99vĬopies of the Marvels were apparently produced throughout Europe, but only three survive, all of Anglo-Saxon origin. These include the works of Isidore of Seville, St Augustine, Virgil and Pliny, and other texts of ultimately classical origin.ĭetail of miniatures of two-headed snakes and deadly horned donkeys, from the Marvels of the East, England, 4th quarter of the 10th century, Cotton MS Vitellius A XV, f. It is a composite work of long and complicated pedigree, although scholars have been able to track down a number of its sources. The Marvels of the East (sometimes called The Wonders of the East) is a unique and fascinating text which first appeared in the 4th or 5th century. Besides Beowulf, the manuscript includes some texts from St Augustine, The Homily on St Christopher (now incomplete), the Letter of Alexander to Aristotle, the poem Judith, and a number of others as well as the subject of today’s post, The Marvels of the East.ĭetail of a miniature of gold-digging ants in the land of Gorgoneus, from the Marvels of the East, England, 4th quarter of the 10th century, Cotton MS Vitellius A XV, f. Paleographical and codicological evidence suggests that these seemingly disparate bits were intended as part of a coherent whole, with a single scribe writing the bulk of the material. But Cotton MS Vitellius A XV is in fact a composite codex, made up of a number of different parts, many in Old English. ![]() We recently announced – to great fanfare and excitement – the digitisation of the Beowulf manuscript the famous Cotton MS Vitellius A XV can be viewed online in its entirety.Īlthough the manuscript has gone by a number of names over the course of its long history, it is most frequently referred to as the Beowulf manuscript in reference to the renowned poem, beloved of Anglo-Saxonists and English students alike. ![]() Detail of the opening words of Beowulf, beginning 'Hwæt' ('Listen!), from Beowulf, England, 4th quarter of the 10th century, Cotton MS Vitellius A XV, f.
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