VAL. MAXIMUS, ETC. WILLIAM OF RAMSEY
Vellum, 9.75 x 7.5, ff. 297 + 1, 39 lines to a page. 14th cent., in a good
clear hand.
Donor, T. C. S. Priced 3li. The volume has been rebound and the original entry has gone.
From St Augustine's, Canterbury, as is shown by the following inscriptions:
liber monastorii S. Aug. anglicum apostoli
D.10. G.6. C.C.
liber de adquisicione M. Joh. de londone in quo continentur infrascripta de librario
S. Aug. Cant. D.10. g. 6.
See Ancient Libraries, p. 297, no. 937, and p. 519.
On flyleaf, R. Benet (cf. C.9).
Collation: 1 flyleaf, 112 - 712 810 912 - 1112 (12 canc.) 1214 1314 146 (4-6 canc.)|
1512 - 1812 196 2014 218 | 2212 2312 2414 256 2612 278 (wants 6-8).
Old list of contents on flyleaf.
Ancient marginal corrections are frequent.
Contents:
1. Inc. prol. Valerii Maximi ad tiberium imp. . . . . . f. 1
Urbis rome exterarumque
-summatim disseram. Expl. prol.
Capitula libri primi.
Valerii Maximi memorabilium dictorum et factorum lib. 1 inc. . . 1
Maiores statas (margin statutas)
-supplicio coegit. Expl. nonus lib. Val. Max. de dict. et
fact. memorabilibus (86b). 87a blank.
2. Inc. Solinus de mirabilibus mundi . . . . . . . 87b
Julius solinus constantio suo sal. Cum et aurium clemencia
-prosequimur fide.
Capitula.
Sunt qui uideri uelint.
Lib. VI ends 129 (131)b: insularum qualitate. Iulius solinus
expl. feliciter.
3. Sexti Iulii Frontini strategemation liber primus inc. . . . . 130 (132)
Cum ad instruendam rei militaris
-pedestri prelio uicti sunt. Julii Frontini strategematon
lib. IIIJ. Expl.
160 (167)b blank.
4. Poliistor deflorationum Willelmi . . . . . . . 161 (168)
This is by William of Ramsey according to Bale (who seems
later to have identified him with W. of Croyland: see Bale's
Index). Leland saw a copy in the library of St. Paul's Cathedral.
Bishop Stubbs, Gesta Regum, Introd. 1, suggests that William
of Malmesbury is the author. In the Harleian manuscript
(3969) the present work is accompanied by an abridgment
of several grammatical tracts made by William of Malmes-
bury, and doubtless he was a diligent and learned compiler
and epitomizer as well as historian.
The Harleian copy, which wants the first leaves, was the only
one known to Bishop Stubbs. It once belonged to Emmanuel
College. This fact I ascertained after my Catalogue of the
Emmanuel MSS. was published.
Prol. Amico suo Guthlaco Wilelmus. Quia me consulendum
putasti quinam libri gentilium qui apud nos sunt uel ad
bone uite institutum legendi essent, breutier respondeo.
Hermes trimegistus quem b. Aug. in libris de ciuitate dei
et in sermone contra v hereses predicat ad persuadendum
hominibus unius dei cultum omni nititur instancia que est
prima sapientia nisi quod more gencilium quosdam deos
uocat quos tamen a summo deo factos non negat. Tullius
in libris de senectute et amicicia et officiis de uirtutibus et
uiciis utiliter disputat et fortasse in aliquibus aliis. Sed ego de
illis solis loquor quorum possessione glorior. Libri senece
omnes preter apotheosin de nece claudii et de causis quot
pene uerbis tot commodis referti sunt. hos ergo bone uite
proposito congruos lege. reliqui minus professioni conueniunt
tue. Nam aut furores intonant ut tullius in uectiuis et
philippicis, aut armant eloquium ut idem in rethoricis, aut
questiones inanes uentilant ut idem in omnibus achademicis.
Veruntamen ne quibusdam relacionibus quas gentiles suis
inserunt scriptis fraudareris non solum de illis sed et de
christianis quedam collegi et in uno uolumine compegi que
essent et lectioni iocunda et memorie fructuosa. hoc ideo ut
cum ex illis quos nominaui sententiarum copia lassatus fueris,
in istis reclineris. Illud te intelligere par est, neminem me
de historicis uellicasse, quorum omnis ad hoc laborat intentio
ut sua insignant (!) scripta memoriali aliquo dicto uel facto.
Illos modo deflorare libuit qui furtim et transeunter hec suis
indiderunt libris. Si hec non sufficiunt, lege ualerium et
solinum, quorum alter de memora(bi)libus dictorum et fac-
torum, alter de memora(bi)libus locorum scripsit. Habes
ergo librum multiplicis ma(te)rie qui et instruat propositum
et oblectet animum. in quo preter colleccionis industriam
nichil reperies meum nisi quod quedam plinii uel breuiaui
propter compendium uel mutaui propter faciliorem intel-
lectum. sane monitum te uolo ut miracula et denunciaciones
ueras demonum dei attribuas paciencie qui tolerat eos esse
tante potentie.
