Towards an Understanding of the Lost Exemplar of Augustine's Soliloquia Consulted by the Translator of the Old English Soliloquies

This study examines the textual transmission of Augustine of Hippo’s *Soliloquia* in the early Middle Ages in order to gain a clearer understanding of the lost manuscript exemplar of the *Soliloquia* that was consulted by the translator of the *Old English Soliloquies* around the year 900. Variant readings within the main text of the *Soliloquia* indicate that this lost exemplar was closely related to two surviving *Soliloquia* manuscripts: Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibliothek, MS Aug. CXCV (saec. IX*med*., northeastern Francia); and Brussels, KBR, MS 8558-63, part 1 (saec. X*med*., southern England or Mercia). Many of the variant readings and paratextual features of these two codices were present in the Old English translator’s exemplar and led directly to specific features of the *Old English Soliloquies* that have previously been interpreted as independent interventions by the translator.