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Merton College MS. 272

Former shelfmark: O. 1. 4

COMMENTARIES ON ARISTOTLE; S. XIII ex.

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Fols. iii, ivrv blank. On f. iiiv is a table of contents (without authors’ names), c. 1500, including three items now lacking from the end: quaestiones on the De Caelo, De Memoria and Metaphysics.

1. (fols. 1–22)
ADAM OF BUCKFIELD, Commentary on ARISTOTLE, De Anima, recension II
Incipit: Bonorum honorabilium noticiam &c. Intentio est in hoc libro de anima circa quod in principio est sciendum
Explicit: admixto cum fantasia. Explicit.

Ed. H. Powell, The Life and Writings of Adam of Buckfield, B. Litt. diss. (Oxford University, 1964), pp. 5–232; Lohr, pp. 320–1, citing eleven copies; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 6.

2. (fols. 22–3)
ADAM OF BUCKFIELD, Commentary on ARISTOTLE, De Memoria et Reminiscentia
Incipit: Reliquorum autem primum considerandum &c. Quibusdam naturalis philosophie doctoribus placet continuare librum istum
Explicit: recapitulat predeterminata.
Final rubric: Explicit Deo gratias.

Unpr.; Lohr, pp. 321–2; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 7, citing four copies.

3. (fols. 23v-4)
ADAM OF BUCKFIELD, Commentary on ARISTOTLE, De Longitudine et Breuitate Vitae
Incipit: De eo autem quod est esse alia longe uite &c. Cum ex sententia omnium recte philozophantium
Explicit: et breuitate uite. Explicit.

Unpr.; Lohr, pp. 322–3; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 7, listing three copies. f. 24v, originally blank, has a quaestio in a slightly later anglicana. The same hand writes another in the blank space remaining at the foot of f. 24 col. b.

4. (fols. 25–36v)
ADAM OF BUCKFIELD, Commentary on ARISTOTLE, De Generatione
Incipit: Cum in libro phisicorum determinatum sit de corpore mobili
Explicit: (ends impf.) Si autem hic destruit

Unpr.; Lohr, p. 320; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 7, recording sixteen copies.

5. (fols. 37–61v)
Commentary on ARISTOTLE, Metaphysics II-X, XII
Incipit: Consideracio quidem in ueritate difficilis uno modo. Assercio philosophorum et magistrorum sentencia substantiam de ente dupliciter esse confirmant
Explicit: ipsum esse principium.
Final rubric: Deo gracias.
6. (fols. 62–70)
Commentary on ARISTOTLE, Meteora
Incipit: Postquam precessit rememoracio ...; Ex diuisione naturalis philosophie patet quod in libro Methehororum intendit Aristotles de corporali generabili
Explicit: contraria superius determinatis in hoc libro.
Final rubric: contraria superius determinatis in hoc libro

Also in BnF lat. 16149, f. 51 seq.

7. (fols. 70v-86v)
Commentary on ARISTOTLE, De Caelo
Incipit: Summa cognicionis ...; Secundum rectum ordinem iste liber qui intitulatur de celo et mundo
Explicit: et ex hoc est solutio secunde questionis materia.
Final rubric: Iam ergo epilogat. Explicit sentencia quarti libri celi et mundi.

Also in Cambridge, Gonv. & Caius Coll. 367 (589), fols. 112–20.

8. (fols. 87–111v)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, Physics I-IV
Incipit: Quoniam autem oportet ... &c. Queritur de unitate scientie naturalis et quod non sit una probatio
Explicit: ad locatum erit aliud.

‘secundum magistrum Galfridum de Haspyl’, in an early hand at the head of f. 87.

Unpr.; Lohr, p. 151; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 121. One of five copies.

9. (fols. 112–17v)
Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, Physics VIII
Incipit: Vtrum autem factus sit ... &c. Queritur primo an sit motus primus et uidetur quod non quia Aristoteles in sexto huius probat pluribus demonstracionibus
Explicit: et similiter patet quod ratio eorum fuit nulla.

