Beschreibung:

Theological compendium including the works of Alexander of Hales on the Psalter, Aldobrandinus de Toledo, Tractatus super decem legis praecepta, short tracts including one named Contra sodomitas and a sermon collection, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [northern Italy (perhaps Bologna), first half of the fourteenth century] 391 leaves (plus modern parchment pastedown and flyleaf at front), perhaps originally bound in fascicules and slightly rearranged in first century of its life: the foliation begins at ‘21’ yet the first leaf is decorated as a frontispiece, and a catchword does not agree at end of 18th gathering, but there is no break in the contemporary or near-contemporary foliation there; the whole without apparent text break and in this state since the fifteenth century, foliated 21-402 (but followed here), omitting single blank leaves between texts and index at end, contemporary or near-contemporary foliation and occasional catchwords, collation: i-xvii10, xviii2, xix-xxxix10, xl9 (last but one a blank cancel), xli10, xlii4 (these last two with index), double column, 43 lines in a university hand with influence of secretarial script, capitals touched in red, Biblical quotations underlined in red, several detailed ‘pointing finger’ marks in margin, paragraph marks in red or blue and rubrics in red, initials in simple red or blue, two large initials in blue bars enclosing thin liquid gold panels, all encased within ornate red penwork with gold fruit around its edge, the initial paragraph mark on the frontispiece also in blue touched with liquid gold, an ornamental border extension of red, blue and black foliage heightened with white penwork and a tiny plant picked out in liquid gold, and terminating in gold ivy leaves, a few spaces left for initials, large tear to border of fol. 162, some small spots and stains, else excellent condition, 165 by 120 mm. (written space: 110 by 83 mm.); fifteenth-century binding of brown tooled leather (with concentric bands of foliage, butterfly-shapes and crosses formed from knotwork) over wooden boards, holes at head of backboard showing where a medieval label was once nailed, traces of two tags secured with metal pins, scuffs and tears to edges of leather, separated from thongs at back and thongs fraying at front, boards held in place by leather, eighteenth-century title on spine in ink: “Alexander Alensis Super Psalterium” and shelfmark “A” Text: The volumes includes: Alexander of Hales on the Psalter (fols. 21-191v); the Tractatus super decem legis praecepta by Aldobrandinus de Toledo (lectured in Italy in 1287-92; fols. 193r-231r, this text Schneyer, Repertorium der lateinischen Sermones, IX, 1991, p. 247, no. 321, and Stegmüller, Repertorium Biblicum, VIII, no. 1106); a tract entitled “Contra soddomitas” (fol. 233r-236r), followed by further short works on the Divine Office and Cyprian’s De XII abusionibus saeculi; and a large sermon collection (fols.293r-399r), with sermons for a variety of subjects, including humility, love, angels, the blood of Christ, the stigmatisation of St. Francis of Assisi, temptations, and others for specific feasts in the Church year. The volume ends with an index to these sermons.