Royal MS 8 A X

COLLECTIONS on Dictamen (the art of letter-writing) and Theology, in Latin, viz.:-

1. 'Ars Dictandi, by one Johannes, consisting of rules for the composition of letters followed by a recapitulatory letter from the author to 'magister H.' and a number of model exordia. Beg. 'Sumite materiam qui dictare'. f. 1.

2. 'Varietates salutacionum' and other notes, con. stituting a formulary of ecclesiastical dictamen. The names given are English (e. g. Archbishop of Canterbury, H. Bishop of Hereford, H. Abbot of Reading, &c.), but probably fictitious. Imperfect at end. Beg. 'Salutem et quicquid vere diligit canonica deuocio'. f. 8 b. a. 'Exordia': a collection of commonplace phrases for various occasions. Beg. 'Ordo iuris expostulat ut amicorum alter'. Colophon, 'Ex aliis paleas, ex ista collige grana'. f. 11.

4. 'Hic incipit liber ecciesiastici': a few formulae for documents relating to canon law. The names are chiefly of Bologna. Beg. 'Ego Guido peto B. in uxorem'. f. 26.

5. The rubric only of an article now lost, viz. 'Hic incipiunt arenge magistri G. ad dei laudem et decus et decorem studencium sub compendio anotate que tanquam prefaciones preponuntur narracionibus, per quas elegantissime unusquisque loquatur et concionandum inueniat et doctrinam in suis negociis et etiam alienis non tantum in curris (sic, for curiis) sed etiam in iudiciis et in scolis qualiter pro scolaribus consonetur et audiencia prestoletur'. f. 26 b.

6. Form of confession with a short explanatory tract. Beg. 'Confiteor deo et beate Marie et omnibus sanctis et tibi, pater, quia peccaui in multis'; explanation beg. 'En speculum, quatenus te in hiis uulneratum senseris'. f. 27.

7. Two sermons: (a) 'Dom. 4. post oct. Pasche'. Beg. 'Estote factores uerbi, &c., Jac. 1. [22]: In epistola hodiema incitantur'. f. 29;-(b) On Rom. x. 21. Beg. 'Tota die expandi, &c. : Verba domini sunt scripta ad Ro.' f. 30. At the end are a few later notes.

8. Another short collection of homiletic notes. Beg. 'Beato Paulo attestante ore fit confessio ad salutem'. f. 32.

9. 'Narr[atio de] Vit[is] P[atrum]': a tale from the Verba Seniorum (Migne, Patr. Lat. lxxiii. 947). Beg. 'Senex quidam cum alio vno fratre'. f. 35 b.

10. Form of letter for the exchange of a monk between two religious houses (Wenlock and another). A later addition. f. 35 b.

11. 'Sermones magistri Stephani Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi (1207-1228) super ymnum Aue maris stella' (so colophon): the commentary of Stephen Langton on the hymn 'Ave maris stella / Dei mater alma'[by Venantius Fortunatus, see Chevalier, Repert. Hymn. no. 1889, printed in Migne, lxxxviii. 265]. For other copies see below, 8 C. VII, 8 F. IV (imperfect). Beg. 'Ave, &c.: In hoc uersu continetur laus beate uirginis quadripartita'. At the end, after the words 'equalis maiestas', is an epilogue not contained in 8 C. VII. f. 36.

12. Summa on the seven deadly sins, of uncertain authorship. Attributed by Tanner (Bibl. p. 349) to Robert Grosseteste. For another copy see 11 B. III, art. 7. Beg. 'Primo uidendum est quid sit peccatum, secundo de nominibus cognominantibus peccatum'; ends 'qui adhuc agit et plangit'. At f. 111 is a marginal note quoting two charms in English, viz. 'We pre come ut of Estriche' and 'Drizten ouer dene rod'. At the end (f. 144 b) area fewcommonplaces. f. 54.

13. Eight sermons on various subjects. Beg. 'Memor esto unde excideris, &c., Apoc. 2 [ii. 5]: In hiis uerbis admonetur peccator'. f. 146.

14. Sermones Dominicales [by Nicolaus de Aquavillal from Advent to Ascension-tide, coinciding with the first thirty in 5 F. XVII, where they are absurdly attributed to Bede (cf. also 8 F. IV, art. 1). Printed, Paris, 1519, &c. Beg. 'Dicite filie Syon, Ecce rex tuus, &c. Matth. xxi. [5]: Verba ista scripta sunt in Zacharia'. f. 159. At the end (f. 256) is an additional sermon 'Honora dominum tuum de tua substantia [Prov. iii. 9] : Sermo dei debet tractari'. After this follow three leaves (ff. 258-261) which are merely another copy of ff. 244-247. Vellum: ff. 263. 71/4 in. x 5 in. Circ. A.D. 1300. In many hands and made up of several different MSS. Sec. fol. 'uel episcopo'. Initials in red. Old Royal press-mark 'no. 635' (Westm. invent. of 1542, Add. MS. 25469, f. 32); cat of 1666, f. 18; CMA. 8264, 8265.