A Descriptive Catalogue of the McClean Collection of Manuscripts in the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge Library Collection)

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A Descriptive Catalogue of the McClean Collection of Manuscripts in the Fitzwilliam Museum M. R. James (1862-1936) is probably best remembered as a writer of chilling ghost stories, but he was an outstanding scholar of medieval literature and palaeography, who served both as Provost of King’s College, Cambridge, and as Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and many of his stories reflect his academic background. His descriptive catalogues of manuscripts owned by colleges, cathedrals and museums are still of value to researchers today. This volume describes the McClean Collection, bequeathed to the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1904 by Frank McClean, a Victorian polymath who was a civil engineer by profession but also pursued scientific research and the collection of antiquities, including the 201 manuscripts and 230 early printed books now in the Fitzwilliam Museum. The book is illustrated with 108 plates showing folios from the collection.

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A Descriptive Catalogue of the McClean Collection of Manuscripts in the Fitzwilliam Museum Montague R h odes James

C A M B R I D G E U N I V E R SI T Y P R E S S Cambridge New York Melbourne Madrid Cape Town Singapore São Paolo Delhi Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108003094 © in this compilation Cambridge University Press 2009 This edition first published 1912 This digitally printed version 2009 ISBN 978-1-108-00309-4 This book reproduces the text of the original edition. The content and language reflect the beliefs, practices and terminology of their time, and have not been updated.

INTRODUCTION. IN the present catalogue an attempt is made to give by means of both description and illustration a comprehensive idea of the two hundred manuscripts which form a part of the great benefaction of the late Mr Frank McClean to the Fitzwilliam Museum. A part only, for in addition to the manuscripts he bequeathed early printed books, ivories, enamels, gems, and other objects of artistic interest. Nor must it pass unmentioned in this place that his magnificent collection of Greek coins, bequeathed by him to his eldest son, has by the generosity of that son become likewise the property of the Museum. The name of McClean must always hold a foremost place in the list of our benefactors. The catalogue of the Fitzwilliam Museum manuscripts issued in 1895 describes 239 items. Acquisitions made between that year and the end of 1904 raised the number of manuscripts in the Museum to about 300. Then came the McClean bequest of 203 volumes. As has been truly said, it almost doubled our possessions in this department. This was in itself a great matter. 1 had ventured, in the preface to the former catalogue, to appeal to the owners of illuminated manuscripts to think of our Museum as an appropriate place for their preservation, but I had hardly dared to hope that any single benefactor would make so magnificent a response as did Mr McClean. As to the date of formation of the collection, and its sources, the particulars which it has been possible to collect will be found brought together in a table of the manuscripts which follows this Preface. A good many of the Horae, it appears, were bought as early as 1889: but the bulk of the collection was formed between 1895 and 1903 or 1904. The names of some leading Italian booksellers figure largely in the list of sources, and so do those of the great English collectors. Sir Thomas Phillipps is foremost

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INTRODUCTION.

of these: the collections of Ashburnham, Bateman, Libri, Goldsmid, Morris, are also represented. The earlier provenances of the books have of course been noted ; there are books from Weissenau, Weingarten, Tegernsee, Treves, Morimund, Clermont-Ferrand, Durham, Lincoln, Lanthony ; but, as is natural in the case of a collection largely composed of books of private devotion, we find that private individuals form the majority of the original owners. The McClean Collection is especially valuable to us in regard of its variety. It contains examples of many styles of writing and of decoration of which we previously had no specimen. Very few of our manuscripts were earlier than the thirteenth century: we now have examples of all centuries from the ninth onwards. We have, besides, gained for the first time specimens of Greek calligraphy, uncial and minuscule, of early German and Spanish bookdecoration : beautiful examples of Italian and French work of several periods, and at least one very interesting unfinished English example, have been added to our former possessions. Moreover, the contents of the books are in many cases of high interest. This is especially true of the vernacular texts: already some of these have been examined by students with important results. One may hope that the publication of this catalogue will bring further elucidators of our treasures. The arrangement and the scope of this catalogue demand some explanation. I have classified the manuscripts according to their subject, as the annexed synopsis will show: I.

Biblical MSS. (Greek and Latin). These include Evangelistaria, etc., and glossed books, as well as whole Bibles or portions of Bibles. The versified Bible of Petrus de Riga is also included.

II. Liturgical Books. These are headed by the Psalters 1 . Then follow Missals (Benedictional, Processional, Episcopal Offices), Antiphoners, Breviaries, Horae. The last named (of which there are 34 specimens) are arranged under countries—Italy, Spain, France, England, the Netherlands. This division ends with three books which may be classed as Passionals. 1

No. 38, though containing the Psalter, should more properly have been classed with the Breviaries.

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III. Theology. This large class I have arranged according to the language of the texts, thus : (a) Latin, Patristic and Medieval, (6) French, (c) English. IV. Law. Canon Law, Civil and Common Law. To the legal texts I have subjoined a Confraternity Book and some Patents of Nobility, and Diplomas. V. Secular Literature. Divided again according to language: (a) Latin, (6) Italian, (c) French, (d) English, (