Royal MS 8 C IX

PETRUS COMESTOR, Historia Scholastica (cf. 2 C. i, xvii⁹, &c.), with other works and commonplaces, in Latin, viz.:-

1. 'Genealogia patriarcharum tripliciter distincta': an extract beg. 'Ex horum patriarcharum dominus descendens prosapia'. f. 2.

2. 'Liber croniorum (sic) secundum magistrum Petrum Mandicatorcm'(so table of contents, f. 16 b) : a genealogy of Christ from Adam, with notes of contemporary monarchs, &c., ending with S. Paul's martyrdom. Other copies with slight variations are in 4 B. vii, art. 4 (a), Cotton MS. Vit. C. III, f. 5, and Arundel MS.

117, f. 152b; but it occurs oftener in roll form, e. g.

14 B. VIII, 14 B. IX, Add. MSS. 11758, 14819, 212ig, and 24025. An appendix added here gives an account of the Apostles and Fathers down to Gregory the Great and Chrysostom. The attribution to Petrus Comestor (d. 1179) occurs but rarely, but the work is sometimes ascribed to Petrus Pictaviensis, Chancellor of Paris (d. 1205). Printed by the younger Zwingli, Basel, 1592. Preface beg. 'Considerans historie sacre prolixitatem'; text, 'Adam in agro Damasceno formatus'. f. 3.

3. 'Incipit historia scolastice discipline' : the portion of the Historia Scholastica representing the Octateuch. The first preface is wanting. Some of the 'additiones' of Migne's text occur as insets and others are wanting, while many more additions, partly in verse, and marginal notes are added. Beg. 'Imperatorie maiestatis est'. f. 19.

4. Extracts from Origen's homilies on the book of Numbers (see Migne, Patr. Gr. xii. 650, 759, &c.). Beg. Uotorum lex ponitur'. f. 100 b.

5. Extracts from S. Jerome adversus lovinianum, lib. i (Migne, Patr. Lat. xxiii. 275, &c.). Beg. 'Ad Romanas feminas transeam'. f. 101 b.

6. Sententie de Sancto Augustino excerpte', beg. 'Unus atque idem deus dei filius'. f. 102 b.

7. 'Epistola beati Cypriani ad filium suum Seuerinum postea episcopum'. Under this title is concealed the satire upon women by Walter Map, entitled by its author 'Epistola Valerii ad Rufinum' (cf. 6 E. III, art.

15). Preface beg. 'Loqui prohibeor et tacere non possum'; text, 'Prima primi uxor Ade'. f. 103.

8. 'De quinque sensibus corporeis': extracts from S. Jerome adv. lovinianum, lib. ii (Migne, xxiii. 297, &c.). Beg. 'Per quinque sensus quasi per quasdam fenestras'. f. 104 b.

9. Grammatical notes, beg. 'Figure accentuum decem sunt'. f. 106 b.

10. A medicinal herbary, beg. 'Cum omnis super. ficies medicine artis duabus sit lineis contenta'. f. 107 b.

11. Astronomical notes, beg. 'Interlunium lune est tempus illud'. f. 109 b.

12. 'De ultione diuina': a theological extract, beg. 'Age iam cum ad ultimum iudicium uenerimus'. f. 109 b.

13. 'De uicio gule', &c. : extracts from the Colla. tiones of Odo, Abbot of Cluny 926-943 (ib. cxxxiii.

567, &c.). Beg. 'Hic suggerendum uidetur'. f. 110.

14. 'Psalterium' (so table of contents): a curiously arranged abridgement of the Psalter in Latin. Psalms ip vii, part of ix, xciv, xcv, civ-cviii are in full ; of others only the initial words of the Psalm or the initial words of each verse are given. Psalms cix-cl are written in four columns only so much of each verse being transcribed as will fill one line of the column. For a some. what similar arrangement see 2 A. X, a St. Albans MS. f. 111.

15. Further extracts from Odo's Collationes (ib. cxxxiii. 519) and other sources. Beg. 'Autor et iudex hominum deus'. f. 120.

16. 'Historia ewangelica secundum Petrum Manducatorem': the Gospel portion ofthe Historia Scholastica, beginning (as in most of the early MSS.) with part of the history corresponding to 2 Maccabees (cf. 7 F. III, f. 118, &c.). At the end (f. 157) is a so-called 'prologus in nouo testamento sec. mag. Petrum Mand.' which begins 'Simeon ex filiis Iaarym'. Beg. 'Mortuo Symone, qui ultimus quinque filiorum'. f. 123.

17. Commonplaces and quaestiones in theology and canon law. The table of contents (f. 16 b) gives the two headings 'Quedam preclara difficio mag. Will. de Pentir' and 'Queiestiones (sic) de libris beati Augustini'. At the end occurs what is apparently the name of the scribe of the greater part of the volume, 'Orate pro Rpdbfrtp' [Rodberto]. f. 157 b.

18. 'Actus Apostolorum': the last portion of the Historia Scholastica. Beg. 'Anno nonodecimo inperii Tiberii'. f. 167. On f. 1 b in the rubricator's hand is the obscure couplet 'Quis sit dux noster si temptetis fore certi / Sex mihi sunt fratres trinoue factura Roberti'. Attached to f. 2 is a writ of the Protector Oliver, dated 23 Apr. 1656, for the arrest in the city of Gloucester of John Theyer, junior, and two others in a suit for trespass by John Morgan and Frances his wife. Imperfect. At f. 197b occurs in a 15th cent. hand the name Thomas Chaucumbe.

Vellum; ff. 198. 9 in. x 61/4 in. XIII cent. Gatherings of 8 leaves (viii¹², xv¹², xxi⁴). Sec. fol. 'Considerans' or 'Post diluuium'. Initials in colours, many headings in green. Belonged (f. 1 b) to Reading Abbey, 'Hic est liber sancte Marie de Rading. queni qui celauerit uel fraudem de eo fecerit anathema sit. amen'; afterwards to John Theyer (monogram with the number 9). Theyer sale-cat. no. 184; CMA. 6530 or 6531.