A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges

Merton College MS. 251

Former shelfmark: C. 1. 13

JOHN SHARPE, ANTONIUS ANDREAE; S. XV in.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Fols. ii-iii blank. On f. iiiv is a table of contents.

1. (fols. 1–48v)
JOHN SHARPE, Quaestio de Anima
Incipit: Vtrum anima intellectiua sit quodammodo omnia
Explicit: (ends impf. in art. 4) ideo potest per illum conceptum [catchwords haberi sufficiens]

Lohr, pp. 279–80; Sharpe, Handlist, pp. 315–16. One of eight copies; unpr. The text is continued in Digby 77, which also contains JOHN CHILMARK, De Actione Elementarum, and FRANCISCUS DE MAYRONIS, De Formalitatibus.

2. (fols. 89–148v, 49–72v, 149–55, 73–88v)
ANTONIUS ANDREAE OFM, Quaestiones super XII Libros Metaphysicae
Incipit: Girum celi ...; Secundum doctrinam Aristotelis et eum communiter sequencium
Incipit: Quia secundum doctrinam Aristotelis in posterioribus
Explicit: tunc reuoco paratus libenti animo emendare. Ecce finis.
Final rubric: Explicit scriptum super metaphisicam Aristotelis secundum nouam translacionem compilatum a fratre Antonio Andree ordinis minorum de prouincia Arrogonie. Deo gracias Amen. Ecce finis illarum questionum.

Quires are missing after f. 148, containing text from near the end of Bk. 5 q. 4 to the last question in Bk. 7. Many copies and early printed versions, e.g. Bologna 1471; DSO (Vivès) 5. 400–725, 6. 1–600; Glorieux, Théol. 344aa (as by Duns Scotus); Lohr, pp. 364–5 (wrongly citing the edn. of Wadding); the authorship discussed in DSO (Gál) 3. xxxvii-xlii.

(fols. 155–6)
List of the 'quaestiones'
Explicit: Ecce finis titulacionis istarum questionum super totam methaphisicam &c. quod Wyke. Nunc finem feci da michi quod merui.

Originally this was followed by the alphabetical subject index now at fols. 73–88v.

(fols. 73–88v)
An alphabetical subject index (Abstractio—Ydee)

The table of contents describes this as ‘secundum Derham.’ This was Thomas Dereham, monk of Bury; the table found in another three copies, all at Oxford: Sharpe, Handlist, p. 651.

The table of contents indicates that this item was originally followed by ‘Tractatus de decem generibus secundum Scotum’, ‘Tractatus de duobus primis principiis secundum rem secundum Burley’ (Sharpe, Handlist, p. 723), ‘Tractatus de tribus in toto uniuerso per se agentibus secundum eundem’ (ibid.), ‘Tractatus de potencia actiua et passiua’ (ibid.), ‘Tractatus Burley de abstractis’ (ibid.).

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: tos et ualidos
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 158 leaves (iii + 156)
Dimensions (leaf): 190 × 135 mm.
Dimensions (written): 135 × 190 mm.
The edges savagely retrimmed, damaging running heads, decoration and marginalia, and spattered with red.

Collation

A bifolium, 1–612, 716, 8–1212, 138; framed catchwords.

Layout

Frame-ruled with crayon, written in c. 32 long lines.

Hand(s)

The small, neat anglicana of Wyke, including the material on f. iiiv.

Decoration

On fols. 1 and 89 are initials and full borders in colours but yellow instead of gold; blue initials flourished in red; red or blue paraphs.

Binding

Standard Merton s. xvii, sewn on four bands; formerly chained from the usual position. f. i is a letter from Neil Ker to H. W. Garrod, dated July 26 1942, identifying Bodl. Libr., MS. Digby 77, fols. 150–97, as part of this MS. On f. ii are the marks of two foredge straps.

History

Origin: S. XV in. ; England

Provenance and Acquisition

On f. iiivis a formal inscription, partly erased, and table of contents: ‘Hunc librum prouidit dompnus ⟨Iohannes h de Wed solum et⟩ suis beneuolis sacre theologie baculaur’ anno Domini m. cccc. xxv quem qui alienauerit uel eius titulum hic aut alibi deleuerit anathema sit, predicti Iohannis fortuna prosperitatis non uariata seu ipso non affirmante.’ On f. 89 the decoration includes ornamental words at the head, cropped by the binder, and at the foot, erased. Those at the top seem to make ‘IHOHANNES’, at the foot ‘DICTUS WETH’’.

This may be the book given to the College in 1449 by John Whethamstede (BRUO 2032–4), abbot of St Albans 1420–40, 1450–64 (Appendix B, no. 97), and the copy of ‘Antonius in metaphisica’ bound and chained in 1454–5 (ibid., no. 106). It was certainly there by 1556 (UO65. 264). The destination of the partly erased ex dono will then have been St Albans Abbey itself. In 1563 the relevant part of Digby 77 was in the possession of Thomas Allen (who so inscribed it).

At the head of f. 1, cropped by the binder, is the James no. ‘181’, s. xvii in. Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with titles, s. xvii, and ‘P. 4. 2. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 1. 13 (CCLI)’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘2’ is inked on the foredge.

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009.

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.

Bibliography

    Coxe, pp. 99–100; Powicke, no. 1202; Alexander & Temple, no. 413.

Funding of Cataloguing

Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .

Last Substantive Revision

2019-10-01: First online publication

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