Add MS 38684

VITAE SANCTORUM. Contents: 1. "Incipiunt capitula in uitas patrum maiorum": a table of contents for artt. 2-8 below. f. 1 b.

2. "Incipit prologus Euagrii presbiteri in uita sancti Antonii ad Innocentium." Beg. "Presbiter Evagrius Innocentio carissimo filio in domino salutem. Ex alia in aliam linguam." Followed (f. 1 b) by the author's prologue, "Incipit prologus Athanasii episcopi in uita beati Antonii ad peregrinos fratres," beg. "Optimum, fratres, est in istis certaminibus aut equari Egypti monachis." The life itself begins (f. 2 b) "Igitur Antonius nobilibus religiosisque parentibus." Without the epilogue of the translator Evagrius. Colophon (f. 29 b), "Explicit uita sancti Antonii monachi et heremite primum scripta ab Athanasio Alexandrino episcopo in Greco, translata autem in Latinum ab Euagrio presbitero, utilis ualde monachis." Included, together with artt. 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 a, and 12 below, among the lives grouped as book i in Rosweyd's Vitae Patrum. No. 609 in the Bollandists' Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina. Printed in Rosweyd, Vitae Patrum (ed. 1615), p. 35; Migne, Patrol. Lat. lxxiii, coll. 125-168. f. I b.

3. "Incipit de Paulo simplici." Beg. "Fuit quidam inter discipulos Antonii": ch. 31 of the Historia Monachorum translated by Rufinus, which forms book ii in Rosweyd. No. 6594 in B.H.L. Pr. in Rosweyd, p. 483 ; Patrol. Lat. xxi, 457-459. f. 29 b.

4. "Incipit uita beati Pauli heremite edita a beato Iheronimo presbitero." [Prologue] beg. Inter multos sepe dubitatum est"; text, without a break (f. 31), "Sub Decio et Ualeriano persecutoribus." No. 6596 in B.H.L. Pr. in Rosweyd, p. 17; Patrol. Lat. xxiii, 17-28. f. 30 b.

5. "Narratio beati Iheronimi presbiteri de captiuo monacho," i.e. the Vita Malchi of St. Jerome. [Prol.] beg. "Qui legis initare quod legis. Qui nauali prelio dimicaturi sunt"; text, without a break (f. 35), "Maronias triginta fere milibus ab Antiochya." No. 5190 in B. H. L. Pr. in Rosweyd, p. 93 ; Patrol. Lat. xxiii, 53-60. f. 34 b.

6. "Incipit prologus sancti Iheronimi presbiteri super uitam Hilarionis." Beg. "Scripturus uitam beati Hylarionis habitatorem eius inuoco." Life (f. 38 b), "Hylarion natus uico Thabatha." No. 3879 in B.H.L. Pr. in Rosweyd, p. 75; Patrol. Lat. xxiii, 29-54. f. 38.

7. "Incipit prologus de uita et conuersatione patrum Egyptiorum et qui in Sythi morabantur," beg. "Benedictus deus qui uult omnes homines." Text (Narratio de saneto Iohanne heremita) beg. "Primum igitur tamquam uere fundamentum" (f. 52). Ch. 1-30 of the Historia Monachorum translated by Rufinus, which forms book ii in Rosweyd. No. 6524 in B.H.L.; pr. in Patrol. Lat. xxi, 387-457. For ch. 31 see art. 3 above. See Cat. of Additions to the MSS. (1906-1910) under 37400, art. 6. f. 50b.

8. "Incipit uita beati Frontonis abbatis." [Prol.] beg. "Quoniam sepe desiderastis audire" ; text, without a break, "Igitur Fronto uerax dei seruus studio dei timoris." No. 3189 in B.H.L. Pr. in Rosweyd, p. 238 ; Pali.ol. Lat. lxxiii, 437-442. f. 92b.

9. "Incipiunt libri capitula adhortationum sanctorum patrum quas de Greco in Latinum transtulit Pelagius diaconus ecclesie Romane." Text beg. (f. 95 b) "Interrogauit quidam abbatem Antonium dicens." The Verba Seniorum translated by Pelagius; book v in Rosweyd. No. 6527 in B.H.L.; pr. in Patrol. Lat. lxxiii, 855-988. Between ff. 96 and 97 a folio has been torn away. f. 95.

10. "Explicit liber de sancto Paulo Simplice quem hucusque de Greco in Latinum transtulit Pelagius diaconus ecclesie Romane; abhinc Iohannes subdiaconus." The Verba Seniorum translated by Johannes Subdiaconus; book vi in Rosweyd. Nos. 6529 and 6530 in B.H.L. pr. in Patrol. Lat. lxxiii, 993-1022. Beg. "Abiit aliquando Zacharias ad abbatem suum Siluanum." Added however to the end of libellus ii, and continuing without a break, are the following: (a). Beg. "Frater erat quidam secularis habens unicam filam." The Vita Sanctae Marinae, no. 5528 in B.H.L.; pr. in Rosweyd, p. 393 ; Patrol. Lat. lxxiii, 691-694. f. 182 b; (b). Three paragraphs (26, 22 and 24) from the Verba Seniorum (no. 6525 in B.H.L.), printed as book iii by Rosweyd, who wrongly attributes it to Rufinus, viz. (i) Beg. "Referebant sancti seniores." Pr. in Patrol. Lat. lxxiii, 754, 26. f. 184; (ii) Beg. "Consilium inter se." Pr. ib. 752, 22. f. 185. ; (iii) Beg. "Erat quidam in cenobio." Pr. ib. 753, 24. f. 185 b. See B.H.L. under nos. 6529, 6530. f. 176.

