Medieval Manuscripts from the National Library of the Czech Republic

The digitisation of the manuscripts from the National Library continued mainly with volumes from the shelf mark V. The oldest digitised manuscript, V.D.20, was copied in the 13th century; it contains the lives of saints. The other codices date from the 14th and 15th centuries. A larger group consists of volumes associated with the university of Prague. These include, for example, philosophical lectures given at its Faculty of Arts (V.E.4c); in 1479, the astronomical volume V.E.4b, containing, among others, the work of Christian of Prachatice, was copied at Reček’s College of the university of Prague; some of the codices come from other university colleges – Charles College and the College of the Bohemian Nation. The medical collection V.C.20 contains the initials of its former owner, the master of the university of Prague Jan Ondřejův, called Šindel. Most codices comprise theological works; exegeses of the Bible are represented, for example, by the works of Hugh of Saint-Cher, Nicholas of Lyra, and another lecturer at the university of Prague, Johann of Lübeck (V.D.14); two manuscripts contain the popular grammar book Derivationes by Hugh of Pisa. Texts of ecclesiastical law are numerically less represented: one manuscript includes a part of the Bible; various sermon collections or individual sermons are more abundant. In 1376, the chronicle of Sicard of Cremona was copied into the codex V.D.16; its later user supplemented it with notes concerning the Czech lands as well. The astrological volume XXIII.D.132 comes from the collections of the former Prague Lobkowicz Library; some of its texts were copied and annotated by the scholar and diplomat Nicholas of Cusa.