Lot 34
  • 34

Anselm of Canterbury, De Concordia, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [northern France, mid twelfth century]

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • Vellum
21 leaves, 210mm. by 120mm., complete, collation: i8, ii6, iii2, iv5 (ii a singleton, text without break), single column, approximately 37 lines in black ink in a number of early gothic bookhands, capitals touched in red, rubrics in red, one 3-line initial in red, some leaves originally misshapen (see fols.8-9 and 17), slightly trimmed (without affect to text), small stains, else excellent condition, modern red leather over wooden boards, red cloth slipcase

Provenance

provenance

1. Written in a scriptorium in northern France in the mid twelfth century.

2. Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872); his MS.290; bought by him in Paris; his sale in our rooms, 15 June 1908, lot 18.

3. Sir Norman Moore (1847–1922); acquired by him in the Phillipps sale; by descent to his sale in our rooms, 25 June 1985, lot 53.

4. Bergendal MS.107 (once bound with its sister codex, Bergendal MS.75, see previous lot): Bergendal catalogue no.107; Stoneman, 'Guide', p.196.

Catalogue Note

text

This fine and notably early manuscript contains the De Concordia by Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033-1109; see previous lot), a text on the thorny intellectual problem that if God knows everything including the future, does man have free will? It was composed late in his life in 1107/8, when he returned to his office as archbishop of Canterbury, following his famous dispute with Henry I and long exile in Normandy. A sermon and an extract from the third book of Augustine of Hippo's, Confessiones, follow on fol.19r-22v, the latter ending imperfectly "...et de futuro longum erit".