Add MS 41341

THEOLOGICAL TRACTS in Latin, as follows:-

(1) 'Incipit vnus nouus tractatus qui intitulatur flores auctoritatum atque dictorum sanctorum que ad diuersas ymo quasi ad omnes materias sunt applicate sicud inferius patebit': a compilation in three parts of extracts from the Fathers (Augustine, Jerome, etc.) and occasionally from Aristotle and Cicero, grouped under headings. St Bernard, frequently quoted, is the latest author. Beg. 'Qvoniam non omnes exercitatos habent sensus'. ff. 1-16.

(2) 'Declamaciones Senece bene et pulcre moralizate edite a fratre Nicholao Triuet ordinis predicatorum' (so the explicit on f. 26): a selection in 28 sections of the Excerpta from the Controversiae of Annaeus Seneca the elder, with moralizations. Beg. 'In ciuitate atheniensi fuit constituta talis lex. Cecus de puplico'. There seems to be small, if any, connection with the Commentary of Nicholas Trivet (d. 1328) on the Excerpta as preserved in Royal MS. 15 C. xii, or with another set of moralizations preserved in Royal MS. 8 G. ii, ff. 93-97b, and Add. MS. 16584, ff. 28-34b. Words like 'burgensis', 'bastardus' and 'guerra' indicate the level of vulgarisation and simplification. ff. 16-26.

(3) 'Incipit opusculum de pugna spirituali': a series of 45 Lenten sermons on the Gospels, printed in the works of St Bernardino of Siena (Opera, ed. J. de la Haye, iii, I745, pp. 69- 118), but not authentic (cf. K. Hefele, Der Hl. Bernhardin von Siena und die franziskanische Wanderpredigt in Italian, p. 94). The date of the present MS. would alone disprove the attribution. The text is much abbreviated and vulgarised in comparison with the printed edition, but occasionally preserves better readings, e.g. 'Rex Assiriorum Sardinapolus' (f. 28b) for 'Rex Sardiniae nomine Pollio' (p. 71). Text begins: 'Dixit ihesus discipulis... Quamuis tota vita nostra'. Between the last words on f. 77 b, 'Apoc. x', and the first words of f. 78, 'pulcher es', there is a considerable gap (cf. pp. 113-114 of the printed text). Followed (ff. 84-90) by an index beg. 'Ad inuendum (sic) facilius huius opusculi materias'. ff. 26-83 b. Vellum; ff. i + 90. 9 5/8 in. x 7 1/8 in. XIV cent. Of the ten gatherings five are of 12, the rest irregular, with catchwords. Double columns; f. 65 is a half leaf, with one column only. Illuminated initials in Italian style at the beginning of artt. 1 and 3. No. 901 in Catalogue Nine (N.S.) of J. and J. Leighton.