Cambridge, University Library, MS Mm.5.31
Contents
Physical Description
Layout
22-26 lines, ruled in brown ink, above top line, rubrics, lemmata underlined in red, quire signatures, 2o fol. Proemium in (rubric) Sanctus Iohannes
Hand(s)
Gothic bookhand (textualis)
Decoration
Miniatures: (1/3 to 1/2 page): Friar Alexander receiving communion and writing (1v); Vision of Christ and seven candlesticks (6v); Bishop Timothy and Church of Ephesus (7r); St Polycarp and Churches of Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea (8v); St Carpus and Church of Pergamon (9v); St Irinaeus and Church of Thiatyra (11r); adoration of Christ by Elders, St John weeping, Angel proclaiming ‘Who is worthy’, King David pointing at Lion of Judah (21v); adoration of Lamb (22r); First Seal, White Horse: Emperor Gaius (23v); Second Seal, Red Horse: Nero persecuting Sts Peter and Paul with Christians (25r); Third Seal, Black Horse: Titus weighing thirty Jews and one denarium on scales (25v-26r); Fourth Seal, Pale Horse: Domitian killing Christians (27v); Fifth Seal, souls of martyrs killed by Trajan beneath altar (28v); Sixth Seal, earthquake: first Christian Emperors Philip and Mark, Pope Fabian with bishop (30r); Emperors Philip and Mark killed by Decius, Pope Marcellinus and others martyred by Diocletian and Maximian (30v); Angel with Seal of Living God interpreted as Constantine the Great, four Angels stepping on winds and interpreted as Emperors Maximinus, Maxentius, Licinius and Severus, 32v); adoration of Lamb (34v); Sts Paul and John martyred by Julian the Apostate (36v); First Trumpet, rain of fire on earth: Angel interpreted as heretic Valens (37r); Second Trumpet, fire cast on sea interpreted as heresy of Macedonius (38r); Third Trumpet, burning star interpreted as Pelagian heresy falls from heaven and poisons water which men drink and die (39v); Fourth Trumpet, darkening of sun and moon interpreted as heresy of Eutyches (40v); Great Angel interpreted as Emperor Justin, Seven Thunders, Pope (?) John eating book (41v); heretics before Justinian (42v); St Benedict offered bread at Easter, led into monastery, and ordering raven to take poisoned bread away (54v); Angel addressing St John interpreted as Pope Felix, Pope Felix with measuring rod in Temple (65r); Pope Silverius and Patriarch Menas holding keys, destroying enemies with fire blazing out of their mouths, killed by beast-headed Belisarius, and resurrected in heaven (68v); Virgin Mary weaving, Christ Child beside her, Presentation in Temple, Virgin Mary mounted on donkey, Christ carried by Joseph (73v); Pope Boniface IV dedicating Pantheon, two Romans and emperor Phocas standing by (74r); congregation listening to preacher’s sermon on Dives and Lazarus (74v); seven-headed Dragon, Woman clothed with sun, her son Heraclius taken up to heaven (76r); Archangel Michael saving Heraclius and Christians from Dragon (78v); seven-headed Beast rising from sea and worshipped (79r); Christians leading infidel into captivity, Chosroes II killed by Heraclius (80v); Heraclius returning Cross to Temple in Jerusalem (81v); Beast interpreted as Mohamed rising from earth, False Prophet calling down fire, causing people to worship Beast and his statue, and killing those who do not (85r); Lamb adored on Sion by laymen and Benedictine monks with Abbot Petronax (89r); first Angel saying ‘Fear God’ and interpreted as Archbishop Boniface (91r); second Angel interpreted as Pope Gregory II, fall of Babylon interpreted as fall of Philip, Emperor of the Greeks (91v); third Angel interpreted as Pope Gregory III, judgement of those who worship Beast interpreted as Emperor Leo (92v); St John writing ‘Blessed are those who die in the Lord’, princes and others who become Benedictine monks and die in the Lord (94r); fifth Angel interpreted as Pope Stephen III, Pepin harvesting, i.e., defeating Langobards (96r); sixth Angel interpreted as Pope Adrian I, altar on fire, seventh Angel interpreted as Charlemagne, vintage (97r); blood streaming out of city, i.e., kingdom of the Franks, after revolts in Saxony (99v); seven Angels (100v); harpers on sea of glass representing baptism (101r); giving of vials (102v); first vial poured on earth by Angel interpreted as Charlemagne (103v); second vial poured on sea by Angel interpreted as pope Leo III (104v); fourth vial poured on sun interpreted as pope Gregory V by Angel interpreted as Crescentius, Patrician of Rome (105r); fifth vial poured by Angel interpreted as Otto III on seats of Crescentius and his son John (106v); sixth vial poured on Euphrates by Angel interpreted as Gregory VII preparing way for three kings (108r); frogs coming out of mouths of Dragon, Beast and False Prophet, three kings (111v); St Bernard of Clairvaux sending monks to daughter houses, Cistercian monks at work, four Cistercian abbots (113r); five allegorical beasts: black wild boar for deceitful, pale horse for lascivious, yellow lion for fierce, grey wolf for cunning and rapacious, and red hound for wrathful man (114v); seventh vial poured out by Angel interpreted as Alexius I Comnenos (119v); Angel representing Emperor Alexius offers to show St John destruction of Great Whore (120r); Great Whore seated on Beast (121v); Lamb triumphs over kings (123r); Angel interpreted as Adhemar papal legate, fall of Babylon (125r); flight from and lament over sins of Babylon (126v); Angel representing duke Gotefridus casts millstone into sea (128r); celebration of triumph (129v); Lamb and his bride (131v); Baldwin of Flanders and Godfrey of Bouillon, army of Hospitalers, Templars, and Teutonic Knights (139r); birds summoned by Angel interpreted as Patriarch Arnold (140r); battle between Beast’s army and Baldwin’s army (141r); Dragon interpreted as Emperor Henry, chained by Angel interpreted as Pope Calixtus II (144r); Concordat of Worms (144v); Emperor Lothar III and Pope Innocent II (180v); martyrs’ souls (182r); worship of Beast and Holy Cross (185v).
Figural initial (15 lines): man climbing up tree foliage (3v).
Ornamental and minor initials: Gold chapter initials (4-7 lines) on pink/blue or pink/green ground; red capitals.
Binding
Quarter goatskin with marbled paper sides and vellum tips (Douglas Cockerell & Son, 1972, when folios were re-ordered).
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Apparently in England from an early date (‘Liber Edmundi Ridell possessoris’, 14th-15th century, f. 205v).
Ownership inscription of Cuthbert Tunstall (1474-1559) , bishop of Durham (f. 205v), but not one of books that he gave to Library (on which see Clarke, pp. 98–102, 741).
Jo. Conyers (17th century (?), f. 205v), perhaps of Middle Temple.
John Garnett (17th century, f. 137v).
John Moore (1646-1714) , bishop of Ely: no. 54 in Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ (c. 1697).
Presented to the University Library in 1715 by George I (1660-1727) : donation bookplate engraved by John Pine (1690-1756) in 1736 on the front pastedown.
Additional Information
Record Sources
Availability
Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures contact Cambridge University Library Admissions). Contact the Manuscripts Department for further information on the availability of this manuscript
Bibliography
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Digital Images
Abbreviations
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