Ex libris ciceronis. Rethorica, de natura deorum, de diuina-
cione, academica.
Ex libro plinii naturalis historie. Libb. I-XVI, little from the
rest . . . . . . . . . . f. 164 (171)b
De a gellio noctium atticarum . . . . . . 171 (178)b
Septem miracula mundi . . . . . . . 176 (183)b
De Victruuio . . . . . . . . 176 (183)b
Hactenus gentiles compilauimus. nunc christianos intueamur, etc. 178 (185)
Tertullian (Apol.).
De cipriano . . . . . . . . . 179 (186)b
Ex Ambrosio . . . . . . . . . 179 (186)b
Ex ieronimo . . . . . . . . . 181 (188)
Ex Augustino . . . . . . . . 184 (191)b
Isidore . . . . . . . . . . 191 (198)
Macrobius . . . . . . . . . 191 (198)
Iul. Firmicus . . . . . . . . 191 (198)b
Seneca . . . . . . . . . . 192 (199)
Quedam olim in isto polihistore nostro de diuersis auctoribus
memorabilia dicta et facta inseruimus. nunc quoque diligentius
eisdem uel aliis perlectis plura inuectemus . . . . 195 (202)
Temistocles fertur seriphio cuidam, etc.
Cicero de amic. de officiis . . . . . . . 196 (203)
Ex ieronimo . . . . . . . . 198 (205)
Augustine 206, 213; Cassiodorus, Cassianus, Jerome 206, 213b.
Cic. de fato 207 (214).
Ex seneca de beneficiis 207 (214), (Laberius 211 (218)).
(Miracula Britanniae.) Primum miraculum est stangnum
lummoniu . . . . . . . . . 213 (220)
ending: finibus cosmi. Two other marvels follow.
Hand changes f. 214 (221).
de libro Apulegii Madaurensis de deo Socratis . . . 214 (221)
Ex libro epistolarum plinii secundi . . . . . 215 (222)b
Cicero (?) 217 (224). Cum senatui gratias egit 224b. Idem cum
populo gratias egit ibid. Idem de domo sua ibid. Item inp.
uaticinium testem (=in P. Vatinium) 218 (225b). In senatu
de prouinciis consularibus ibid. pro. cornelio balbo 226.
(Titles omitted in three cases.)
Gaii sollinii apollinarius sydonii epistolarum excerpta . . . 220 (227)
Lib. senece inc. de beneficiis . . . . . . . 223 (230)
De libro tusculianum m. t. ciceronis . . . . . . 224 (231)b
Agellii noxium dicta . . . . . . . . 226 (233)b
Anon. 228 (235). Exc. de libro epistolarum ennodii ibid.
Ends 229 (236b). Debet humilitare potentissimos optata
sublimitas.
The above are all the titles I can detect.
5. Probae Faltoniae centones Virgiliani . . . . . . 229 (236)b
Proba uxor adelphi, etc.- laudamus diligentiam
In I Georg. Iamdudum temerasse duces pia federa pacis
(XIX 803). …
In III En. Hac casti maneant in relligione parentes.
Expl. lib. probe uxoris adelphi proconsulis.
6. Inc. prouerbia diuersorum auctorum per alphabetum . . . 237 (244)
Amor ociose causa sollicitudinis est.
Authorities are quoted in the margin. Trimogestus uel Veiecius
is frequent. The latest works quoted seem to be Architrenius,
Bernardinus. We also have Remigius, Secundus philosophus,
Aristot. in ethica. The ordinary Latin poets are much used.
Martial is always Martialis cocus.
Ends 281 (288)b: Vita est processio emanans a primo ente
quiete et sempiterno (Aristotle).
7. Liber metamorphoseos .i. transformacionum . . . . . 281 (288)b
Cum omnis generis humani eiusdem creatoris.
A prose analysis of the Metamorphoses, ending 296 (303).
Cui augustus non minor uirtute in regnum successit.
8. In another hand: Tabula super nouem libros Vale[le]rii de
memorabilibus mundi . . . . . . . . 296 (303)b
297 (304)b blank.
Negative microfilm in St John's College Library.
D. M. Schullian, 'A preliminary list of manuscripts of Valerius Maximus' in Studies in honor of B. L. Ullman (1960), 81-95.
Item 3 see Janet Martin, 'John of Salisbury's manuscript of Frontinus and of Gellius', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 40 (1977).
R. H. Rouse and M. A. Rouse, 'The Florilegium angelicum: its origin, content, and influence', in J. J. G. Alexander and M. T. Gibson (eds), Medieval learning and literature: essays presented to Richard William Hunt (Oxford, 1976), 66-114.
Carla Fini, Il censimento dei codici di Ennodio. Pisa, Roma: Istituti Editoriali e Poligrafici Internazionali, 2000. p. 42.
Carla Fini, 'Su un florilegio in Oxford, Bodleian Library, Add.C.12'. Sileno rivista di studi classici e cristiani, Anno XIX N. 1-2, Gennaio-Dicembre 1993, 437-440.