Manuscript

British Library, Royal MS 2 C XII

Codicology

Produced: Early 13th century
Current Location: British Library, London, England, UK
Manuscript Type: Miscellany
Bestiary Family: First : B-Is
Language: Latin
Folios: 146
Illustrated: No
Media: Vellum
Dimensions: Height: 33.7 cm Width: 24.1 cm

Description

Liber de natura quorundam animalium et lapidurn et quid significetur per eam (Book on the nature of animals and stones and the significance of each.) The text is in thirty-nine chapters, with a table of headings prefixed. Begins De natura leonis, bestiarum seu animalium regis. This is an early form of the Latin version of the Physiologus, resembling the A-B text printed by Charles Cahier (Mélanges, ii-iv), with the addition of the corresponding passages from Isidore's Etymologiae. The last three articles seem to contain later accretions (cf British Library Stowe MS. 1067, which is free of them), but as a whole it has a simpler and earlier form of text than British Library 12 C. XIX and British Library 12 F. xiii. - [Adapted from the British Library catalog description]

Parts of the text in this manuscript are also found in Newberry Library, MS 31.1 and Houghton Library, MS Typ 101.

Additional Descriptions

None known

Editions and Facsimiles

None known