Ps. ARISTOTELES. MATHEMATICA, ETC.

MRJ number
155
College classmark
F.18

    Vellum, 7 x 5, ff. 138, 37, etc. lines to a page.  15th cent., closely written.

Vellum wrapper.

    Given by W. Beale.                                                                   2 fo. persoluant.

    Collation: 112 28 (8 canc.) 38 410 (10 canc.) 5 consists of 33 leaves being perhaps a quire of 22 with several insertions 66 (6 canc.) 78 810 98 1010 1112 128 138 (8 stuck to cover).

 

    Contents:

        1.  Aristotelis Epistola ad Alexandrum     .               .               .               .               .               f. 1

             Aristotiles alexandro bene agere

                 -habundas ex hiis libris tibi scriiptis.  Vale.

             Tria sunt genera ciuilium sermonum                    .               .               .               .                   2

        2.  Aristoteles de Secretis           .               .               .               .               .               .                 2b

             Proll.  (a) Domino suo excellentissimo.

                        (b) Deus omnipotens custodiat regem     .               .               .               .                   3b

                        (c)  Johannes qui transtulit         .               .               .               .               .                   4b

             Text.  O ffili gloriosissime      .               .               .               .               .               .                   4b

             Ends imperfectly f. 27b in Lib. iv c.2 de intelligenciis.

        3.  Alexandri de Villa dei algorismus cum commento              .               .               .                   28

             Hec algorismus ars presens dicitur in qua.

             Ends unfinished 29b.  Two blank leaves with a few late notes.

             (Halliwell, Rara mathematica, etc.)

        4.  De septem vitiis       .               .               .               .               .               .               .                    32

             Superbia.  Superbia est tumor animi.

             Ends 36a: a concepcione uiolenta repulsio.   Expl.

             On 37a, 8 verses.

                                                dilectus

                 Dum tacitus amatus eram sed  prodiga lingua

                 Me fecit exosum.  ve tibi lingua loquax, etc.

             Below: 1455. 28. 8.

             Other memorial verses on 37b.

        5.  Joh. de Sacro Bosco Tractatus de sphaera         .               .               .               .                    38

             Begins imperfectly: in superficie terre transieris.

             Ends: mundi machina dissoluetur.  Expl. tract. de spera.

                 Thomas. (Amen). ffinito libro, etc.

             On 40b notes.

        6.  Double columns.  Expositio nominum contentorum in theorica

                 planetarum           .               .               .               .               .               .               .               .     41

             Expos. nomin. contingentium circa motum solis.

             Zodiacus circulus signorum, etc.

             Ends: Latitudo ciuitatis est altitudo poli super orizontem.

             42b blank.

        7.  De planetis metrice .               .               .               .               .               .               .         43

             Est tua saturne domus eglocerantis (aegocerontis) et urne

             Vnde ioui dona pisces sunt atque chirona.

             Ends 49b.  Vnica tunc tibi sunt que sunt iam dupla relicta.

        8.  De usu astrolabii (?)               .               .               .               .               .               .               .         50

             Si volueris scire gradum solis pone regulam.

             Ends 55b.  56a blank.

             On 56b.  The Greek alphabet with the numeral equivalents:

                 ignorantly written: below, a classification of the letters with     

                 vowels, semivowels, etc. and 'mistice': these last are a, w, u, q, t.

        9.  f. 57 is a  folding leaf with a diagram of the Zodiac.

             On the verso are rhyming verses:

                 Scrutatur astrologus corporum figuras

                 Loca situs orbium polos et mensuras

                 Axes centra circulos auges et iacturas

                 Gradus motus tempora vices et naturas, etc.

             On 58a diagram of constellations.  On 58b lists of stars in the

                 Zodiac, etc.

       10. De geometria            .               .               .               .               .               .               .               .             59b

             Pro cognicione geometrie nota quod geometria docet.

             With figures.  Ends 61a.  Tantum de geometria.

             Scribble of obligation (xvi) of Jo. Diggens of ‘Dover in the

                 countye of Southampton’ to Rob. Wright of Brampton (Hunts).

       11. Conclusiones (receipts)         .               .               .               .               .               .               .           f. 61b

             Ut omnes flores rubeos et rosas statim possis dealbare.

