Royal MS 17 C XVIII

THEOLOGICAL TREATISES in English, viz.:-

1. 'Here begynnith a litill short tretis þat telleth how there were six maistris assembled', &c. (cf. 17 A. XXV, art. 3). It is attributed by Bale, Index, ed. Poole, p. 3, to Adam Carthusianus. Beg. 'The firste maister seide þat if enythynge'. f. 1. Followed (f. 1 b), as in several other MSS., by a Latin note 'De paciencia infirmitatis', printed by Horstmann among 'Works wrongly attributed to R. Rolle', Richard Rolle and his followers, ii, p. 390. Beg. 'Si sciret homo quantum ei infirmitas vtilius'.

2. 'Here suyth a prolog vpon the xii prophetis and euuaungelistis (sic, but corr. advantages) of tribulacione': translation of Peter of Blois De duodecim utilitatibus tribulationis (Migne, Patr. Lat. ccvii. 990). Printed, with the six masters (art. 1) prefixed, by Wynkyn de Worde, The xii profytes of tribulacyon, 1530, and by Horstmann, op. cit ii, p. 391. For another translation see Horstmann, op. cit. ii, p. 45. Prologue beg. 'Da nobis, domine, auxilium, &c.: Lorde god, graunt vs helpe of tribulacion'; text, 'The firste prophet of tribulac[i]on is to vndirstonde'. f. 2 b.

3. ' Here begynnyth the boke of the crafte of deynge': a translation of the Latin Tractatus de arte moriendi attributed to Matthew of Krakau (see 8 B. XVI, art. 1). Printed by Horstmann, op. cit. ii, p. 406. Beg. 'For as moch as the passage of dethe'. f. 21.

4. 'Here begynnith a tretis of gostely batale'; really, as Horstmann points out, a compilation from other works, including ch. viii of the Poor Caitiff (cf. Harley MSS. 953, f. 80, 2336, f. 93, &c.), the Treatise of three Arrows (cf Harley MS. 1706, f. 110 b), &c. Printed, op. cit. ii, p. 420. Beg. 'Brothir or sistre that desiriste to com to the endlesse blisse'; ends 'ordeynyd to in his furste creacione. Amen. Deo gracias'. f. 39.

5. Walter Hilton's epistle on mixed life, without title and incomplete. Printed with his Scala Perfectionis, 1507, &c., and by Perry, Engl. Prose Trealises of R. Rolle, E. E. Text Soc., 1866, p. 19, and Horstmann, op. cit. i, p. 264. Beg. Brethirne and susteryne bodely and goostely, two maner of states ther bene in holy chirch'; ends (Perry, p. 32, Horstmann, p. 278) 'continuelly norisshed'. f. 57.

6. Treatise on prayer and meditation, without title. Beg. 'Siue manducatis siue bebitis, &c. [1 Cor. x. 31], that is to sey whethir ye etyn or drynken . . . Two thynges be ther the which you muste vse'; ends 'gostely desire and sekynge of the godhede'. f. 65.

7. 'Here begynneth þe tretyse of xii degrees of mekenes': a tract of which other copies are in Harley MSS. 4011, f. 16, 4012, f. 79. Beg. 'Seynt Gregor the doctour seith that withouten mekenes itt is vnlefull ends 'itt semyth in the louynge of godd'. f. 77 b.

8. 'Tractatus m[agistri] W[alter]i Hilton': called elsewhere 'A tretis of viii chapitres necessarie for men þat []iuen hem to perfection, whiche was founden in a book of (sc. belonging to?) maister Lowes de Fontibus at Cantebrigge and turned into Englisch bi maister Watere Hilton of Thurgarton' (see Harley MS. 993, Add. MS. 10053, f. 29, cf. Lambeth MS. 472). A table of the eight chapters is prefixed. Beg. 'The firste tokyn of loue is that the louer submytte fully'; ends 'saue vs and alle cristen men and women. Amen'. f. 82.

9. 'Here begynnith the blissed meditacions of the holy doctor seynt Barnerde': translation of the wellknown work attributed both to S. Bernard and Hugo de S. Victore (see 6 B. XI, art. 9, &c., Migne, Patr, Lat. clxxxiv. 485). The translation is different from that printed by Wynkyn de Worde, The Meditations of Saint Bernard, 1496/7. Beg. 'Many know many thyngis and know not hemselfe, othir thei beholde and themsilfe thei forgett and forsake'; ends 'god of glorie that livith and reygneth withowten ende. Amen'. f. 89 b.

10. 'Consilia Isidori' : translation of the Latin compilation from Isidore's Synonyma which was printed by Machlinia at the end of Speculum Christiani (London, 1480?). The English was printed by Berthelet as The Gathered Counsailes of Saincte Isidore, 1544, at the end of Thomas Lupset's works (Berthelet, 1546, Kynge, 1560), and in Horstmann's Richard Rolle, ii, p. 367. Other copies are in Harley MS. 1706, ff. 90, 140, and Add. MS. 37788, f. 64. Beg. 'Manne know thi silfe, know what thou arte'. f. 104 b.

11. The last part of the epistle of Pelagius to Demetrias (see 18 A. X, art. 11, f. 76 b); without title. Beg. 'Doughtir, take heide of this, loke that thi conscience and thi fame acorde both togethir'; ends 'but the reste is endeles. To that reste brynge vs he þat for vs died on the rode tree. Amen'. f. 110 b.

12. 'In nomine Ihesu hoc opus incipio. Amen. Here is a lytil tretise a[]enes fleischly affeccyonez and all vnthrifti lustes'; described in the preface as a 'litill and shorte tretis of v chapiters drawen oute of diuerse bokis and small tretisses' and addressed 'to women allonly', though useful also to men. Preface beg. 'Because that alle the lawe of god and alle mannes perfeccion standith in loue'; text, 'Furste be right wele ware þat þou nevir speke mych with eny man aloone'; ends 'be clere fruicion in the blisse of heven euerlastynge. Amen'. Colophon, 'Explicit tractatus vtilis, &c.' f. 121.

Artt. 13, 14 are added in a smaller hand.

13. 'A specyall prayer iff þow be in any angny (sc. agony) or greet tribulacyon'. Beg. 'Iff þow be in any greet tribulacyon or aduersite, go in to þe chirch'. f. 132 b.

14. Three short prayers against temptation taught by the Virgin to S. Bridget. Beg. 'Þe modir of Crist tawte Seynt Brigitte remediez'. f. 133.

On f. 119 b is a prayer, 'O altissima crux, o humanus et innocens sanguis', &c., with indulgence. The prayer is repeated in another hand on f. 120 and followed by an invocation of the Eucharist.

Vellum; ff. 133. 8 1/2 in. x 6 in. XV cent. Gatherings of 8 leaves (xi¹, end of art. 7, xvi-xviii⁷ with catchwords. Sec. fol. '-set quare'. Initials (artt. 1-4) in blue. Scribbled names (16th cent.) include Thoorlay (f. 20 b), Wylliam Horlow (f. 81, cf. Harlywes, f. 118 b), and Clement Harrison (f. 104 b). Belonged to John Theyer (monogram, with no. 2, on f. 1). Theyer sale-cat. no. 199; CMA. 6570.