Città del Vaticano, BAV, Reg. lat. 421
| Library | Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana |
|---|---|
| Shelfmark | Reg. lat. 421 |
| Century | s. IX to XVII (ten parts from different periods) |
| General region of origin | mostly at Sankt Gallen (Kéry) |
| Collection | Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii) |
| Main author | Bruno Schalekamp |
Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Reg. lat. 421 is a ninth to seventeenth-century composite manuscript of 33 folios in 1 col. (fols. 1r-6r and 7v-33v) and 2 cols. (fol. 7r) (220 x 152 mm) made of both parchment and paper. Its codicological composition is unknown and no quire signatures were included. Arabic numerals are found on the recto side of each folio in (early) modern hand. The codex consists of ten parts and fragments, each with their own dating: part I: fols. 1-4, s. XII; part II: fols. 5-15, s. XIin; part III: fol. 16, s. X-XI; part IV: fols. 17-19, s. XI; part V: fol. 20, s. IX-X (catalogue); part VI: fols. 21-25, s. IX2-3/3 (Kéry), s. IX; part VII: fol. 26, s. XI; part VIII: fols. 27-28, s. IX-X; part IX: fols. 29-32, s. XVII; part X: fol. 33, s. IX-X (catalogue).
It was written by various hands in various scripts, mostly in Caroline minuscule; part I: two hands, late Caroline minuscule; parts II-V, VII, and X: respectively one different hand per part, Caroline minuscule; part VI: three hands, Caroline minuscule; part VIII: three hands, Caroline minuscule and early modern marginal additions; part IX: one hand, Melchior Goldast, early modern hand. The manuscript's origins has been argued to be from Sankt Gallen according to Kéry, based on the cursive writing style (fols. 29-32) and fragments (such as fols. 27-28) from other manuscripts (among them MS Sankt Gallen, Stifstbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 899). Fols. 29-32 were penned by 16th century Swiss historian Melchior Goldast according to the manuscript's catalogue. Its provenance, therefore, is only traceable from that time onward. The codex was in possession of Melchior Goldast (1576/1578-1635) and later in the hands of Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626-1689), based on an annotation on fol. 16r (1577).
Contents
The manuscript is a very small-sized codex and contains mostly poetic material (in both Latin and Hebrew, by authors such as, among others, Israel the Grammarian, Paul the Deacon, and Alcuin), substituted by various (excerpts of) liturgical and canonical works (such as the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii)). It also contains a unique ordo on the wedding of a Carolingian royal couple, a Latin hymn on the Day of Judgement, various texts on liturgical vestments, baptism, fasting, consanguinity, and some other 'charms' and prayers.
This unorthodox composition begs for a complete interpretation. Preliminarily, it can be said this must have been the (original?) patron's taste, mixed together for their personal use. It might have been put together for a poet, bishop, or anyone passionate about such a combination of poetical, liturgical, and canonical material, as well as wealthy enough to pay for its manufacturing. Possibly, as its codicological composition is unknown as of yet, Goldast's efforts in s. XVI-XVII are responsible for this mix of texts. He added a whole list, described below, of poems and excerpts of other works in his own hand, possibly substituting those that were lost or simply those of his own taste and interest. In any case, this manuscript testifies to the early modern interest and activity with this particular source material from both Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
See the digitized version: https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Reg.lat.421.
| folios | texts |
|---|---|
| Front cover and flyleaf | |
| 1r | Hebrew carmen with Latinized interpretation, starting with: immeloc adonai malach... |
| 1v-5r | Collection of various songs and poems. Includes no. 721 of the Anthologia Latina on fol. 2v |
| 5v-6r | Poem by Israel the Grammarian, titled Versus de arte metrica |
| 6r | Unknown short poem, titled Sinostram lector festucam tollere queras |
| 6v | Blank page |
| 7r-14r | Collection of poems dedicated to Hadewiga, using the metrum choriambicum |
| 14v | Small collection of charms and prayers |
| 14v-15r | The Lord’s Prayer in Greek with Latin translation |
| 15r-v | Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in Greek with Latin translation. Note the absence of filioque after pater at the very bottom of fol. 15r |
| 15v | Greek litany transcribed into Latin and Greek Sanctus transcribed into Latin |
| 16r | Isidore de Seville's De fide Catholica, book 1, chapters 7-8 |
| 16v | Blank page |
| 17r-18v | Collection of short excerpts on liturgical vestments |
| 18v | On liturgical vestments |
| 19r-v | On baptism |
| 20r-v | On fasting |
| 21r | Various short poems. Includes no. 487d of the Anthologia Latina |
| 21v-22r | De obseruatione quattuor temporum |
| 22v | Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii), chapters II, VIIII, and XI, here titled De ratione coniugum dicta sancti augustini |
| 22v-23v | St. Jerome's Ex Commentariis in Matthaeum excerptum |
| 23v-24r | On consanguinity |
| 24r | Various probationes pennae, including a sentence from St. Augustine's Civitate Dei, book 3, chapter 20 |
| 24v | Short note on six Gallic bishops and a short treatise on six major ecumenical councils, titled De sex Synodis generalibus |
| 25r | Blank page |
| 25v | Ordo on the wedding and coronation of a Carolingian royal couple |
| 26r | Exempla literarum: overview of the alphabet interlinked with numerals and ‘literary numbers’ |
| 26v | Blank page |
| 27r-v | Paul the Deacon’s epitaph for Chlodarius’ son: Epitaphium Chlodarii pueri regis |
| 27r-v | Various short poems. Includes no. 487d of the Anthologia Latina |
| 27v | Two short poems, nos. 738a and 685 of the Anthologia Latina |
| 27v-28r | Alcuin's second poem |
| 28r-v | Various short poems. Includes no. 738b of the Anthologia Latina |
| 29r-32v | Various short poems from different authors in early modern hand. Includes nos. 682, 685, 686, 689, and 950 of the Anthologia Latina. Other works included are: |
| 29v | Excerpt of Ovid's Ars amatoria |
| 29v-29ar | Ausonius's Epigrammata de diversis rebus |
| 29ar-29av | Alcuin's Versus de cuculo |
| 29av | Excerpts of Eugenius of Toledo’s poems |
| 30v-31r | Pseudo-Ovid or Alcuin's Conflictus ueris et hiemis |
| 31v | Excerpt of Isidore de Seville's Versus in bibliotheca |
| 32v | Walafrid Strabo, poem 42: Epitaphium Werdonis abbatis |
| 33r-v | Latin hymn on the Day of Judgement, starting on the fifth verse |
| Back cover |
Literature
Dümmler, Die handschriftliche Überlieferung (1879), p. 106-107 and 126; ; Dümmler, ‘Zur tierfabel’ (1876), p. 213-215; Elze, ‘Ein vergessener Ordo’ (1991), p. 69-72; Kéry, Canonical Collections (1999), p. 77 and 81; Klein, ‘Ediertes und inediertes’ (1868), p. 191-192; Pellegrin, Fohlen, Jeudy, Riou, Marucchi, Les manuscrits classiques latins Vol. 2 pars 1 (1978), p. 74-76; Riou, ‘Quelques aspects de la tradition manuscrite’ (1972), p. 23, 26, 33 n. 4, and 35-36.
An edition of the Collectio XXX capitulorum (De ratione matrimonii) is currently being prepared by Sven Meeder, Gideon de Jong, and Bruno Schalekamp.
