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.