(f. SL2r)
Centre page, in brown ink in an early modern hand: ‘Sancti Bernhardi Sermones in Salomonis Cantica Canticorum’. Below, in pencil in a modern hand: ‘Migne 183, ep. 785 ff’.
Textblock
(f. 1r)
Top of page: two lines of c. 10-12 words in faded ink, now illegible; bottom right, upside down in black ink in a medieval hand: ‘pro Anselmo lx B’(?); below, upside down, in faded brown ink, barely legible: ‘
............
⟨fratris ordinis⟩
’.
(f. 1v)
Top of page, in brown ink by a medieval hand: ‘Iste liber est ecclesie ............ in monte pav⟨onis⟩(?) quicumque eum furatus fuerit in sempiternum dampnatus sit amen’; below, in lighter brown ink: ‘Bernhardi super Cantica’; below, in brown ink by an early modern hand: ‘D. Bernhardi Sermones in Salomonis Canticum canticorum’; below: a geometrical figure (pen trial?) in black ink.
(f. 2r)
Glued into outer margin: a parchment label with the title and signum found in the 1734 catalogue, ‘Bernhardi sermones 24’; Above column a, in an 18th-century hand: ‘Sermo 1’; bottom left corner, in pencil by a modern hand: ‘27’.
(ff. 2r–161r)
Various contemporary marginal notations of different kinds, lengths and hands throughout (e.g. (f. 46r)), for instance corrections (e.g. (f. 2r), (f. 161r)), topics (e.g. (f. 32r)), exegesis (e.g. (f. 34r), (f. 136r)), and several more extensive comments in faded ink, barely legible (e.g. (f. 26v), (f. 38r)); also a few modern notations in pencil (e.g. (f. 43v), (f. 45r)).
(f. 161v)
Top and bottom of page: a couple of pen trials, one of which an alphabet.
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in black ink; full rubrics in red ink for sermons 2-28, sermon numbers only for sermons 2-42.
(ff. 2r–58r): puzzle initials over 3-10 lines in red and blue with flourishing in red.
(ff. 7r–159v): plain initials over 3 lines alternating in red and blue ink with flourishing in blue or red and ascenders and descenders extending another 3-11 lines along the textblock.
Binding
Medieval binding. Tan leather over wooden boards. 3 double raised bands and 2 endbands. Originally, 2 clasps (presumably pin clasps) and leather straps. LCO and RCO: originally 4 round corner bosses. Top left corner of LCI: National Library book label with the current signum. Spine, stamped in gold: the current signum, ‘A 154’.
285 ×
205 ×
65 mm
Leather heavily worn. Spine renovated; original pastedowns replaced and endleaves added at a later date. Numerous wormholes. LCO: board and leather cracked and glued together; a long tear in the leather stitched together. Spine: leather cracked; top endband missing. Clasps and straps missing. All 8 corner bosses missing. LCI: front pastedown detached; board and binding attachments visible.
The script and layout suggest a date and origin of France, 13th century, first quarter.
Provenance
Provenance unknown. The phrase ‘in monte pav.’ in the owner's note on f. 1v may possibly stand for Mons Pavonis, i.e. Bamberg. The name of the church that owned the manuscript has, however, been erased.
Acquisition
Acquisition date unknown, but the manuscript has been at the National Library since at least the 17th century and is listed as no. ‘111’ in Jache's catalogue of 1698 (U 122) and no. ‘24’ in the catalogue of 1734 (U 125 e).