Lohr treats this as part of art. 8.

10. (fols. 119–36)
Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, Physics I, III-IV
Incipit: Quoniam iste liber qui intitulatur Liber phisicorum inter omnes libros naturales principalior est
Explicit: (ends unfinished) propter causam prehabitam numerus tamen

f. 136v blank but for faint pencil-notes.

11. (fols. 137–60v)
Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, Physics I-V
Incipit: Excellentissimum diuine munificentie donum est philosophia ut innuit Aluuredus in primo de Vegetabilibus
Explicit: (ends impf.) Item non esset loci mutatio nisis locus esset. Et sic omnis transitio [catchwords esset augmentatio]
12. (fols. 161–76; 176v blank)
Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, Physics IV-V
Incipit: An locus sit quod sic uidetur quia omne corpus ens unde in actu est in se indiuisum
Explicit: in loco et mouetur ad ipsum.
13. (fols. 178v-93; 193v blank)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Generatione
Rubric: De generatione autem et corruptione
Incipit: De generatione autem et corruptione. Quia Aristoteles dando suam intencionem dicit quod determinaturus est de generatione et corruptione
Explicit: et ideo meretur nomen motus.

Unpr.; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 120, but an entirely different incipit in Lohr, p. 152, who does not cite this copy. Preceded on fols. 177–8v by a connecting passage ‘Cuiuslibet diuisibilis extensi aut multiplicati per naturam est indiuisibile principium ... respondentes ei in sua communitate. Et sic determinatur de ipso in libro phisicorum.’ Followed by a quaestio in a slightly later hand.

14. (fols. 194–239)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Anima I-II
Incipit: Bonorum ... &c. Scibilium quoddam est scibile simpliciter et quoddam est scibile secundum quid
Explicit: quia unicum est lumen exterius lumini exteriori.

Ed. V. Cizmic (Munich, 2006); Sharpe, Handlist, p. 120; the unique copy.

(fols. 239v-40)

Originally blank. A quaestio added on 239v; on 240 the title ‘quaestiones super .3. de anima’.

15. (fols. 240v-4)
Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Anima III
Incipit: Quoniam autem non sunt sensus preter quinque. Queritur primo qualiter sensus particulares differunt utrum scilicet substantialiter uel accidentaliter
Explicit: non est sensus sub esse sensus.

On f. 244v, originally blank, is added ‘Questio magistri … de Monteforti in uesperis. Questio est de actione et passione … quia fieri non ex aliquo est fieri per creationem, ergo &c.’ Perhaps William de Montfort (BRUO 1297–8), chancellor of Oxford University 1282–3, dean of St Paul’s, London, d. 1294.

16. (fols. 245–56v)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Anima III
Incipit: De parte autem anime &c. Cum duplex sit intellectus scilicet possibilis et agens
Explicit: et quia intelligencie separate.

See art. 14.

17. (fols. 257–76; 276v-7 blank)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Sensu et Sensato
Incipit: Quoniam autem anima. In hoc libro qui intitulatur de sensu et sensato intendit(?) Aristoteles determinare de natura ipsorum instrumentorum sensitorum
Explicit: (ending unfinished) quilibet angulus est diuisibilis

Unpr.; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 121.

18. (fols. 277v-84v)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Somno et Vigilia
Incipit: Quia uult Aristoteles in litera quod sompnus est priuacio uigilie
Explicit: tunc non fiet sonus ad ibidem existentem.

Unpr.; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 121; the unique copy.

19. (fols. 285–97v)
GEOFFREY OF ASPALL, Quaestiones on ARISTOTLE, De Morte et Vita
Incipit: In isto libro determinat Aristoteles de causis longitudinis et breuitatis uite animalium et plantarum
Explicit: (ends impf. in art. 44) quia in animalibus

Unpr.; Sharpe, Handlist, p. 120.

Preceded, on fols. 284v-5, by a connecting passage: ‘In fine nobilitatis lux prima existens increata duas rationales creaturas ... ut habetur in fine secundi. W.

