Harley MS 4348

Honorius Augustodunensis, Apex physicae (attr.) and Imago mundi; late 12th-early 13th cent. Latin. Copies. This volume consists of two different MSS. It includes: - a) Honorius Augustodunensis (attr.), Apex physicae (ff. 1-67v; item 1); - b) Honorius Augustodunensis, Imago mundi (ff. 68v-89), late 12th cent., for which see V. I. J. Flint, 'The place and purpose of the works of Honorius Augustodunensis', Revue Bénédictine, 87 (1977), pp. 97-127, with mention of the present MS. on p. 123; idem, 'Honorius Augustodunensis, Imago mundi', Archives d'Histoire doctrinale et litteraire du Moyen âge, 57 (1982), pp. 7-153; - c) Excerpts (f. 90) from Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda aurea sanctorum sive Lombardica historia, and Hieronymus Eusebius, Epistula ad Paulinum, 14th cent.(?). The cataloguing of this MS. was funded by the Wellcome Trust and only the Apex physicae is itemised in the description. Owned in the 15th cent. by the Benedictine Abbey of St Mary of Martyrs outside the walls at Trier, Germany, its ownership note 'Codex monasterii beate marie ad martyres extra / muros trevirensis ordinis sancti benedicti' and shelfmark '.G.3. .S.3.' on f. 1, lower border: see C. E. Wright, Fontes Harleiani (London, 1972), pp. 332-332, 443. The date and circumstances of the arrival of the MS. in the Harleian collection are unknown and the volume is not mentioned in C. E. Wright and R. C. Wright, The Diary of Humfrey Wanley (London, 1966). Owned by Edward Harley (1689-1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, and possibly by his father Robert Harley (1661-1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician. Bequeathed with the Harleian library to Edward's widow, countess Henrietta, née Cavendish Holles (1694-1755), during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (1715-1785), duchess of Portland. Sold with the other Harley manuscripts by the countess and the duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum. The Harleian manuscripts became part of the collections of the British Library on its establishment in 1973. Harley shelfmarks '127.A.25/4348' in brown ink and 'I/III B' in pencil on f. i. Described in A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum (London, 1808-1812), iii, p. 137; M.-O. Garrigues, 'L'Apex physicae, une encyclopédie du XII^e siècle', Mélanges de l'École Française de Rome. Moyen Age - Temps modernes, 87 (1975), p. 306 and passim; V. I. J. Flint, 'Honorius Augustodunensis...', cit. above, pp. 24-25.

Parchment; ff. ii+90. Modern foliation in pencil '1-90' (followed here; f. 89v blank). circa 185 x 115mm. The MS. is composite and consists of 2 codicological units (1-67, 68-90) of different origin. Gatherings: first unit i^8?, ii⁸, iii¹⁰, iv-vii⁸, viii^10-1 (first missing); second unit ix-x⁸, xi^8-1 (fifth missing). Pricked and ruled in metal point (respectively double and single vertical bounding lines) for single columns of 35 or 39-40 lines. Texts above top line. Written in brown and black ink in protogothic scripts. Large initial (4 lines; f. 1) in silver (almost all effaced) with blue infill. Initials (1-3 lines) and rubrics in red throughout. With decorated tables (ff. 26-27v, 48) and diagrams (ff. 23v, 66v) in red ink, and traces of a volvelle (f. 90v, unfinished?). Original repairs to parchment flaws, passim. Harley binding on mottled brown leather over pasteboards with blind- and gilt-tooled decoration possibly attributable to Jane Steel: roll and tools similar to Steel's roll no. 1 and tools nos. 3 and 7 reproduced in Nixon, 'Harleian Bindings', in Studies … in Honour of Graham Pollard (Oxford, 1975), pl. 10.

Contents relating to medicine as follows:

1. ff. 1-68v. Honorius Augustodunensis (attr.), Apex physicae; early 13th cent. Latin. Copy. Title (f. 1; 14th-cent. addition) 'Honorius prespiter [sic] Apex phisice', prologue inc. 'Gloria deo principio sine principio / fini sine fine ... dei efflagito auxilium', table of contents 'Sunt autem huius libri prime particule .vi. capitula / De philosophia ... De passione eius', rubric 'De philosophia', text inc. 'Philosophia est igitur amor et studium sapientiae', expl. (f. 68v) 'Ibiquoque longissima dies usque ad horas / decem et octo', followed by a 14th-cent. note 'Paulus quamvis autor scripture tamen magnus est suavitas / hic rosas de spinis collige nature peregrinis' and by an erased note. The text is divided into five parts, the fourth (ff. 47-64) partialy relating to medicine. This MS. is described M.-O. Garrigues, 'L'Apex physicae, cit. above. Keywords: medicine; natural philosophy; critical days; urine and uroscopy; pulse.

Bindings ENGLISH: Jane Steel, bookbinder; widow of Robert Steel: Mottled brown leather over pasteboards with blind- and gilt-tooled decoration attr. to Jane Steel: 18th cent., 1st quarter.

includes:

• ff. 1-67v Medicine and Surgery: Natural Philosophy: Honorius Augustodunensis: Apex physicae attr. to Honorius Augustodunensis: early 13th cent.: Lat: Copy.
• ff. 68v-89 Honorius Augustodunensis: Imago mundi: late 12th cent.: Lat: Copy.