Royal MS 8 E XIII

'SCALA CAELICA' and other theological collections in Latin, viz.

1. 'Incipit prologus scale celice': an anonymous treatise (probably by an Englishman) on the two sides and twenty-two steps of the Scala Caeli. The author in his preface, addressed to an unnamed person as 'pater (al. magister) reuerende', requests that his name maybe concealed. The work is a compilation from the Fathers, &c., including Caesarius, Hugo de S. Victore, Anselm, Willelmus de Montibus, Bernard, Precentor Parisiensis [Petrus Cantor?] and Petrus Blesensis, the sources being marked in the margin and the compiler's additions noted as 'auctor'. Prologue beg. 'In construccione tabernaculi legimus quemque suis pro viribus'; text, 'Cum celorum opifex rex et conditor noster'. Ends 'turpiter audes. Ecce finis'. f. 1.

2. Sermons, &c., for festivals, viz.:-(a) 'Sermo de latrone beato in die Parasseues'. Beg. 'Deus erat in Christo mundum reconcilians sibi [2 Cor. v. 19], id est diuinitas operabatur in corpore'. f. 197 b;-(b) 'Sermo b. Ieronimi presb. de uespere sabbati Pasche': a note on the meaning of Una sabbati (Joh. xx. i), the attribution of which is highly doubtful. Beg. 'Quomodo iuxta Matheum uespere sabbati'. f. 202 b;-(c) 'Sermo b. Maximi episc. in die Pasche': sermon lvii of S. Maximus, Bishop of Turin circ. 415-466 (Migne, Patr. Lat. lvii. 361). Beg. 'Non inmerito, fratres, hodierna dic psalmus hic legitur'. f. 203 b;-(d) 'Sermo b. Leonis de Ascensione domini': sermon lxxiv of Pope Leo I (ib. liv. 397), here shortened at the end. Beg. 'Sacramentum, dilectissimi, salutis nostre quam precio sanguinis'; ends 'non retardent'. f. 205;-(e) 'Sermo b. Leonis de pentecosten'; sermon lxxvii (ib. liv. 411), abridged here by omission of all from col. 413 C, 'negare persone', to col. 415 A, 'Hanc autem fidem'. Beg. 'Hodiernam, dilectissimi, festiuitatem toto terrarum orbe uenerabilem'. f. 207 b;-(f) 'Sermo de sancta trinitate'. Beg. 'Audi Israel, deus tuus deus unus, &c. [cf. Deut. vi. 4 sqq.]: In hiis uerbis quinque sunt dili-

genter attendenda'. f. 209;-(g) ' De festo corporis Christi': the decretal of Urban IV [11 Aug. 1264], Potthast, no. 18999, cf. 11 B. III, art. 1. Beg. 'Transiturus de mundo'. f. 212;-(h) 'Sermo in natiuitate s. Iohannis Bapt.': part of the sermon [perhaps by Gervase of Chichester] which is given in full in 3 B. X, f. 116 b. Beg. 'Hodie, dilectissimi, dies illuxit insignis tanto ceteris diebus sanctior'; ends 'nascitur tamen sine peccato'. f. 215 b;-(i) 'Sermo de assumpcione b. Marie'; printed as sermon ii of the doubtful works of S. Hildefonsus, Bishop of Toledo 657-667 (Migne, xcvi.

2So), here shortened at the end. Beg. 'Inter precipuas sanctorum festiuitates'; ends 'gladio uulnerata'. f. 218; -(k) 'Sermo b. Iohannis in decollatione s. Iohannis Bapt. ' : a sermon contained (in Latin) in some editions of S. John Chrysostom, but better attributed to Petrus Chrysologus (sermon cxxvii, ib. lii. 549), here slightly abridged at the end. Beg. 'Hodie nobis Johannis uirtus Herodis feritas'; ends 'detulit matrlsue'. f. 220;

-(l) 'Sermo b. Ieronimi presb. in natiuitate s. Marie Vrginis'; attributed also in 2 C. III, f. 62b, to S. Ambrose, and printed among the spurious works of S. Augustine (sermon cxciv, ib. xxxix. 2io4), but really a compilation, here shortened at the end. Other forms of it are printed among the works of Rabanus Maurus (hom. de festis xxviii, ib. cx. 54) and Fulbert of Chartres (serm. ad. pop. ix, ib. cxli. 336). Beg. 'Adest nobis dilectissimi, optatus dies beate ac venerabilis', and ends ltotius seculi saluatorem'. f. 222;-(M) 'Sermo de veneracione reliquiarum sanctorum', beg. 'Audistis, fratres dilectissimi, psalmista dicente quod preciosa sit'. f. 224 b;-(n) 'Sermo in festiuitate omnium sanctorum': a compilation printed as sermon ccix among the spurious works of S. Augustine (ib. Xxxix. 2135), as hom. lxx among the spurious homilies of Bede (ib. xciv. 450), and in Alcuin's Homiliarium de Sanctis, no. lxvii, here shortened at the end. Beg. 'Hodie, dilectissimi, omnium sanctorum sub vna solemnitat' leticia'; ends 'magnanimitate adquirantur'. f. 232 b; -(o) 'Epistola Leonis ad Flauianum Constantinopol. episc. de incarnacione verbi dei': part of ep. xxviii of Leo I (Migne, liv. 755, cf. 7 A. II, art. 3). Beg. 'Leo episc. dilect. fratri Flauiano salutem. Lectis dilectionis tue litteris'; ends 'formam non minuit' f. 235;-(p) 'Sermo b. Augustini episc. de dedicacione': sermon ccxxxi among the spurious works (ib. xxxix. 2171), also attributed to S. Maximus, app. serm. xix (ib. lvii. 883), and to 'Eusebius Emesenus' (La Bigne, Max. Bibl. Patrum, vi, p. 675). Beg. 'Recte festa ecclesie colunt'.

f. 237 b. Vellum; ff. 241. 9 in. x 63/4 in. Circ. A.D. 1400. Gatherings of 8 leaves, with catchwords in frames, the first four leaves of each lettered and numbered. Sec. fol. '-ri quia sicut'. Initials in red and blue. On f. 197 is the note 'Richarde Smythe, doctor in phisicke, oueth this booke, wittenes me William Smithe his vnckle, the gyver, anno 1568'(cf. also f. 1). Dr. Richard Smith, a fellow of the College of Physicians, died at Douai, 160z; he was uncle of Richard Smith, Bishop of Chalcedon. On f. ii is noted 'iii.s.' Belonged to John Theyer (monogram, f. 1). Theyer sale-cat. no. 177 ; CMA. 6575.