Ælfric, Grammar and Glossary. Ælfric Bata, Colloquia (England, early 10th century)
This Latin textbook has survived for more than a thousand years
This textbook for learning Latin, comprising a grammar, glossary, and classroom exercises, is easily overlooked beside the Library’s more visually striking treasures. Yet, the humble, almost shabby manuscript is an extraordinary survivor from late Anglo-Saxon England, offering a rare insight into how Latin was taught and learned a millennium ago.
The grammar and glossary are the works of Ælfric of Eynsham (c. 950–c.1010), one of the most learned figures of his age and the most prolific Old English author known today. He devoted his life to improving Christian education among monks, clergy, and laypeople alike. His English grammar of Latin – written between about 992 and 1002 – was the first Latin grammar ever composed in a vernacular language. St John’s manuscript is the earliest and most complete copy of this work, followed by the accompanying glossary.
Uniquely, this manuscript also preserves four colloquia – dialogue-based language exercises designed for classroom use. Three of these survive only in this volume. Two were composed by Ælfric Bata, a pupil of Ælfric, while the others are his reworkings of earlier teaching texts. Scholars have suggested that the manuscript may even originate from Bata’s own teaching milieu, though firm evidence remains elusive.
At some point during the Middle Ages, the book reached Durham Cathedral, where it likely remained until the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1611, the manuscript was given to St John’s College by its alumnus Christopher Coles.
The Conservation of MS 154
by Jane Eagan (Former Head of Conservation, Oxford Conservation
Consortium)
place while it dries.
During the nineteenth century, the manuscript was given a poor-quality binding that offered little structural support and made the book difficult to open fully. Worse still, hot animal glue was applied to the spine folds, causing lasting damage to the parchment and accelerating the manuscript’s deterioration.
Given the importance of the text and the cumulative damage caused by this binding, the Library decided to undertake a major conservation project. In 2010, generous funding was secured from the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, enabling extensive repair and a complete rebinding of the volume. The work was carried out by the expert conservators of the Oxford Conservation Consortium and completed in 2014.
The project also ensured the transmission of specialist knowledge. The renowned scholar of early book structures Chris Clarkson advised Jane Eagan, then Head Conservator at the Consortium, on the historically appropriate techniques required for the rebinding. Although the nineteenth-century binding was removed, it was retained as part of the manuscript’s history and is now housed separately in a specially designed case.
Thanks to this conservation work, the grammatical texts of Ælfric and Ælfric Bata can once again be consulted safely. The spine no longer restricts the movement of the leaves, damaged folds have been repaired, and the manuscript is now in a vastly improved condition for readers and researchers alike.
A full digitization of this volume is available at the Digital Bodleian. Find out more about the manuscript in this blog post.