

History

Origin: Early 13th century. ; England.

A companion volume to Cambridge, Peterhouse, MS 119, Part 4.

Provenance and Acquisition

A thoroughly erased (?ownership) inscription at the top of the front pastedown.

Recorded in the catalogue of Peterhouse books, 24 December 1418. See: CBMLC 10, UC48.3 and MLGB.

Additional Information

Record Sources

This records draws on R.M. Thomson, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Medieval Manuscripts in the Library of Peterhouse, Cambridge, as well as M.R. James, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the library of Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Availability

Researchers should note that Peterhouse's western European medieval manuscripts are housed at Cambridge University Library. Scholars who wish to consult Peterhouse manuscripts should contact the Special Collections Reading Room to arrange their visit; all University Library admissions procedures will apply. For information on eligibility and admissions procedures, see Joining the Library. For further enquiries, and to confirm the availability of the manuscript, please contact the Special Collections Reading Room.

Bibliography

    A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts in the library of Peterhouse, James, M. R. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1899) Studies on the Commentaries of Stephen Langton Archives d'histoire doctrinale et littéraire du Moyen Age, Lacombe, G.Smalley, Beryl (5, 5-220, 1930) Medieval Education, Roberts, Phyllis B. (New York, Fordham University Press, 2005, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cam/detail.action?docID=3239483) Verzeichnis der Handschriften mit den Werken des Hrabanus Maurus Monumenta Germaniae historica: Hilfsmittel, Kottje, Raymund (Hannover, Hahnsche Buchhandlung, 2012) A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts in the library of Peterhouse, Cambridge, Thomson, R. M. (Cambridge, D.S. Brewer, 2016)

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