             62b blank.

       12. De prognosticis aëris             .               .               .               .               .               .               .                 63

             Opusculum istud est de pronosticis aereis. in primo enim

                 determinatur.  Ends imperfectly 69b in ch. iv.

       13. Inc. ludi pulcherimi Salamonis quos mandauit Regine Acrys

                 nobilissime domine quos fecit rex salamon filius regis dauid

                 pulcriores quos poterit pro requestu predicte domine, unde

                 primus sic inc.      .               .               .               .               .               .               .               .                   70

             Aqua ardens de qua si uolueris unum uelamen uel quicquid

                 uolueris sine lesione ardere, etc.

             Ends 71b: Item ut caro cito coquatur.  Radices urtice cum

                 ipsa in lebetem immitte.  ff. 72-74 blank.

       14. Trotula de morbis mulierum   .               .               .               .               .               .                   75

             Cum auctor uniuersitatis

                 -lauet cum aqua tepida.  Expl. lib. factus a muliere

             salernitana que trotula uocatur.

              Beginning of capitula, 89b. 90a blank.

       15. Double columns.  Apocalypsis Goliae (Wright, Poems of W.                                                               90b

                 Mapes, p. 1).

              A tauro torrida

                  -fecisset lubrica.  Expl. Apoc. Mag. Walteri map.

       16. Rethorica  .               .               .               .                               .               .               .                                    93

             Principium naturale est quando res inde incipit unde geri cepit.

             Ends unfinished 96b.

             ff. 97-100 blank save for scribbles.

       17. Summa librorum sententiarum metrice .               .               .               .               .                     101

             Res et signa duo doctrine membra probantur.

                                             . . .

             Sed saciabuntur Christus finis sacaet uos.  Amen.

             Expl. quartus lib. Sent.

       18. Summa causarum Decreti (Gratiani) metrice        .               .               .               .               .            121b

             Hic uideas quid sit diuinum ius hominumque.

             Ends in Causa 36.

             ff. 126b-130 blank.

       19. Mirabilia Orientis    .               .               .               .               .               .               .               .               131

             Reuera admirabile est nomen dei in universa terra.

             Arranged under  nationes, fontes, arbores, montes.

             The last is Mons Tabor.

             Mirabilia Anglie.     .               .               .               .               .               .               .               .               133b

             (1) Ventus egreditur de cauernis in monte qui uocatur peek.

                 (2) "Stonhengels."  (3) Albus equs iuxta oxenford.  (4)

                 Apud Cherterobe .i. Cartecoli concauitas est sub terra, etc.

             The last: Sarchofagus alius intus et pluit nulli homini in mundo

                 est aptus.

       20. Moral notes and extracts       .               .               .               .               .               .               .               134

             Superbia demones fecit ex angelis, etc.

             Ending with Dicta philosophorum (six).

Manuscript extra information

Section 16 is an abbreviated version of the first part of the Documentum de moda et alte dictandi et verseficandi ('tria sunt circa quae') attributed to Geoffrey of Vinsauf.  The St John's MS. is related to the longer version of the treatise.  See Sidney Sussex College 56, Pembroke College 287, British Library Cotton Cleo B VI, Balliol 263, Bodley Seldon Supra 65.

Corpus Christi College 217 follows the shorter version of the Hunterian Museum 511.  See E. Laval, Les Arts Poétiques du XIIe et du XIIIe Siècle (Paris, 1958).  The St John's MS. breaks off at the end of the third of sixteen chapters (II.70 of Laval's edition).

At least part of this MS. appears to have been written by Thomas Lyseux, who studied at Oxford during the first half of the fifteenth century.  See Emden, BRUO 2.1197.  His surname appears at the top of fols 3r and 22r, and his Christian name on the pastedown at the head of the volume and again in an 'explicit' on fol. 40r.  The contents of the MS. suggest that it was written in a university milieu.

On fol. 41, Olaf Pedersen, A Fifteenth Century Glossary of Astronomical Terms, Classica et Mediaevalia, Dissertationes IX (Gyddendal, 1973), copy in St John's College Library.    

On item 14, H. P. Bayon, Section of the History of Medicine, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine Vol. XXXIII (1940).

Negative Microfilm in St John's College Library.