Royal MS 15 A XXXI

MORAL POEMS in Latin, bound up, apparently in the 17th century, with legal and other tracts, viz.: 1. Theoduli ecloga (cf. 15 A. VII, art. 2); without title. The MS. is noted, but not collated, in Osternacher's edition. Beg. 'Ethiopum terras'; ends 'ne desperacio ledat '. f. 3.

Art. 1 is a separate quire of narrower vellum containing six leaves, with two fly-leaves (ff. 1, 8), which are a fragment of an indulgence from Clement [VI] to John [Arcber], rector of Ketlebergh [Kettleburgh, co. Suff.], Norwich diocese, to choose a confessor, with power of plenary remission of penance at the hour of death May, 1351, see Bliss and Johnson, Calendar of Papal Letters, p. 437]. On f. 8 b is also a list (erased) of about eight books, including a copy of juvenal, in a 14th cent. hand, and stitched to the same leaf is a small fragment, with coloured initial, from a 14th cent. service-book, with music. At the end of art. 1 (f. 7 b) are scribbled lists of Latin words with Engl. equivalents, e.g. 'hic porcus, suyhn', 'hoc ventilogium, vedirkoc'. Artt. 2,-8 2. Alanus de Insulis, Parabolae; without title. Printed by Migne, Patr. Lat. ccx. 581. Beg. 'A Phebo Phebe lumen capit, a sapiente'; ends (wanting most of cap. v of Migne's text):-

'postea verucas rideat ipse meas. Motibus assidue surgentibus obuius obsta, ne superet qui sic te superare queat. Finis est'. f. 9.

3. Pseudo-Boethius, De disciplina scholarium: the supposititious work by an unknown writer probably of the first half of the 13th century. Sometimes attributed, but upon no good grounds, to Thomas of Cantimpré. Printed by Migne, lxiv. 1223. Fragmentary, a single page, with full marginal gloss. Text beg. 'Vestra nouit intentio de scolarium disciplina'; gloss, 'Iste liber quem pre manibus, habemus licet minimus quantitate'. The glossator treats the book as a genuine work of Boethius. f. 12 b.

4. Catonis disticha (cf. 15 A. VII, art. 11); with preface and prose aphorisms. Interlinear and marginal gloss, beg. 'Cum animaduerterem, id est cum animo considerarem'. f. 13.

5. 'Theodolus': another copy of the same poem as art. 1. Not noticed by Osternacher. Gloss beg. 'Ethiopum terras, &c.: Auctor presentis opusculi de pugna spirituali'. f. 20 b.

6. Avianus, Apologi (cf. 15 A. vii, art. 3); collated by Robinson Ellis, Fables of Avianus, 1887. Fables xvii-xxi are omitted. Gloss begging for it. 'Materia huius auctoris sunt appollogi'. Colophon, 'Liber finitur a discretis bene scitur et laudes Christi recipiat sedulus isti'. f. 28.

F.43 b begins with an initial M standing by itself . The blank space is partly used for the gloss of art. 8, but the rest is filled, in a late 13th cent. hand, by art. 7.

7. Extracts from the Etyrnologiae of S. Isidore of Seville relating to various arts. Beg. 'Medicina est que corporis uel tuetur'. f. 43 b.

8. 'Liber accentarius' (title in l. 23): the poem of John de Garlandia, an Englishman who derived his name from the street in Paris where he taught in the first half of the 13th cent. (see Edwin Habel in Mitteilungen der Ges. für deutsche Erzeihungs. und Schulgeschichte, Berlin, 1909, xix). Towards the end of the poem the author gives (f. 72) a list of his works mentioning this as really a part of the Compendium Grammaticae, and noting also as his two works not mentioned by Haurdau in Not. et Extr. xxvii, pt. ii, pp. 1-86, viz. Integumenta on the fables of Ovid's Metamorphoses (cf. 12 E. XI, art. 4) and a medical work (Memoriale Iohannis). Not printed. Another copy is in Add. MS. 15832. Beg. 'Eclesie sacre modulans lex metrica seruit'; ends 'Metrifica recte uoces intellige recte'. Gloss beg. ' Huic operi partiali in respectu compendii'. f. 44.

Art. 9 (with art. io) is a separate MS., four gatherings numbered (each gathering has two numbers) 13-20 and paged by a 16th cent. hand in red pencil 181-276. Art. 9 is in a hand of the end of the 13th cent. Initials in red and blue.

