Royal MS 7 A IX

MISCELLANEOUS THEOLOGICAL TRACTS by Robert Grosseteste and others. Art. 1 is a 15th cent. insertion on paper. Contents:-

1. A collection of prophecies, temp. Hen. VI, viz.:-

(a) Prophecy of one of the Sibyls to King Bladud (cf. Cotton MS. Vesp. E. vii, f. 85). Beg. 'Sibilla regina Austri'. f. 2;-(b) 'Versus Bridlyngton', eighteen lines beg. 'Ter tria lustra tenent cum semi (sic) tempora Sexti'. The Cotton MS., which includes more verses, assigns them to Gildas (Vesp. E. vii, f. 88). They are not in the text of Bridlingtons prophecy printed by T. Wright (Political Songs, Rolls Series, i, p. 123, cf. 8 C. x). f. 3;-(c) Seven lines beg. 'Legatus Rome vi regis et sede Thome'. f. 3 b;-(d) Extract from the prophecy of a Franciscan to Pope Innocent (cf. Vesp. E. vii, f. 122 b). Beg. 'Surget tunc popularis iusticia'. f. 3 b;-(e) Fourteen lines in Scottish verse, beg. 'Owen Rome remouyd into Ynglonde', nearly the same as. those printed by Wright (op. cit. ii, p. 249) from the Cotton MS. Cleop. C. iv, f. 86 b. The first four lines occur also in a poem printed by J. R. Lumby in an E. E. Text Soc. volume (Bernardus De Cura, &c., 1870, P. 32). f. 4;-(f) Five lines on Henry VI, beg. 'Cum rex Henricus regnabit origine datus' (cf. Vesp. E. VII, f. 119 b). f. 4 b;-(g) 'Iohannes de Rupetissa (sc. Rupe Scissa)': a prophecy relating to the years 1460-1470 (cf. Vesp. E. VII, f. 123). Beg. 'Prima intellectio est quod totus mundus debet congregari'. f. 4 b.

2. The Summa 'Qui bene presunt' by Richard de Leicester, al. Grant, al. de Wethershed, Archbishop ofCanterbury(cf. 6 A. III). The text somewhat resembles 9 A. XIV, but has none of the large interpolations of that MS. Without title. Imperfect by loss of a quire after f. 21, four leaves after f. 23, and part of a quire at the end. Beg. 'Qui bene presunt presbiteri'. f. 6.

3. 'Incipit sermo magistri Roberti Grossi Capitis, Lincolniensis episcopi, ad uiros ecclesiasticos de uita et instructione corum' (see 6 E. v, f. 109, above). Beg. 'Scriptum est de Leuitis scilicet de ministris', and ends ' miserabilimi (sic) erimus'. f. 66.

4. Commonplaces, chiefly relating to liturgical matters, from S. Augustine, S. Jerome, and others. Beg. 'Aug. in libro qui dicitur Florum, Mare transeundum est'. f. 68.

5. Three sermons for rogation days; the first is headed 'Sermo de prima die rogacionis sec. mag. Robertum Bacun [the Dominican, uncle (?) of Roger Bacon]', but it is not clear whether the attribution extends to all three. The first beg. 'Deprecemur dominum, &c. [Tob. viii. 4]: In Tobia scripta sunt hec et legitur quod quidam'; the second, 'Petite et dabitur uobis : Si quis uestrum indiget sapientia'; and the third, 'Postula a me, &c. [4 Kings ii. 9]: Verba ista scripta sunt in .4. Regum et in ewangelio habetur'. f. 70 b.

6. List of epistles and gospels throughout the year. f. 72.

7. List of 'beneficia ecclesie Lincolniensis' [temp. Grosseteste?], including indulgences 'a domino Cardinali', 'a domino Hugone predecessore nostro', &c. f. 72 b.

8. A confessional formula, without author's name. Beg. 'Penitens ingressus ecclesiam'. Imperfect at the end. f. 73.

9. Rules for penance, without title. Beg. 'Secundum uniuscuiusque delicti modum'. f. 74.

10. Sermon, beg. 'Dilectissimi fratres, emundemus nos ab omni inquinamento, &c. [2 Cor. vii. I]: Cum non possim nec sciam'. f. 77 b.

