Royal MS 7 C VII

MISCELLANEOUS THEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS, in Latin:-

1. 'Liber de virtutibus' (so the table of contents): the Liber Scintillarum, probably compiled by Defensor (cf. 6 D. V, 7 C. IV, 8 B. XVIII, &c.). Without title or preface, but preceded by a table of capitula. Includes the ch. De doctoribus omitted in Migne. Beg. 'Dominus dicit in euangelico Maiorem caritatem'. f. 2.

2. 'Hic incipit liber Iohannis Belet de Officiis Ecclesie et Ministerio Altaris et de Festis Sanctorum': the work of a Paris theologian of whom little is known, composed before ii65, as is shown by a reference to S. Elizabeth of Schonau as living. Printed only in a garbled text, Migne, Patr. Lat. ccii. 13 (see Hauréau's Notices ei Extraits, Paris, 1896, i p. 88). The MSS. also differ considerably, the version contained in Cotton MSS.' Vitell. A. XI and Vesp. D. III and in Harley MS. 5235 being a recension by some editor who criticizes John's statements (see e. g. the chapter on Trinity Sunday). Add. MS. 29882 (imperfect) probably agreed with the present MS. in giving the original text. Harley MSS.

106 and 4725 are very imperfect. Preface beg. 'In primitiua ecclesia prohibitum erat'; text, 'Auctor uniuersitatis rerum altissimus'. Ends 'tu miserere mei'. f. 23.

3. 'Non (for Anno) regni regis Iohannis secundo celebratum est concilium apud Westmonasterium a domino Huberto Waltero tunc Cantuariensi archiepiscopo, ubi promulgabantur hec decreta': the provisions of the Council held in 1200 as given by Hoveden (reprinted by Wilkins, Concilia, i, p. 505), with the addition of five chapters not mentioned by him. Beg. 'Cum in diuinis officiis'; ends 'nisi nobis consultis ammoueatur'. f. 53 b.

4. Theological commonplaces. Beg. 'Stipulacio a stipula dieta est'. Among them are some verses (8 hexameters, cf. 7 D. I, art. 2 g) on friendship, &c., beg. Rebus in humanis tria sunt dignissima laudis'. f. 56.

5. 'Liber Aratoris cardinalis (sic, as in the Aldine edition) per versus' (so the table of contents) : the first book only of the paraphrase in elegiac verse of the Acts of the Apostles, by Arator the subdeacon. With the two prefaces addressed to Florianus and to Pope Vigilius (538-555). Printed in Migne, lxviii. 63, and edited by Aug. Hübner, Neisse, 1850. Preface beg. 'Qui meriti florem maturis sensibus ortum'; text, 'Et (for Ut) sceleris Iudea sui poluta cruore'. A brief interlinear gloss beg. ' Iste auctor prius miles fuit' f. 58.

6. Commonplaces for monastic sermons, from S. Augustine and elsewhere. Beg. 'Similitudo papilionum. Sic enim agunt qui mundi huius appetunt honores'. f. 67b.

7. Verses on the Incarnation: sixteen hexameters by Hildebert, Bishop of Le Mans 1097, Archbishop of Tours 1125-1133. Cf. 2 C. VI, f. gob, and Cotton MS. App. xiii, f. 110. Beg. 'Ade peccatum que conueniens aboleret' (Migne, ctxxi. 1406). f. 70 b.

8. Distinctiones in a tabular form, partly alphabetically arranged. Beg. 'Addiscunt quidam ut sciant quod est sollicitudo'. f. 71.

9. Brief homilies on the gospels throughout the year, beginning with Advent: the same collection as in 4 B. VII, art. 3, 8 D. XV, art. 6, but differently arranged. Two additional sermons are at the end. Beg. 'Cum appropinquasset Iesus, &c.: Hoc euangelium bis in anno legitur'. f. 96.

10. 'Liber interpretacionum in veteri testamento' (so table of contents): the Allegoriae in Vetus Testamentum by Hugo or Ricardus de Sancto Victore (cf. 8 A. VIII). Preface beg. 'In precedentibus premissa descriptione'; text, 'In principio creauit, &c. : Celum significat summa'. f. 116.

11. Interpretations of Hebrew and Greek proper names and technical words, extracted from the Etymologiae of S. Isidore (Bishop of Seville 599-636), lib. vii, cap. vi-lib. ix, cap. iv (Migne, lxxxii. 275-353)' Beg. 'Adam interpretatur terrenus uel terra rubra'. f. 1152.

12. 'Incipit expositio regule sancti Augustini patris nostri de uita clericorum': the commentary of Hugo de S. Victore (d. 1141). Beg. 'Hec sunt que ut obseruetis precipimus, &c.: Ad hoc nobis diuina precepta' (ib. clxxvi. 881). f. 154.

13. Commonplaces (a) on ancient Roman magistrates (cf. 8 C. v, f. 47), beg. 'Exactis a Romana ciuitate', and (b) on theology, beg. 'Ecce uenit tempus quod nos literati'. f. 171.

14. 'Incipit passio sanctorum apostolorum Symonis Chananei Iude Zelotis, quod est v. kal. Nouemb.': the apocryphal Acta derived from the Historia Apostolica, a work which purports to be a translation (attributed to Sextus Juiius Africanus, the 3rd century historian) from Abdias, a fictitious first bishop of Babylon (see Giles, Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti, Pt.i, p.356). In some copies (Arund. MS. 91, f. 165, Add. MSS. 18365, f. 47 b, 18628, f. 101) the reference is given to Africanus in the form 'initia de libro primo et ultima de decimo [de. scripsimus]'. This reference, which does not agree with Giles' text, in which the whole Acta are contained in lib. vi, is here absent. An abridgement of the Acta will be found in 8 C. VII, art. 23. Beg. 'Symon itaque Chananeus et Iudas Zelotes apostoli domini nostri Iesu Christi cum per reuelationem'. f. 171 b. On the fly-leaves and blank pages are a few theological commonplaces in Latin (ff. 1 b, 23, 115 b). On f. 40 is a couplet beg. 'Mane techel phares' (cf. 8 E. xvii, f. 109 b). On f. 115 b is also a note in Latin on the six ages of the world. Vellum; ff. 175. 123/4 in. x 91/4 in. XIII cent. Gatherings of 8 leaves (ix⁵, xv⁵, xvi, xvii⁷, xxii⁹, xxiii⁵). Sec. fol. 'pacientia lenitur'. Ornamental initials in colours. Belonged to the Priory (Augustinian Canons) of S. Bartholomew, Smithfield, 'Liber de thesaurario domus sancti Bartholomei de Smithefeld Londoniarum' (f. 175b, cf. 170 b). The small number .9. above the table of contents is perhaps a Smithfield press-mark. Cat. of 1666, f. 2; CMA. 8162- 8164 and 8400.

includes:

• f. 171b Abdias, mythical bishop of Babylon: Extract from Historia Apostolica, attrib. to: 13th cent.: Lat.