Royal MS 10 C VI

THEOLOGICAL QUAESTIONES on the Sententiae of Petrus Lombardus and other subjects, by Robert Holcot and others, in Latin. The arrangement of Holcot's works varies greatly in MSS. and editions, and it is difficult to say whether art. 8 should be assigned to him or not. An Oxford MS. (Oriel Coll. xv) contains articles corresponding to artt. 2, 3, 4(?), and 5, with the same distich for a colophon as at f. 138. Contents:-

1. Tract on logic, for theologians. Another copy is in an Oxford MS., Magd. Coll. xcix. Beg. 'Presentis operis intencio est pro nouellis ac nouis rudibus theologis aliqua preambula'; ends 'dent nobis gaudia eterna. amen. amen, &c.' f. 1.

2. 'Tractatus magistri Nicholai de Orem de communicacione ydiomatum' (so colophon); by Nicholas of Oresme, the economist and opponent of astrology, Master of the College of Navarre at Paris 1356, Bishop of Lisieux 1377. A copy is in the Oriel MS. above mentioned, and the title occurs in the list of Nicholas' works in Launoy, Regii Navarrae Gymnasii Parisiensis Historia, ii, p. 458. Beg. 'Suppono primo cum doctoribus sanctis'. f. 3 b.

3. Quaestiones super Sententias,or Lectura Sententiarum, by the Dominican Robert Holcot, the alleged author of [Richard de Bury's] Philobiblon (d. 1349). The chief among many differences between this text and the editions printed at Lyons (1497, 1510, 1518) are as follows:-(a) lib. i, quaestio ii of the editions, the 'quaestiuncula imperfecta ... quam non omnes codices habent', is omitted in that place, but a complete form of it is added after lib. iv;-(b) lib. ii, qu. ii has a long addition beg. 'Sciendum quod Daniel existens';-Ac) qu. iii, iv are transposed;-(d) a qu. v is added, 'Vtrum stelle sint create', with colophon 'Gratia seruanti stellas et cuncta creanti. Explicit liber secundus';-4e) lib. iii has three additional quaestiones, viz. qu. ii the same as the Determinatio no. xv of the editions, qu. iii beg. 'Vtrum beatus Matheus', and qu. iv, 'Vtrum filius dei assumpsit';-(f) lib. iv has an addition at the beginning, qu. i, 'Vtrum cum omni sacramento debito modo'-- (g) qu. vii, vi, v of the editions occur in that order as qu. vi-viii. Beg. 'Vtrum viator existens in gracia'. f. 7.

4. 'Hic incipiunt sex articuli de diuersis matcriis prius tactis contra quos quidam socii racionabiliter insteterunt': the 'Conferentiae' of the printed editions followed by colophon 'Expliciunt questiones Holkote super sentencias'. The first articulus beg. 'Quod obiectum scientie fidei'. f. 131 b.

5. Introductory discourse (to a set of lectures) on the text 'Ierusalem evangelisiam dabo', Is. xli. 27, beg. 'Scola deuota theologice'. Apparently this is the preface to the Quaestiones (see the Oriel Coll. MS.) placed out of its proper order. f. 136.

6. A similar discourse on the text 2 Tim. iv. 7, ' Cursum consummavi, fidem servavi', beg. 'Sollicitudo scholastica'; the occasion being apparently the introduction of a bachelor named Roger as 'cursor' to the lecturer. Colophon, 'Laus tibi sit, Christe, quoniam liber explicit iste. Mentem scriptoris saluct deus omnibus horis', as in the Oriel MS. f. 137.

7. Tables to the Quaestiones, viz. an alphabetical index, beg. 'Abraham credidit absolute', but not identical with the printed tabula, and an incomplete list of tituli, which includes only a part of lib. i. f. 138.

8. A number of disputations 'de quolibet', of which three sets begin as follows:-'In disputacione de quolibet proposito fuerunt 27 questiones'. f. 141 b;-'In disp. de quol. proponebantur a 'sociis io questiones'. f. 152;-'In disp. de quol. proponebantur 22 questiones'. f. 157. But several questions at the end seem not to belong to this last set.

9. An extract with reference 'Couton in tercio S.', i.e. from Robert Cowton's (unabridged) commentary on the Sentences (lib. iii, qu. 18,.d. ii, see the abridge. ment in 11 B. I). f. 173. At the end is another imperfect copy of the list of tituli to Holcote given above, f. 141 b. Vellum; ff. 175. 131/2 in. x 91/4 in. Second half of XIV cent. Gatherings of 12 leaves, with catchwords; artt. 1, 2 on a separate quire 6, marked k. Double columns. Sec. fol. 'errandi' or (f. 3) 'per eam'. Initials flourished in red and blue. Belonged to Gloucester Abbey, and has two inscriptions. That to artt. 1 and 2 has the donor's name erased, 'liber monasterii s. Petri Glouc. ex adquisicione mag .. doctoris in theologia, pro cuius anima librum occupantes deo porrigant pias preces' ; the inscription to the rest of the MS. (f. 7) is 'liber' &c. 'ex adquisicione dom. Willelmi Boure eiusdem monasterii confratris, cuius animam librum inspicientes deo specialius recomendent'. Old Royal press-mark 'no. 1126'; cat. of 1666, f. 2; CMA. 7987.