11. "Incipit epistola sancti Macharii monachi ad filios." Beg. "In primis quidem si ceperit homo." The discourse [by S. Macarius of Egypt ?] pr. in Patrol. Lat. lxvii, 1163-1166; pr. also as ch. 36, pt. iv, of the Speculum Spiritualium (1510), fol. 105. Other copies in Royal MSS. 7 B. xiv, f. 193 b) (the Speculum Spiritualium), 8 C. vi, f. 144 b and 8 D. viii, f. 47 b. There is an English version in Add. MS. 33971, f. 64. f. 195b.

12. "Reuersio uel penitentia Marie neptis Abrahe heremite." Beg. "Habuit uir beatus Abraham." The Vita Sanctae Mariae Meretricis translated from the Greek of Ephraem (wrongly identified by Rosweyd with S. Ephraim, the Syrian). Imcomplete, ending "quia ex parte maligni sunt." Included under no. 12 in B.H.L. Pr. in Rosweyd, p. 368; Patrol. Lat. lxxiii, 651-658 (beg. of ch. x.) f. 197. Vellum ; ff. ii (paper fly-leaves) + 200. 11 in. x 8 ³/₄ in. XII-XIII cent. Red initials. Gatherings of 8 leaves (xviii¹⁰). Double columns. Sec. fol. "Optimum." Modern French binding in red calf by P. Simier. Belonged, at any rate in the l5th cent., to the Celestine monastery of Ste. Croix d'Offémont, dioc. Soissons (ff. 1 b, 200). There is an inscription at the top of f. 200 which reads "Liber sancte crucis vallis frigide prope offemontem si quis eum abstulerit . . . ." the rest having been erased. "Liber sancte," "vallis" (and probably "si . . . . abstulerit" ) are in a hand contemporary with the MS., but "crucis" and "frigide" seem to be later and written over erasures, while "prope offemontem" has been interpolated after "frigide" above the line. St. Croix d'Offémont was apparently founded in 1329 (Cougny, Bulletin Monumental, tom. 40,1874, p. 287), though its canonical erection is assigned to 1405 in Beaunier and Besse, Recueil Historique des Archevêchés, etc., de France, Introduction (1906), p. 195 (Les Célestins) ; its suppression, together with that of the two other Celestine monasteries in the same diocese, was authorised by the Pope on 30 Sept. 1773 (R. Roussel, L'Abbaye de Villeneuve-lès-Soissons, p. 138). On f. 200 also "Jehan Drouet doit a. . . ." The MS. was acquired by Sir Tho. Phillipps, probably from Royez, bookseller at Paris; Phillipps MS. 1345 (sale-cat. May 1913, lot. 1115).

Bindings FRENCH: Red calf, by P. Simier: 19th cent.

Saints: Vitae Patruin: 12th-13th cent.

P- Simier, book-binder, of Paris: Bound: 19th cent.

includes:

• f. 1 b Saint Antony, Abbot: Life of,by St Athanasius: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 1 b Evagrius, Bishop of Antioch: Life of St. Antony by St. Athanasius transl. by: 12th-13th cent: Lat.
• f. 1 b Athanasius II, Patriarch of Alexandria: Life of St. Antony: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 29 b Paul, St. Simplex: Life,: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• ff. 29 b, 50 b Tyrannius Rufinus, of Aquileia: Historia Monachorum transl. by: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 30 b Saint Hieronymus: Vita b. Pauli Eremitae: 12th-13th cent.
• f. 30 b Saint Paul,; the Hermit: Life, by St. Jerome: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 34 b (12th-13th cent.) Saint Hieronymus: Vita Malchi: 12th cent.
• f. 34 b (12th-13th cent.) Malchus, St. monachus captivus: Life of, by St. Jerome: 12th cent.: Lat.
• f. 38 Saint Hilarion: Life, by St. Jerome: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 38 Saint Hieronymus: Vita b. Hilarionis: 12th-13th cent.
• f. 92 b Saint Frontonius,; alias Fronto; Abbot in Egypt: Life,: 12-13 cent: Lat.
• f. 95 Pelagius, diaconus: Verba Seniorum transl. by: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 176 Johannes, subdiaconus: Verba seniorum transl. by: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 182 b Marina, St., dicta Marinus monachus: Life: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• ff. 184-185 b Tyrannius Rufinus, of Aquileia: Extracts from Verba Seniorum, wrongly attrib. to: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 195 b Saint Macarius: Epistola ad filios: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.
• f. 197 Ephraem: Life of St. Mary Meretrix: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.: Incomplete.
• f. 197 Saint Mary,; meretrix: Life of, by Ephraem: 12th-13th cent.: Lat.: Incomplete.
• f. 200 Jehan Drouet: Note conc.: 15th cent.: Fr.