11. Commentary on the Lord's Prayer, beg. 'Pater noster, &c. : Unusquisque homo qui patrem clamat deum'. f. 78.

12. Commentary on the Apostles' Creed, beg. 'Simbolum Grece collacio siue inditium Latine'. f. 78 b.

13. Notes on the authorship of the clauses of the Apostles' Creed, beg. 'Duodecim apostoli zimbolum constituerunt', and on the 'gradus confessionis', &c. f. 79 b.

14. Another confessional formula, beg. 'Frater uel soror, uenisti ad deum et ad ecclesiam'. f. 80.

15. Commonplaces and distinctiones relating chiefly to confession. f. 80b.

16. Another set of distinctiones, &c., in prose and verse. Imperfect at the beginning. f. 82.

17. 'Incipiunt prohibiciones et precepta obseruanda ab omnibus rectoribus ecclesiarum vicariis et sacerdotibus edita a uenerabili patre R. London. episcopo': constitutions apparently of Roger Niger, Bishop of London (1229-1241). They are not given in Wilkins' Concilia, but some portions are identical with part of Richard Marsh's constitutioiis (Wilkins, i, p. 572). Another set of constitutions of Roger Niger (with the impossible date 1201) is in Harley MS. 335, f. 1. Beg. 'Quia in sacramentorum dispensatione'. f. 83.

18. 'Isti sunt articuli summatim extracti de quatuor consiltis, viz. Oxoniensis, Lamthethe, domini Octoboni et Lugdinensis': excommunications denounced by the Council of Oxford (1222) and the legate Ottobono Fieschi (i268); cf. Wilkins, i, p. 572, ii, P. i. There is no mention of the Council of Lyons (I274). f. gob.

19. A note beg. 'Diabolus habet vii filias maritandas: Symoniam clericis, ypocrisim religiosis', &c. f. 91.

20. The tract called Templum Domini of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln (1235-1253); cf. 5 F. XV, art. 5, 8 B. IV, art. 9, 8 C. IV, art. 1, 8 D. IV, art. 10, 9 A. III, art. 3, 12 F. XV, art. 9. Beg. 'Templum dei sanctum, &c., 1 Cor. iii. [I7]: Sermo ille quamuis'. Colophon, 'Domine, da mihi fidem sine esitatione, spem sine presumptione, caritatem sine finxione. Finit feliciter. amen'. f. 91 b.

21. Poem in French on the distresses of the [Gallican?] Church. Beg. 'Quomodo sedet sola, &c. [Lam. i. i]: Ore est acomplie / la pleynte Jeromie, / qui oy auetz souent, / qui dist coment seit soule / la cite pleyne du foule / plurant amerement'. f. 102 b.

22. Homilies on the gospels for three Sundays in Advent. Beg. 'Cum appropinquaret Iesus Ierosolimis, &c. : Sicut in ewangelio Mathei et Luce colligitur'. f. 103. At the foot of f. 103 are French verses (a charm for diseases of sheep), beg. 'Seint job sist sur lore de la mer'; and at f. 105 b a story 'de quodam viro de Flandria qui linguam auream dicebatur habere', in whose mouth after death his son found a toad ('bufonem, dest, crapout, Anglice brode'). For other copies see 7 D. I, f. 125 b, Add. MS. 11579, f. 87 (cf. Ward and Herbert, Cat. of Romances, iii, p. 498).

23. Moralizations on Ps. xxvii-xxx. Beg. 'Et refloruit caro mea: Flos figurat Christum'. f. 107.

24. Distinctiones and theological commonplaces. . 108 b.

25. Constitutions of Robert Grosseteste (cf. 9 A. XIV, art. 13). Imperfect at the beginning. f. 115.

26. Tract on confession (sometimes called Sermon xvii) by Robert Grosseteste (cf. 6 E. v, 8 E. XVII, art. 22, 9 A. xiv, art. 14). Imperfect at the end. Beg. 'Quoniam cogitacio, &c. [Ps. lxxv. ii]: Confitendum est quia confessio'. f. 115. Vellum (except ff. 2-5); ff. 118. 91/4 in. x 63/4 in. End of the XIII cent. (art. 1 XV cent). Made up of various MSS., in different hands. Sec. fol. '-diti incolas' or 'quam in anima'. Belonged to the Augustinian Priory of St. Mary (Overy, Southwark. Old Royal press-mark no. 80 Westm. invent. of 1542, Add. MS, 25469, f. 25) cat. of 1666, f. 18; CMA. 8270, 8271.