Royal MS 8 B XV

'OCVLVS SACERDOTIS', with apocryphal gospels, &c., in Latin, viz.:-

1. Oculus Sacendotis: the manual of pastoral theology and canon law [by William de Pagula], see 6 E. I. Without title, but colophons are appended to the three parts, viz. :-(a) Beg. 'Cum ecclesie quibus preficiuntur persone'; colophon, 'Explicit summa que vocatur pars oculi sacerdotum'. f. 1;-(b) Beg. 'Multi sunt sacerdotes et pauci sunt sacerdotes'; colophon, 'Explicit summa que vocatur dextera pars oculi sacerdotum'. f. 47;-(c) Beg. 'Ignorancia sacerdotum populum de. Cipit': colophon, 'Explicit sinistrapars oculi sacerdotum'. f. 95.

2. 'Libellus de Mariae transitu': supposititious narrative of S. Joseph of Arimathea, resembling in contents (with many verbal differences) the text printed as A by Tischendorf, Apocalypses Apocryphae (Leipzig, 1866), P. 113. Beg. 'Paulo ante ascensionem dominicam inter familiaria verba et secreta colloquia'; ends 'terrenis fecibus expiatos ad regna ducat celestia, qui cum deo patre', &c. f. 163.

3. 'Tractatus secundum Nichodemum de passione domini resurrexione atque ascensione et de visitacione Adam aliorumque sanctorum et de spoliacione inferni': the so-called Evangelium Nicodemi, consisting really, as shown by Tischendorf, Evang. Apocr., 1876, of two legends, viz. Gesta Pilati (printed, op. cit. p. 333) and Descensus Christi ad Inferos (ib. p. 417). The latter begins (f. 172) with the words 'Tunc surrexerunt Rabi Adda'. The recension contained here and in Add. MS. 29630 and other MSS. has considerable differences from the majority of the MS. texts. Beg. 'Audistis, fratres karissimi, que acta sunt sub Poncio Pilato preside tempore Tiberii Cesaris. Ego Eneas Hebreus'. f. 165.

4. Brief tract on the Commandments. Beg. 'Arbor que non fecerit, &c., Matth. 7 [vii. 19]: Per fructum bonum opus intelligitur'. f. 175.

5. Tract on the Lord's Prayer. Beg. 'Omnes vnanimes in oratione estote, Petri 3 [i. iii. 8]. Sicut dicit glossa'. Imperfect at end. f. 178.

6. Constitutions of John de Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbur-y, promulgated in the provincial Council of London, 1342 (Wilkins, Concilia, ii, p. 703, cf. 10 C. I, art. i). Imperfect at beginning. Beg. '. . . diuinis seu administracioni dictorum beneficiorum'. f. 181.

7. Notes on Biblical coins and measures. Beg. 'Stater siclus et denarius idem sunt'. f. 185 b.

8. A list of general excommunications, in English. Beg. 'Hy beth amansede and we denonset hem amansede'. f. 186 b. On the fly-leaves are also the following:-(a) A similar list of general excommunications, in Latin. Imperfect at beg. f. iib;-(b) Formula of excommunication. f. ii b;-(c) Constitution of the Bishop of Llandaff relating to casus excepti, n.d. f. iii;-(d) Note on astronornical distances, beg. 'Testatur astronomus Pictagoras quod a terra usque ad lunam'. f. iii b;-(e) Mythical statistics (cf. D. xxi, f. 2 b) of the parishes, &c., in England. Ends'probatur per saccram [entum-for scaccarium ?] domini regis f. iii b;-(f) Note on Latin synonyms for rain, with three verses of Everard's Graccismus,beg. 'Est ymber pluuia nimbus caligine tecta'. f. 187 b; -(g) Eight verses from the Schola Salernitana on the four humours (cf. 8 C. IV, f. 7 b, &c.). Beg. 'Hic, somnolentus piger in sputamine multus'. f. 187 b;-(h) Two sets of six verses, each recording the casus excepti (cf. 5 A. I, f. 100 b, 6 E. I, f. 12), beg. 'Qui facit incestum, deflorans, aut homicida', and 'Deditus usure, faciens incendia, falsus'. f. 188. Vellum; ff. iii + 188. 3/4in. x 51/2 in. XIV cent. Gatherings of leaves (i⁷, v⁶). Sec. fol.'-faccionem'. Initials in red. There are several 15th cent. notes of ownership, viz.:-(a) 'Ego habul istum librum de Iohanne Fourde et ille habuit de me xii pelles pergameni, que valebant vt estimo ii.s, et eciam gener suus habuit vnum par matutinarum, que valebant xx.d, et si predictus gener, viz. Willelmus Scorche, vult restituere mihi predicta vel assignatis meis, habeat librum istum in nomine domini'. f. 186;-(b) 'Iste liber pertinet vxori Willelmi Scorch filie Iohannis Fowrde de Dorchester, qui Iohannes Fourde debet mihi xviii.d'. f. i b;-(c) '[Liber] iste constat Iohanni Bedeford (?) . . . Will. Hopkyns vicar. de Stynsford [Stinsrord, co. Dors.] . . . deliberatis per manus suas proprias vii. die Augusti anno re-gni Edwardi iiiiti xvimo [1476] in presencia Iohannis Bedeford et Willelmi Crymell'. f. i b. The name Iohannes Combe occurs in scribbling on f. 185b. Afterwards belonged to John Theyer. Theyer sale-cat. no. 200; CMA. 6652.