9. Statutes and law-tracts (in Latin, except where specified), viz.:-(a) 'Marleberge', the stat. of Marlborough, 52 Hen. III [18 Nov. 1267, Stat. Realm, i, p. 19]. A clause relating to attorneys at the end is additional. f. 74;-(b) 'Mertone', provisions of Merton, 20 Hen. III [23 Jan. 1236, ib. p. 1]. f. 76 b (three quarters of a page following are left blank);-(c) 'Westm[onasteriense] primum', n. d., stat. of the first Parliament (anno 3) of Edw. I [22 Apr. 1275, ib. p. 26]. The introductory and two final clauses are omitted and others differently arranged. French. f. 78 ;- (d) 'Gloucester[iense]', n.d., stat. of Gloucester [6 Edw. I, 7 Aug. 1278, ib. p. 45]. The preamble is in the abridged form, the disputed clause about appeals is inserted before, not after, clause ix, and the explanationes are not given. French. f. 84;-(e) 'Westm[onasteriense] secundum', 13 Edw. I [after Easter 1285, ib. P. 71]. Clause XXXIV is in French, the rest Latin; clause xlix is omitted. f. 85 b;-(f) 'Merton' (so pencil title at head of page), the stat. de scaccario with the clauses called districtiones seaccarii prefixed, n.d. Ib. p. 197. French. f. 96;-(g) 'Statuta Wyncestr[iensia]', n.d. [13 Edw. I, 8 Oct. 1285, ib. p. 96]. French. f. 97b;-(h) Stat. de viris religiosis, n.d. [7 Edw. I, 15 Nov. 1279, ib. p. 511. f. 98;-(i) Stat. de mercatoribus (of Acton Burnel), n. d. [11 Edw. I, 12 Oct. 1283, ib. p. 53]. French. f. 98 b;-

(k) 'Westm[onasteriense] tercium', 18 Edw. I, the stat. Quia emptores [8 July, 1290, ib. p. 106]. f. 99;-(l) Note on lands held by women. Beg. 'Si mulier aliqua terram habens de hereditate'; ends 'releuium dare'. f. 99 b;-(m) Articles of inquiry for some court, chiefly relating to the assises of bread and beer. Beg. 'Queratur primo quomodo quarterium melioris frumenti'; ends 'non arentatis'. f. 99 b;-(n) Magnum Hengham (cf. 9 A. VII, art. 37, 10 A. V, art. 44). Beg. 'Licet ordo placitandi'. f. 100;-(o) 'Wynletham' (so pencil note in margin), the treatise known as Fet assaver (cf. 9 A. VII, art. 35, 10 A. V, art. 24). Beg. 'Fest a sauer al comencement'. French. f. 109 b;-(p) Forms of writs, &c., relating to the inquisition into liberties, temp. Edw. I [circ. 1276]. Beg. 'Rex vicecomiti Ebor. sal. Cum in ultimo parliamento'. f. 117;-(q) Quia emptores repeated as above (k). f. 117 b;-(r) Part of the note De admensuratione terrae, Stat. Realm, i, p. 206, but with variations. Beg. 'Quando acra terre continet in longitudine x perticas'. f. 117 b.

Art. 10 is a later addition (15th cent.) on the blank leaves at end of art. 9.

10. Letter of Innocent VII completing the letters conservatory prepared by Boniface IX (2 June, 1404) to the abbots of St. Albans, Evesham, and Waltham, respecting the liberties of Westminster Abbey. Dat. Rome, ii Nov. 11404. Cal. Papal Letters, p. 19. Beg. 'Rationi congruit'. f. 118.

Art. 11 is a distinct MS. (but early bound up with artt. 2-8),two gatherings, written in three columns in a late 13th cent. hand; references in red.

11. A collection of biblical texts (rarely quotations from other sources) under headings, De oratione, De consilio, &c. Beg. 'Orante Moyse uictus est Amalec. Exod. xvii'. f. 121.

Art. 12 is also a distinct gathering, in a late 13th cent. hand, double columns.

12. Letter of Hildebert, Bishop of Le Mans, to Adela, Countess of Blois, ep. x in Migne, clxxi. 162. Without heading. Beg. 'Confidimus in domino Iesu quia qui cepit'. f. 141.

Vellum; ff. 144. 9 in. x 5 in. (art. 1), 9¹/₄ in. x 6¹/₂ in. (artt. 2-8), and 8³/₄ in. x 6¹/₂ in. (artt. 9-12). XIII cent. Gatherings, i⁸ (art. 1), ii⁴, iii¹², iv, v⁸, vi¹⁶, vii⁸, viii⁹ (artt. 2-8), ix-xii¹² (artt. 9, 10), xiii⁸, xiv¹² (art. 11), xv⁴ (art. 12). Sec. fol. 'ultio digna' (art. 1), 'sic iuuenis' (art. 2), 'quo prius' (art 9), 'Complebo' (art. 11). Initials (artt. 4-6, 9) in red and blue. Artt. 2-8, 11 came from the library of John, Lord] Lumley (f. 9). In the Lumley cat. (Add. MS.

36 59, f. 368) the MS: appears bound apparently with another article, viz. 'Chronologia brevis a creatione mundi ad annum 1137 usque ad tempus Stephani regis Angliae'. What has become of this article, and whence come the added articles 1, 9, 10, 12, is not known. The MS. made up as at present appears in the cat. of 1666, f. 2 b; CMA. 8432, 8468, 8532.