FORMULA NOVITIORUM, ETC.

MRJ number
84
College classmark
D.9

    Vellum, 9.75 x 6.75, ff. 260. 42-46 lines to a page.  14th cent., closely

written in ugly hand.                                                          2 fo. assuescere.          

    Donor, T. C. S.

    Old binding, skin over boards, strap and pin gone.

    Collation: 114 - 314 (8 canc.) 412 512 616 (15 canc.) 78 (wants 6) 810 912 - 1112

1210 138 1414 | 1510 168 - 198 2010 - 2210 238 248 258 (wants 8).

    At each end is a fragment of a book containing hymns to the Virgin and music (xiii-xiv).

    On f. 1a: List of contents, capitula of the first treatise, and notes.

    Contents:

        1.  Formula nouiciorum    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .      f.  1b

             Primo considerare debes quare ueneris et ad quid ueneris

               (CLXXXIV 1189).

             Ends f. 59b: pro acceptis uel promissis que nobis concedat

               deus qui ui. et reg. in sec. sec.  Amen.

        2.  De amore dei sec.  Bernardum (B. de diligendo deo )     .         .         .        59b

             Uenite ascendamus ad montem domini (CLXXXIV 367)

                   -tibi gloria in secula.  Amen.  Expl. lib. b. Bern. de

                    dilig. deo.  Deo gr.

             Capitula of no. 1     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         64

        3.  Another hand.

             Hec est littera fratris uenturi de ordine predic. quam misit

                cuidam Rogero canonico s. ffrideswyde Oxon. vicio uel

                infirmitate blasphemie laboranti. et fuit missa de ciuitate

                bono(nia)   .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .          65

             Fratri Rogero dilecto in christo fr. venturus

                   -te orationibus adiuuabo.  Valeas semper in Chr. Ihesu

                    tocius seculi saluatore.  Amen.

             Note from Gregory in another hand.

        4.  First hand

             Horilogium sapientie (by Henricus Suso)    .         .         .         .         .         .   67

             Sentite de domino in bonitate

                   -in decore tuo conspicientes.  I. c. d. n. qui cum p. et sp. s.

                    uiuis et reg. deus per omn. s. s.  Amen.  Expl. horilog.

                    sap. fratris A. ord. pred. domus C. deo gr.  (Another like

                    copy in Bodl. Rawlinson A. 372.)

             Inc. cursus de eterna sapientia   .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  133

             Quicunque desiderat sapientiam eternam

                   -corda et corpora nostra.  Amen.  Expl. horilog. diuine

                    sapientie.  Deo gr.

             Notes from Bernard super Cantica.  Ps. Aug. on Psalter.

               Cassiodorus       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     135b

        5.  Epistola S. Macharii Abbatis (LXVII 1173, P. G. XXXIV

               405-443)   .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     136

             In primis quidem cum ceperit homo semet ipsum agnoscere

                   -non poterit precepta seruare spiritus sancti.

        6.  Exortacio S. Johannis heremite ad patres contra uicium iactancie                       137b

             Graue est iactancie uicium

                   -qui saluum me faceret a pusillo animo et tempestate.

                    Expl.

        7.  Inc. extractus compendiosus in uitas patrum     .         .         .         .         .         .  138b

             Interrogauit abbas pambo abbatem antonium.

             Ends (de humilitate 2o): Legitur de S. bern(ardo) quod totus

               mundus non potuit ipsum erigere…inuenisse gaudebat et

               in propriam cecidisse personam.  Expl.

        8.  Inc. liber S. Athanasii ad exhortacionem monachorum uel

               religiosorum    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  161b 

             Etsi quid gloriari in christo licet (XVIII 71)

                   -in karitate fiant. et deus pacis erit uobiscum.  Amen deo

                    gracias.

        9.  Further extracts from Vitae Patrum     .         .         .         .         .         .         .        164

             165b blank.

 II.  10.  Tabula martiniana super Decreta          .         .         .         .         .         .         .       166

             Abbas negligens.

             Ends f. 260a.  Zelanda es salus

                  -inscripturis xi 91 sacerdotibus.

Manuscript extra information

Regarding the musical fragments see A. Wathey, Manuscripts of polyphonic music: supplement 1 to RISM B 4 1-2, the British Isles, 1100-1400 (Munchen, 1993), pp. 17-20.

MS. D.9 item 1 and G.2 item 4 are both complete three book texts of David of Augsburg, De exterioris and interioris hominis compositione (often known by the title of the first book, as Formula noviciorum). Both also seem related to the version of De … compositione from which the Middle English translation was made.  See P. S. Jolliffe, 'A check list of Middle English prose writings of spiritual guidance', Medieval Studies 2 (1974).  The full Latin text is also to be found in Corpus Christi College MS 256, and in Durham Cathedral MS B.IV.42.

Item 4 is said to be one of the earliest extant manuscripts of Henry Suso of English origin.

On item 4 see:

W. Wichgraf, 'Suso's Horologium Sapientiae in England nach MSS des 15 Jarhunderts', Archiv 169 (1939), 181.

E. Armstrong, Heinrich Suso in England: an edition of the 'Ars Moriendi', from 'The seven points of true love' (unpublished PhD thesis, Indiana University, 1966), pp. 39 and 72.

R. Lovatt, 'Henry Suso and the Medieval mystical tradition in England', in M. Glasscoe (ed.), The Medieval mystical tradition in England: papers read at Dartington Hall, July 1982 (Exeter, 1982), p. 49.

P. Künzle, Henrich Seuses Horologium sapientiae, first critical edition (Freiburg, 1977), p. 128.