Catalogue of Durham Cathedral Library MS. C.IV.25

DCL MS. C.IV.25Letter writing formulary
Held by: Durham Cathedral Library: Durham Cathedral Manuscripts

Reference book for letters and letter-writing kept by the Chancery of Durham Priory at the end of the 14th and the early 15th century.

Digitised: https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t1mvq27zn47k.html

Physical description of manuscript

Support

Paper. No visible watermarks.

Extent: i (modern parchment) + 133 + i (modern parchment) f.

Size: 282 mm x 194 mm

Foliation

Modern pencil foliation, continuous. Medieval foliation starts with brown i-ii on f.21-22, then red iii-lvi on f.26-79, brown lvii-lxvi on f.80-89, brown 67-101 on f.90-124 (many of this last run rendered invisible by water damage). The roman numerals were written on both sides of each leaf, the Arabic on rectos only.

Secundo folio: f.2^r Ictus permissio f.25^r cedentes

Collation

I¹⁸, II¹⁴, III¹⁸, IV¹⁴, V¹⁸, VI¹⁴, VII¹⁸, VIII¹⁴, IX⁵

Script

Numerous broadly contemporary hands, writing versions of Secretary or Anglicana, or a hybrid of the two.

Binding

Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century)

Manuscript history

Creation

Written in England, Durham, between 1381 and 1421 to judge by the contents.

Provenance

Inscription: “.L. Registrum papireum diuersarum litterarum. de Officio Cancellarie Monachorum Dunelmie quondam Roberti de langchestr Cancellarij et postea Feretrarij dunelmie”, f.24^r, upper margin.

Manuscript contents

(a) f.1^r-18^r

Modern title: Glossary (Latin and English)

Language: Latin

Acephalus, alphabetical listing of Latin words, F-V surviving, classified under Nomina,Verba and Adverbia for each letter, with Latin synonyms and/or English definitions.

(b) f.18^v-23^v, 84^r-89^v

Modern title: Tables of Content for Letter Collection

Language: Latin

Thematic list of contents. Both parts by the same hand, with some additions to both (especially the second) in other hands.

(c) f.24^r-83^v

Modern title: Formulary of Letters

Rubric: .L. Registrum papireum diuersarum literarum de officio cancellarie monachorum Dunelmie quondam Roberti de Langchestre cancellarii et postea feretrarii Dunelmie ...

Language: Latin

Edited: Pantin, prints nine of the letters

(d) f.90^r-100^r

Original title: Ars Dictandi

Author: William of Whalley

Incipit: Ad quid ualeat dictare enarret tullius

Rubric: Incipit quidam tractatus dictaminis

Language: Latin

Edited: Polak, p.286-7

(e) f.100^v-102^r

Modern title: Extracts on rhetoric

Language: Latin

Excerpts, at least in part, from the Ciceronian Rhetorica ad Herennium – the first section from IV.47, the last from IV.56. f.102^v blank

(f) f.103^r-110^v

Original title: Documentum de modo et arte dictandi et versificandi

Author: Geoffrey, of Vinsauf, active 1200

Incipit: Tria sunt circa que cuiuslibet operis versatur artificium

Explicit: largius equo Rideat et pulset, lasciuia decentius etas

Rubric: Incipit quidam tractatus dictaminis

Language: Latin

Short version.

(g) f.111^r

Original title: De terminacione

Incipit: De terminacione quadrisilabe nota sunt exempla

Explicit: trissilaba uel quadrisillaba precedit sic

Language: Latin

(h) f.111^v-112^r

Modern title: Tract on letter composition

Incipit: Sciendum est primo quod in littera plena et perfecta consistunt quinque clausule quarum prima dicitur exordium

Explicit: in illo per quem reges regnant et principes dominantur et cetera. Amen

Language: Latin

(i) f.112^v-127^v

Modern title: Ecclesiastical Form Letters

Language: Latin

Language: French

Language: English

Added incrementally by eight hands with blank spaces left after entries

(j) f.128

Modern title: On preaching sermons

Incipit: In assumpcione thematis cavendi est

Explicit: nota quod semper ultima particula sermonis esse debet de premiacione et cetera

Rubric: De modo et forma predicandi

Language: Latin

(k) f.129^v-130^r

Modern title: Confirmation of privileges

Language: Latin

(l) f.130^v-133^r

Modern title: Forms of address

Incipit: Omnium personarum differencias iuxta triplicem statum in triplice ordine restringere debemus

Language: Latin

Microfilm

Microfilmed in 1985/86 by the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, St John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minnesota. Copies held by them and Durham University Library.

Digitised material for Durham Cathedral Library MS. C.IV.25 - Letter writing formulary

Digitised May 2017 as part of the Durham Priory Library Recreated Project

https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t1mvq27zn47k.html

Bibliography

Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss. , Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).

Pantin, W.A., "Letters from Durham Registers" in H. E. Salter, W.A. Pantin and H. G. Richardson, Formularies which bear on the History of Oxford c. 1204-1420 (Oxford: Oxford Historical Society n.s. 4 (1942), 215-45

Polak, E.J., Medieval and Renaissance letter treatises and form letters. A census of manuscripts … (Leiden, 1994)

Index terms

Durham Cathedral Priory, former owner
Durham Cathedral. Library, owner
Codices (bound manuscripts)