Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Duo libri contemplationis ... etc.

Authors

• Hilton, Walter, d. 1396
• Bonaventure, Saint, Cardinal, approximately 1217-1274

Other related names

• Fishlake, Thomas, translator
• Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109, attributed name

Call number

Ms. Codex 1559
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206., University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9945899213503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/449984950
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/4589921

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Latin

Origin

Date

1510

Place

Italy

Summary

Manuscript dated 1510 of the Latin translation by Carmelite friar Thomas Fishlake (circa 1400) of Walter Hilton's Scale of perfection, a mystical work in two books concerning the reformation of the soul and contemplative union with God, written in Middle English in the second half of the 14th century and first translated into Latin ca. 1400. The opening rubric of Book I notes that many additions from the writing of Saint Bonaventure are included (examples of specific references to Saint Bonaventure, f. 26r, 56r). Although the rubric for Book I has the customary description of the work as written for an anchoress, the opening of the prologue addresses a son rather than a sister. Preceding this work is a brief work on the Passion of Christ presented as a dialogue between the Virgin Mary and Saint Anselm, attributed to Saint Anselm in its rubric but not considered his work. Frequent contemporary and later corrections in margins. Irregular section numbers added by later hands in top margins.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title from rubric of predominant work (f. 8r).
   
• Incipit, Work 1 (f.1r-7v): [rubric] Incipit passio domini nostri Iesu Christi quam dulcissima Virgo Maria beato Anselmo Cantuariensis archiepiscopo revelavit. Ut inferius continetur. [prologue] Ascendam in palmam, ut apprehendam fructus eius ... [text] Beatus Anselmus. Dic mihi carissima domina qualiter fuit passio filii tui ...
   
• Incipit, Scale of Perfection Book I (f.8r-70r): [rubric] Incipiunt duo libri contemplationis magistri Vualteri Hyltonis canonici regularis viri valde contemplativi quos scripsit sorori sue incluse, cum additionibus multis ex libris seraphici Bonaventure ad maiorem roborationem. [prologue] Dilecte fili mi in Christo Iesu per illum rogo te ut contentus sis ...
   
• Incipit, Scale of Perfection Book II (f.70r-150v): [rubric] Incipit secundus liber magistri Vualteri et primo quod homo dicitur ymago Dei secundam animam et non secundus corpus et dividitur in quatuor partes principales. [text] Quoniam multum desideras ac etiam petis intuitu caritatis ... Explicit (f. 150v): ... et occultas perceptiones celestium gaudiorum. Ad haec gaudia nos perducat Iesus Christus dominus noster Amen.
   

Extent

150 leaves : 207 x 152 (138 x 110) mm. bound to 218 x 163 mm

Collation

Paper, i (19th-century paper) + 150 + i (19th-century paper); 1⁷ 2-3¹⁶ 4-5¹⁴ 6¹² 7¹⁶ 8²⁰ 9-10¹² 11¹¹; [1-150], modern foliation in pencil, center right margin recto. Vertical catchwords on the last verso of each gathering (f. 23v, 53v, 79v, 95v, 115v, 127v, 139v), except for a horizontal catchword at the end of gathering 3 (f. 39v) and no catchwords at the end of gatherings 1 and 5 (f. 7v, 67v).

Support

Paper

Binding

19th-century Italian half vellum (Les Enluminures); some marginal notes slightly affected by trimming.

Layout

Written in 27 long lines; frame-ruled with lead bounding lines; horizontals ruled in ink with a 13-nib ruling instrument (see f. 64, 149v).

Decoration

1 3-line initial in pink, 1 3-line initial in red (both f. 1r); spaces left for 2-line initials at the beginning of chapters; rubrics and paragraph marks in pink, capitals touched in pink; some chapter rubrics accompanied by crosses in pink in margin (for example, f. 41r-42v). 3 manicules added by later (17th-century?) hands (f. 72v, 137v)

Script

Written in a semi-cursive humanistic bookhand (Les Enluminures).

Provenance

• Inscription, 1609: Hoc vere est de bonis christianis: haec F. C. P. O. M. d. S. O. / MDCIX (f. 72v).
   
• Perhaps formerly in the library of the convent of Santissima Annunziata, Cesena, Italy (possible 17th-century ownership inscription effaced, f. 8r, Les Enluminures).
   
• 19th-century inscription: Amigos no tiene ni fin / ni principio -- Sino solamente / lo que no es principio ni / es fin / [?]ui attento B. S. M. / Su Servidor (f. 150v).
   
• Formerly in the collection of the Hispanic Society of America (New York), manuscript no. B1326; sold at auction at Christie's, 12 Nov. 2008 (lot 37A).
   
• Sold by Les Enluminures (Paris & Chicago), 2009.
   

Subjects topical

• Mysticism--Early works to 1800
• Spiritual life--Christianity--Early works to 1800

Genres

• Codices
• Annotations
• Dialogues
• Treatises
• Manuscripts, Latin--16th century
• Manuscripts, Renaissance

Keywords

• 16th century
• Italian
• Christian
• Annotated
• Italy

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 1559: Duo libri contemplationis ... etc. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

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  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• fol. 1r — Passio domini nostri Iesu Christi qua dulcissima Virgo Maria beato Anselmo Cantuariensi archiepiscopo revelavit, f. 1r
• fol. 8r — Book I, Scale of perfection, f. 8r
• fol. 70r — Secundus liber Magistri Vualteri, f. 70r

Decorations

• fol. 8r — Owner note, f. 8r
• fol. 72v — Manicule, f. 72v
• fol. 72v — Owner note, f. 72v
• fol. 137v — Manicule, f. 137v