Marston MS 34     Germany, s. XII 4/4, XII/XIII
Petrus Riga, Aurora

ff. 1r-136v [Prose preface:]  Incipit uetus testamentum.  
Frequens sodalium meorum peticio cum quibus conuersando florem 
infancie exegi...et ueritatis fulgor patenter illuxit.  Explicit 
prologus.  Incipit [remainder of rubric illegible; text begins:]  
Primo facta die.  duo celum terra leguntur/ Fit firmamenti spera 
sequente die/...apud te pascha paretur//

	P. E. Beichner, ed., Aurora Petri Rigae Biblia Versificata,
Publications in Mediaeval Studies 19 in 2 vols. (Notre Dame, Ind., 
1965); we provide page references to this edition in square brackets
below. Stegmueller 6823-25.  The text, composed of three different 
parts (see also physical description and provenance below), appears
in the following order.  Part I:  Genesis, with Petrus Riga's prose 
preface, f. 1r [pp. 7-8, 21-90]; Exodus, f. 23r [pp. 91-144];
Leviticus, f. 43r [with prologue and with the verses De avibus,
Beichner, p. 171, on a half-sheet of parchment added between 
ff. 50-52; the scribe has noted that the verses should be inserted 
on f. 52v after De piscibus; pp. 145-78]; Numbers, f. 55r 
[pp. 179-203]; Deuteronomy, f. 64r [with prologue; pp. 207-17]; 
Joshua, f. 68v, with text ending imperfectly on f. 72r, line 243 
[pp. 219-29].  f. 72v blank except for erased pen trials.  
Part II:  Job, f. 73r [with prologue consisting of lines 9-10 and 
17-18 only; heading erased], text ends complete on f. 112v, but is 
much rubbed and followed by numerous pen trials [pp. 669-702]. 
Part III:  Evangelium, ff. 113r-136v beginning and ending imperfectly
[lines 567-2268: pp. 447-512].

	Composed of three parts, with I and III in the same format and
possibly from the same manuscript, ff. i (modern parchment) + 136 + i
(modern parchment).
	Parts I and III:  parchment, ff. 1-72 and 113-136, 162 x 115 
(137 x 70) mm.  35 lines of verse.  Double upper and sometimes lower 
horizontal bounding lines.  Double or triple inner and single outer 
vertical bounding lines.  Ruled in lead.  Few remains of prickings 
suggest the sections were greatly trimmed.  Collation for Part I:  
I-VI 8, VII 8 (with half-leaf, f. 51, added in), VIII 8, IX 8 (-1?). 
Quires signed with Roman numerals I-VIII (IX unsigned); Part III: X 8 
(unsigned), XI-XII 8 (signed with Roman numerals XI and XII on first 
recto of each gathering).  Copied by multiple scribes in small gothic 
bookhand, with first letter of each verse usually aligned on the second 
vertical bounding line.  Red initials, plain or with modest designs 
throughout.  Headings in red often added to right of text.  First 
letter of each verse stroked in red or ochre, often by drawing a
single line the length of the written space.
	Part II:  parchment (thick and fuzzy), ff. 73-112, 167 x 115 
(122 x 84) mm.  28 lines of verse.  Triple vertical bounding lines; 
ruled very faintly in hard point or lead.  Prickings prominent in 
upper, lower and outer margins.  I-V 8.  The second gathering signed 
in red with the Roman numeral II.  Written by multiple scribes in a 
larger module and a neater gothic script than that in Parts I and III; 
each verse is justified by the placement of the final letter along 
outer vertical ruling.  Script has often been retraced.  Plain 
initials and headings in red throughout.
	Binding:  Belgium, s. xix.  Tan calf over wooden boards, blind-
tooled with the Arenberg arms on the sides.  Title on spine:  
"Sacrae Scripturae excerptae/ Circa 1225-50."  Remains of old fore-
edge tabs.

	All three parts were written in Germany.  Part II in the fourth 
quarter of the 12th century and Parts I and III at the end of the 12th 
or beginning of the 13th century.  Parts I and III, given the similar 
format and the sequence of quire signatures, perhaps comprised at one 
time a single unit.  It is not clear when the three parts were joined 
together, but probably before the early ex libris and book curse 
(s. xiii?) of the abbey of St. Eucharius and St. Matthias the Apostle 
in Trier were added in lower margin, f. 1r, and along inner margin, 
f. 136v:  "Codex sancti Evcharii sanctique.  Mathie apostoli.  Quem si 
quis abstulerit anathema sit. Amen."  For more information and 
bibliography on the library of this abbey see P. Becker, "Notizen zur 
Bibliotheksgeschichte der Abtei St. Eucharius-St. Matthias," Armaria 
Trevirensia.  Beitraege zur Trierer Bibliotheksgeschichte.  2., stark 
erweiterte Auflage, ed. G. Franz (Wiesbaden, 1985) pp. 44-63.  Early 
press-mark [?] in upper right corner on f. 1r:  "X.[?]13."  Inscription 
of one Gerardus on ff. 110v and 112v. From the library of the Dukes of 
Arenberg (binding); for a discussion of this collection see C. Lemaire,
"La bibliotheque des ducs d'Arenberg, une premiere approche," Liber 
amicorum Herman Liebaers 1984 (Brussels, 1984) pp. 81-106 (Marston 
MS 34 cited on p. 104).  Unidentified labels on spine.  "20" on square
cream-colored label, "No 16/2 me Sene [?]" in red ink on white 
rectangular label with serrated edge and blue border.  "No 26" and 
"B,7" on front pastedown.  Presented by Otto Rauschberg in 1956 
(inscription on front pastedown) to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Firmamenta

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 68, no. 34.

Barbara A. Shailor