Royal MS 8 C VI

VITAE PATRUM: a part of the compilation so called (but in mediaeval MSS. more often named and quoted by the title Vitas Patrum, the initial words of the preface of Paschasius), comprising several collections, chiefly translated from the Greek, of the sayings and acts of Egyptian and other ascetics of the third and fourth centuries. The references are to Rosweyd's edition (Antwerp, i6I5, reprinted in Migne, Patr. Lat. lxxiii, lxxiv). Contents :-

1. 'Incipiunt exortationes sanctorum patrum ad monachos, quas de Greco transtulit sanctus Ieronimus presbi. ter in Latinum, printed by Rosweyd as Libri v, vi. The attribution to S. Jerome occurs in other MSS., but is without foundation. The Greek original of these Apophthegmata Patrum consisted, according to Photius, of twenty-two libelli or chapters, but the Latin has only twenty, and these by two translators, viz. the first eighteen (Rosweyd's lib. v) by Pelagius, and xix, xx (beg. f. 114 b, 'Abiit aliquando', Rosweyd's lib. vi) by joannes, both deacons of the church of Rome. Beg. 'Interrogauit quidam abbatem Antonium, dicens Quid custodiens'. f. 1.

2. A selection of about fourteen similar stories apparently taken from the two other collections printed by Rosweyd as lib. iii (of uncertain origin) and lib. vii (translated from an anonymous Greek original by Paschasius). Without rubric. Beg. 'Quidam senex raptus in ex. tasim'; ends 'cum demonibus est'. f. 139 b.

3. 'De Tahide': life of S. Thais or Thaisis, of un. known authorship (Rosweyd, p. 374, Biblioth. Hagiogr. Latina, no. 8012). Beg. 'Fuit quedam meretrix nomine Tanis'. f. 143 b.

4. 'Incipit epistola sancti Macharii ad filios the dis. course [by S. Macarius of Egypt?] printed in Migne, Patr. Gr. xxxiv. 405, Patr. Lat. lxvii. 1163. For other copies see 7 B. XIV, f. 193 b (in the Speculum Spiritualium), and 8 D. VIII, art. 12. Beg. 'In primis quidem si ceperit homo'; ends 'precepta spiritus sancti'. f. 144 b.

5. Life of S. Marina, who was disguised as a man under the name of Marinus; of uncertain authorship (Rosweyd, p. 393, Bibl. Hag. Lat. no. 5,528). Without rubric. Beg. 'Fuit quidam secularis habens unicam filiam'. f. 147.

6. 'Incipit de Symeone': life of S. Symeon Stylites by Antonius his disciple (Rosweydi, p. 170, Bibl. Hag. Lat. no. 7957). Beg. 'Sanctus igitur Symeon ex utero'. f. 149.

7. Further extracts from the same source as art. 2. Prefixed is the preface of Paschasius, beg. 'Vitas patrum Grecorum ut cetera facundia' (Rosweyd, p. 664), which is followed by six paragraphs taken from one or other of these collections. Beg. 'Dixit quidam senex Peregrinatio que propter deum'; ends 'admirans decessit'. f. 155 b. Art. 8 is an addition in a late 13th cent. hand.

8. Tale of a vision seen by a Roman citizen in the basilica of S. Lorenzo c]n the saint's day. Beg. 'Ciuis quidam Romanus erat qui beatum Laurencium multum diligebat'; ends 'disparuit. Cum sociis sanctis remeat Laurencius almus'. f. 159. Art. 9 consists of four leaves, probably used as flyleaves, in a 14th cent. hand.

9. Opening part of a legenda, or rather a compilation of sermon-materials, for English use, to enable the preacher to explain on Sunday the festivals or saints' days in the coming week. Extracts from the same book are in Harley MS. 2345, where it seems to be entitled 'Institutiones Sanctorum'. There is a lacuna after f. 161. The contents are:-(a) Preliminary extracts on saints' days and festivals in general. The first extract (from S. Augustine contra Faustum, lib. xx, cap. 21), beg. 'Festiuitates sanctorum apostolorum', occurs in many MSS. of the martyrologies of Usuardus and others (cf. Harley MS. 2345, f. 56 b, imperf. at end). Two other paragraphs beg. 'Cum sanctorum fortia gesta' and 'Humanas laudes et mortalium infulas'. f. 160;-

(b) Preface proper (cf. Harley MS. 2345, f. 57, imperf. at beg.), beg. 'Inter alias sacratissimas sancte uniuersalis ecclesie consuetudines'. f. 160 b;-(c) Discourse for Advent (cf. ib.), beg. 'In illa dominica sequenti habebitis aduentum domini'. f. 161;-(d) Christmas Day (ib. f. 42), beg. 'In illa die habebitis sacratissimam natiuitatis'; breaks off 'annunciata est set [pauperibus]'. f. 161 b; -(e) S. Egwin (30 Dec.). Imperfect at beg.; probably abridged from the same source as the life in John of Tinmouth and Capgrave. Beg. '. . . uiam instruebat'; ends 'ad finem produxit'. f. 162;-(f) S. Silvester (31 Dec.) (cf. Harley MS. 2345, f. 58), beg. In illa dic habebitis festum sancti Siluestri'. f. 162;-(g) The Circumcision (cf. ib. f. 43 b), beg. 'In illa die habebitis octauum diem'. f. 162b;-(h) Two other paragraphs on the same, beg. 'Octaue quedam sunt institucionis' and 'Festum circumcisionis est, que uulgo nouus annus'. f. 163;-(i) Epiphany, beg. 'In dic illa habebitis uel erit dies apparicionis' f. 163 b;-(k) SS. Fabian and Sebastian (20 Jan.), nearly as in Harley MS. 2345, f. 58 b, beg. 'In ilia dic habebitis festum sanctorum Fabiani et Sebastiani'. Imperfect at end. f. 163 b. Vellum; ff. 163. 91/4 in. x 61/4 in. XII-XIII cent. (art. 9, XIV). Gatherings, i⁸, ii¹⁰, iii¹⁰, iv-xix⁸, xx³ (ending art. 8), xxi⁴, numbered from vi to xix (xv is duplicated), with catchwords. Sec. fol.

'domino nichil'. Initials in red, blue, and green. Belonged to John Theyer, in whose hand is a note on f. 1. Theyer sale-cat. no. 154; CMA. 6607.