For arts 8–19 see E. Macrae, ‘Geoffrey of Aspall’s commentaries on Aristotle’, MARS 6 (1968), 94–134; R. Plevano, ‘Richard Rufus of Cornwall and Geoffrey of Aspall. Two questions on the instant of change’, Medioevo19 (1993), 167–232, at pp. 186–9.

Copious marginal annotation in early anglicana hands throughout.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: passio propria
Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: Constructed as booklets corresponding to single works or groups, nonetheless mostly if not entirely together from the first. 302 leaves (iv + 298)
Dimensions (leaf): 285 × 210 mm.
Dimensions (written): 205–10 × 140–5 mm.
The edges drastically retrimmed and spattered with red. Fols. iii-iv of thick, stiff parchment.

Collation

A bifolium, 1–212 / 312 / 4–612, 716(15–16 canc.) / 8–1012, 1114 / 13–1512, 164 / 1712, 186(6 canc.) / 19–2212, a bifolium, a singleton / 2312 / 2414, 25–612, 274(lacks 4), a singleton; catchwords.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 49–65 lines.

Hand(s)

Mostly small, neat early anglicana hands, lemmata in gothic rotunda, written larger. The script is uniform except for art. 4, in a larger hand with lemmata in gothic rotunda bookhand. Arts 1–3 are in a small rotunda bookhand influenced by anglicana. Arts 8–13 have running heads in the same hand. A single conspicuous, untidy anglicana hand annotates from art. 6 on.

Decoration

Red and blue flourished initials; blue initials flourished in red, red or blue paraphs. The decoration between fols. 62 and 244 seems to be in one hand.

Binding

Maltby 1970; Powicke described the previous binding, doubtless rightly, as s. xvii. Fols. i-ii, 300–1 are modern paper flyleaves. f. 299, from the former binding, part of an incunable (running head ‘Edi. I/II. in Por.’). At the foot of f. 298 is the mark of a brass chain-staple, and of two brass pins for straps.

History

Origin: S. XIII ex. ; England, Oxford (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Made in England, presumably at Oxford.

In the College electio of 1408–9: UO51. 5.

On f. i, in the hand of the table of contents, ‘Istum librum reparauit Magister Rogerus Martyn. Orate igitur deuote pro isto benefactore’. Martyn (BRUO 1237) was fellow from c. 1434 until at least 1439, canon of St Paul’s, London, d. by 1462. He also gave a Missal to the College chapel for use at St Michael’s altar (MCR 3992).

Near the foot of f. 176 an inscription has been obliterated by reagent, and another erased.

On f. iiv is the James no. ‘17’ (wrongly), s. xvii in.

Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with table of contents, s. xvii; the College bookplate. An indecipherable number is inked on the foredge.

Merton College MS. 272 - fragment (fol. 298)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

ROBERT KILWARDBY, Super Priscianem Minorum
Incipit: ⟨Q⟩uod Aristoteles in secundo de anima lingua congruit in duo opera nature ... ; ⟨L⟩iber iste diuiditur in prohemium et tractatum qui incipit ibi quod questionem ad litere
Explicit: in oratione quam alibi.

Extracts pr. C. H. Kneepkens, ‘Roger Bacon’s Theory of Double Intellectus’, in The Rise of British Logic, ed. P. O. Lewry (Toronto, 1985), pp. 115–44; Pinborg, Sprachlogik, p. 325 (An); Sharpe, Handlist, p. 561.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Dimensions (written): 200 × 145 mm.

Layout

Ruled with pencil in 2 cols of 67 lines.

Hand(s)

Written in a tiny, neat early anglicana hand.

Decoration

None.

History

Origin: s. xiii ex. ; script of English appearance.

Additional Information

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. 106–7; Powicke, no. 519.

Funding of Cataloguing

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

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2019-10-01: First online publication

See the Availability section of this record for information on viewing the item in a reading room.