Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 456: Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Tractatus de sphaera. Alexander de Villa Dei, Algorismus. Richard of Bury, Philobiblon. Secreta secretorum
Description
Abstract/Contents
- Summary
- CCCC MS 456 is a late fourteenth-century manuscript that contains miscellaneous texts, some of them scientific. These include Iohannes de Sacro Bosco (fl. early thirteenth century), Tractatus de sphaera, the treatise by Richard of Bury (1281-1345) on the collection and study of books, the Philobiblon, Alexander de Villa Dei (c. 1170-c. 1240) Algorismus, and the Latin translation of the Arabic version of the Secretum secretorum by Philip of Tripoli (fl. c. 1243), which is also in CCCC MS 407. This last work, popular in the later Middle Ages, is a compilation of advice on political and ethical matters directed towards rulers. In addition, there are three anonymous astronomical and mathematical treatises. Of all of these texts, it was surely Richard of Bury's Philobiblon that attracted Parker to this manuscript, since the Archbishop and the erstwhile bishop of Durham shared a love of books not simply for their contents, but as objects in themselves.
- Contents
- Tractatus de sphaera -- Commentarius opus metricum de compoto manuali -- Algorismus -- The Theory of the Moon -- The Theory of the Planets -- Philobiblon -- Secreta secretorum (incl. Epistola Aristotelis ad Alexandrum)
Bibliographic information
- M.R. James Date
- xiv late?
- Downloadable James Catalogue Record
- https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:ts698js3665/MS_456.pdf
- Superseded Interim Catalogue Record
- https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:sh803cs3448/456.pdf
- Contains
-
- Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Tractatus de sphaera. 3-26
- James
- Joh. de Sacro Bosco de Sphaera. 3-26
- Author
- Iohannes de Sacro Bosco
- Incipit
- (3) Tractatum de spera in quattuor capitula diuidimus
- Note
- (4) Only one diagram
- Explicit
- (23) tota mundi machina dissoluetur
- Rubric
- (23) Explicit tractatus de spera
- Note
- pp. 24-26 blank
- Commentarius opus metricum de compoto manuali. 27-44
- James
- Compotus manualis. 27-44
- Incipit
- (27) Compotus iste diuiditur in sex partes quarum prima docet inuenire literam dominicalem
- Note
- Ends with verses
- Explicit
- (44) Non licet hic licet hic hic non licet hic licet hic nonEst aries taurus gemini cancer leo uirgoLibra est scorpio architenens caper amphora piscis
- Note
- (45) blank
- Alexander de Villa Dei, Algorismus. 46-76
- James
- Alexander de Villa dei de algorismo. 46-76
- Author
- Alexander de Villa Dei
- Incipit
- (46) Hec algorismus ars presens dicitur in qua
- Note
- (76) With prose insertions: ending
- Explicit
- (76) et habebis 22 que est summa predicte progressionis. hec iam dicta sufficiant ad dei laudem. Amen
- The Theory of the Moon. 77-96
- James
- Theorica lunae. 77-96
- Incipit
- (77) Circulus ecentricus circulus egresse cuspidis et egredientis centri idem sunt
- Note
- Spaces and whole pages left blank for figures
- Explicit
- (96) quod sit eclipsis lune in oppositione
- Rubric
- (96) Explicit theorica lune
- The Theory of the Planets. 97-126
- James
- Theorica planetarum. 97-126
- Incipit
- (97) Circa theoricam trium superiorum est sciendum
- Note
- No diagrams inserted
- Explicit
- (126) et ideo luna non retro graditur vide figuram
- Rubric
- (126) Explicit theorica planetarum
- Richard of Bury, Philobiblon. 127-204
- James
- Ricardi de Bury Philobiblon. 127-204
- Author
- Richard of Bury
- Incipit
- (127) Uniuersis Christo fidelibus ad quos tenor presentis scripture peruenerit Ric. de Bury miseracione diuina dunelmensis episcopus. Quid retribuam domino pro omnibus que retribuit michi
- Note
- Ends imperfectly
- Explicit
- (202) ac eiusdem concedit perpetuum fruibilis fa|-ciei conspectum
- Note
- This and the colophon are added in a Parkerian hand
- pseudo-Aristotle, Secreta secretorum (incl. Epistola Aristotelis ad Alexandrum). 205-339
- James
- PS.-Aristotelis Secreta Secretorum. 205-339
- Author
- pseudo-Aristotle
- Note
-
(203) On the first page are a receipt and memorial verses on the sees of England and on musical notes [excerpt from De octo tonis]
(204) blank
Prologues - Incipit
- (205) Domino suo.. Guidoni viro de valencia ... Philippus
- Explicit
- (208) feliciter peruenire
- Note
- (208) Capitula of the ten books
- Incipit
- (213) Deus eternus custodiat regem nostrum
- Explicit
- (215) alie naciones
- Incipit
- (215) Iohannes qui transtulit hunc librum
- Explicit
- (216) sub hac forma
- Rubric
- (216) (Epistola Aristotelis missa regi Alexandro)
- Incipit
- (216) O fili gloriosissime
- Note
-
The division into ten books indicated in the capitula is not fully preserved in the text
(225) Liber II (of capitula) de temperamento potestatis legis begins on p. 225 not noted in text
(298) Liber III. de forma iusticie, etc. p. 298 noted in margin
(302) Liber IV. de baiulis regis, etc. p. 302
(320) Liber V. de scribis, etc. p. 320
(321) Liber VI. de nunciis p. 321
(322) Liber VII. de propositis regum, etc. p. 322
(323) Liber VIII. de dispensacione, etc. p. 323
(326) Liber IX. de regimine bellatorum, etc. p. 326
(330) Liber X. qui dicitur phisonomia aristotelis p. 330
(339) Ending - Explicit
- (339) ad meliorem et probaciorem partem. Completus est tract. de signis et moribus naturalibus hominum ad Regem magnificum Alex. qui dominatus fuit toti orbi dictus monarcha in septentrione
- Rubric
- (339) ffinito libro sit laus et gloria Christo. precium iiijs (?)
- Note
- (340) blank
- Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Tractatus de sphaera. 3-26
- TJames
- 281
- Stanley
- T. 2
- Location
- https://purl.stanford.edu/dm805gn6112
- MS 456
- Repository
- UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction:
- Images courtesy of The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For higher resolution images suitable for scholarly or commercial publication, either in print or in an electronic format, please contact the Parker Library directly at parker-library@corpus.cam.ac.uk
- License:
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).