Marston MS 267     Flanders or Northeastern France, s. XII/XIII
Vitae Sanctorum

For the following collection of Saints' lives we provide the appropriate
reference in BHL; incipits or explicits in the manuscript are given only 
when they differ from those recorded in BHL.

1.  ff. 1r-2r [St. Thomas Apostle:]  Incipit miraculum de sancto thoma
apostolo.  Temporibus Kalixti pape secundi et anno eius quarto res
noua...hec de beato apostolo thoma enarrasset mirabilia que per eum deus
facit sua clementia.  kalixtus papa cum clero et populo.  gracias reddit
deo.  BHL 8145?; this text also found in Paris, Bibliotheque Mazarine 624, f.
36r.

2.  f. 2v  In hoc volumine continentur hec. I.  Vita sancti Augustini
episcopo. et confessoris...xxxii.  Lucie et Geminiani martyrum.

Table of contents [explicit or ownership inscription, in red,
erased].

3.  ff. 3r-15v St. Augustine.  BHL 791, here divided into 22 chapters.  This
very rare text attributed to Rupert of Deutz also appears in Brussels,
Bibl. Roy. 9368, a manuscript from Liege.

4.  ff. 16r-28r St. Jerome.  BHL 3871, here divided into 15 chapters
and preceded by a list of chapters.

5.  ff. 28r-36v St. Pantaleon.  BHL 6440.

6.  ff. 36v-40v Sts. Fides, Spes, and Charitas.  BHL 2971.

7.  ff. 40v-46v St. Taurinus, Vita, BHL 7990 (lacking the prologue);  ff. 
46v-48r St. Taurinus, Inventio, BHL 7994, with explicit:  "...a sancto
tauryno mirabiliter est curata.  unde benedicens est dominus laude sua. 
Iterum.  die tercia mulier altera aduenit clauda.  que statim meritis
sancti est curata die tercia"; f. 48r-v St. Taurinus, Miracula, 
Miracula de mutis animalibus. Erat quidem homo. in
monasterio sancte crucis Audoeny qui comparauit bouem cecum...ut participes
illius summi ac ueri dei inueniamus, cui tu fideliter seruisti in uita 
tua...Amen. Finiunt miracula post mortem sancti taurini facta.

8.  ff. 48v-52r Sts. Agape, Chionia and Irene.  BHL 118. 

9.  ff. 52r-54r St. Anastasia.  BHL 401e (Passio Pars IV).

10.  ff. 54r-59r St. Erasmus.  BHL 2582.

11.  ff. 59r-64v Sts. Marianus and James.  BHL 131.

12.  ff. 64v-67r Sts. Parthenius and Calocerus.  BHL 1534.

13.  ff. 67r-73v Sts. Lucius, Flavianus, Montanus, et al. F.  Dolbeau, ed., "La
Passion des saints Lucius et Montanus," Revue des etudes
augustiniennes
29 (1983) pp.  67-82 (Marston MS 267 = Y).

14.  ff. 73v-75r St. Lambert, Vita, BHL 4688.  (Prologue);  ff.  75r-98r
Lambert, Passio, divided into 17 chapters and preceded by list of
chapters.  Explicit:  "...Circa cuius sepulchrum.  tantam considerabant
gloriam et magnificentiam..."

15.  ff. 98v-99r Virgin Mary, Vita.  BHL 5334; ff. 99r-107r Virgin Mary, 
Nativitas.  BHL 5335, explicit:  "...Non post tempus multum.  dixit angelus ad
ioseph...mortui enim sunt omnes.  qui querebant animam pueri.";  ff. 
107r-112r Virgin Mary, Transitus.  BHL 5351, explicit:  "...narrantes et
praedicantes magnalia dei, qui in trinitate perfecta...Amen."

16.  ff. 112r-120v St. Mary Magdalen.  BHL 5457 and 5457a, explicit: 
"...Transiit autem beatus maxyminus sexto idus iunij.  a domino feliciter
coronatus...Amen."

17.  ff. 120v-139r St. Basil.  BHL 1023, here divided into 17 chapters
and preceded by list of chapters.

18.  ff. 139r-141r Sts. Donatianus and Rogatianus.  BHL 2275.

19.  ff. 141r-143r St. Sisinnius.  BHL 7796.

20.  ff. 143r-146r St. Photinus, etc.  BHL 6839, with the following
differences: preceding the prologue are five lines:  "Anno septimo decimo 
imperii antonyni in multas Romane urbis prouincias ex acclamatione et seditione
uulgi...litteris mandata repperimus"; explicit:  "Igitur hii omnes per martyrii
coronam.  ad celestem gloriam.  ducente domino peruenerunt...Amen."

