Beinecke MS 699
Germany, s. XII
Augustinus, Enarrationes in Psalmos

1. ff. 1r-139v	Incipit de psalmo CXXXIIII: Laudate nomen Domini. Valde dulce nobis esse debet 
et dulce nobis esse gaudendum est, quo nos psalmus iste cohortatur. Dicit enim: Laudate nomen 
Domini ... et quia sapere secundum carnem mors est: omnis spiritus laudet Dominum.

St. Augustine (Aurelius Augustinus), Enarrationes in Psalmos 134-150. CPL 283; E. Dekkers, J. 
Fraipont, edd., CC, v. 40 (1956, 2nd ed. 1990), pp. 1937-2196. Contemporary corrections in the 
margins.

2. f. 140r	Qui sanctorum merita religiosa karitate miratur quique iustorum glorias frequenti 
laude colloquitur, eorum mores sanctos imitetur ... feliciter vincit qui proficiscens e mundo 
diabolum, quem in presenti devicit, in futuro cum Domino iudicabit.

First half of Ps.-Iohannes Chrysostomus, Sermo de martyribus, CPL 934; ed. PLS, v. 4, 738-739.

3. ff. 140v-141v	De Conceptione sanctae Mariae in prima Vespera super Psalmo 
Antiphona. Gaude mater ecclesya nova frequentans gaudia, lux micat de caligine, rosa de spin? 
germine ... 

Antiphons for the feast of the Conception of the Virgin (8 Dec.), with neumatic notation. In the 
outer margins the Psalm formulas are indicated by letters or letter groups in circles or rectangles: 
"a. - e. - v.b. - yd"; "a. - e. - ik. -oc. -.v.", etc.


Parchment, ff. 141, 227 x 195 mm. The outer side of the quires is hair side. Holes, original repairs 
and sometimes irregular lower edges. There is an error in the modern foliation: two consecutive 
leaves are numbered 84 (= ff. 84 and 84bis).

I-XVII8 (ff. 1-135), XVIII4 (ff. 136-139), XIX2 (ff. 140-141). Quire-marks from "I" to "XVIII" 
in the middle of the lower margin; the quire-mark is missing on f. 48v (quire VI).

In quires I-XVIII pricking in the upper, outer and lower margins and hard-point ruling on the hair 
sides for one column of 30 lines above top line, 185/187 x 118/120 mm. Ruling type 36. In quire 
XIX f. 140r (art. 2) has the same layout, f. 140v (first page of art. 3) has 21 lines of text, f. 141 
(continuation of art. 3) has 31/32 lines of text.

Copied in Praegothica: art. 1 is apparently the work of one scribe, A; B copied art. 2, C copied 
art. 3, adopting a smaller size on f. 140 to save space. Neumatic notation in art. 3.

Headings in red. Art. 1 has plain initials (Capitalis, c. 4 lines) in red, followed by a word in 
Capitalis/Uncialis. The book opens with an 8-line Romanesque decorated initial in red and black. 
Art. 2 opens with a black capital followed by two words in Capitalis. Art. 3 is decorated with 1-
line initials in black with heightening in red and opens with a 4-line red plain initial.

Early (probably original) binding in porkskin over heavy unbevelled wooden boards. The covers 
are blind-tooled with fillets and. On the front cover the fillets make a St. Andrews cross, at a 
later time decorated with trees in Lederschnitt, countless small circular stamps and a few stars 
(?); the rear cover, with fillets in lozenge pattern, has only the circular stamps and the stars. Spine 
with three raised bands.On each cover marks of five brass and iron bosses. Two clasps attached 
to the rear cover. At the top of the front cover an original paper library label with the title (partly 
rewritten) "Expositio beati Augustini super Psalmo CXXXIIII et deinceps usque ad finem". The 
binding is strengthened by means of parchment strips  placed around the first quire and taken 
from a s. XIII Latin manuscript.

On the front paste-down the handwritten s. XX ownership-mark: "van Aalst. Gilze / Holland - A 
306 - HS." Purchased on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund.

Albert Derolez

R 19.02.09