Trinity Hall : St. Ambrose De virginibus

Trinity Hall

<p style='text-align: justify;'>This manuscript written in the 11th and 12th centuries, is a collection of works concerning virginity, starting with St. Ambrose's <i>De virginibus</i>, (On Holy Virginity). St. Ambrose (340-397 AD), was a church politician and Bishop of Milan. His treatise praises female virgins, in particular the Virgin Mary, with the hope of recruiting other Christian women to the ascetic life.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The provenance of the manuscript is unknown, but James (1907) thought that it was likely to have some connection with Canterbury, however this is rejected by Ker (1961). A particularly interesting aspect of this manuscript is that there have been additions made in pencil by a different hand at a much later date, all the way up to the 16th century. These include annotations in Middle English <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(99);return false;'>(fol. 46r)</a> and prayers written in Latin from the 13th century <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(105);return false;'>(fol. 49r).</a></p>