21.  ff. 146r-148r Sts.  Cantius, Cantianus, Cantianilla.  BHL 1544.

22.  ff. 148r-152r [Sts. Quiricus and Julitta:]  Incipit passio beati cyrici 
et Iulyte matris eius. In diebus alexandri presydis.  surrexit fuit que
terre motus magnus.  in ecclesia christi.  Iulyta quidem matrona timens
deum [cf.  BHL 1803 bis]...Complevit igitur beatus cyricus puer martyrium suum
media nocte.  et coronatus est.  cum matre sua beata iulyta...Amen.  [cf. 
BHL 1806].

23.  ff. 152r-156r St. Alexius.  BHL 286.

24.  ff. 156r-177v St. Julianus.  BHL 4529.  The text begins as in BHL 4530
(the version without a prologue) but the prologue follows and the vita
continues as in BHL 4529.

25.  ff. 177v-178v Sts. Peter, Andrew, Paul, Dionysius.  BHL 6716.

26.  ff. 179r-183v St. William of Bourges, Vita.  BHL 8904;  ff.  183v-193v
St. William of Bourges, Miracula.  BHL 8901.

27.  ff. 194r-204r St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist.  BHL 5700, explicit: 
"...qui saluat omnes fideles, uidelicet illos.  qui non confidunt in
medicis, sed totam spem et uirtutem suam.  non in uanis et caducis rebus
expendunt.  sed tantummodo confidunt in illum per quem mundus saluatus
est...Amen."

28.  ff. 204r-210r St. Ignatius.  BHL 4258, with slightly differing
explicit:..."celebratur, et reliquie quidem corporis eius relate
antyochie.  iacent in cymiterio extra portam dafnyticam ad gloriam
Domini...Amen."

29.  ff. 210r-217v St. Achatius.  BHL 20 (explicit:  21, 22).

30.  ff. 217v-235v St. Paula.  BHL 6548.

31.  ff. 235v-238v St. Barbara.  BHL 917.

32.  ff. 238v-245v Sts. Lucy and Geminianus.  BHL 4985.

Parchment (thick, furry; many leaves repaired), ff. i (paper) + 245 + i 
(paper), 247 x 175 (174 x 111) mm. 29 long lines.  Double horizontal and single
vertical bounding lines, with three horizontal rulings through center of 
written space.  Prominent prickings in upper, lower and outer margins, with
double prickings in outer margins for three medial horizontal rulings.
I 2, II 8, III 10 (-2, 8, no loss of text), IV-XXX 8, XXXI 12 (-2; no
loss of text).  Quires signed with bold Roman numerals between dots, along
lower edge, verso.  Remains of more modest signatures and catchwords along
lower edge, verso (e.g., f. 34v).
Written by multiple scribes in early gothic book hand, above top
line; an early hand has sporadically added running headlines and
some notes in lead.
Red and medium blue split initials with penwork designs in red and/or blue
on ff. 3r, 107r, 194r, 217v; red and/or blue initials, most lacking penwork
designs, appear for major text divisions; initial on f. 139r in red and
yellow.  Numerous smaller initials in green, red, blue and
sometimes yellow, a few with simple void designs or in ink of a
contrasting color.  Rubrics throughout, some written perpendicular to text
when there was insufficient space.  Numbers and initial letters for chapter
lists in red, blue, yellow and/or green.  Remains of guide letters and notes
to rubricator.
Binding:  Flanders or France, s. xv [?].  Wooden boards with a faint 
rectangular panel design on each board; fastenings may be later additions? 
Original sewing on  double cords.  Remains of tawed skin saddle stitched
around the tail endband and brown leather added at the head.  Paper pastedowns
and flyleaves added later.  Traces of corner fittings from an earlier binding
on first and last parchment leaves.

Written in Flanders or Northeastern France at the of the 12th or beginning of 
the 13th century; according to F. Dolbeau (op. cit., p. 43) the manuscript can
probably be attributed to an Augustinian house of canons regular in the
ancient region of Lotharingia (see also arts. 3 and 13).  Early provenance
otherwise unknown.  Inscription, s. xvii-xviii, on f. 1r:  "Vita Sanctorum
Nr. 5219."  Modern note, in pencil, on front pastedown [bis]:  "Gf6/24."
From the library of the ducs d'Arenberg; for a discussion of this collection
see C. Lemaire, "La bibliotheque des Dukes of Arenberg, une premiere approche,"
Liber amicorum Herman Liebaers 1984 (Brussels, 1984) pp. 81-106 (Marston MS
267 cited on p. 104).  Purchased from H. P. Kraus (notes on rear
pastedown; Cat. 85, no. 117) by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  sanatur

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 95, no. 267.

Barbara A. Shailor