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

MS. Bodl. 177

Summary Catalogue no.: 2072

Physical Description

Composite: four parts, all written in the last quarter of the fourteenth century, with added decoration, 15th century, second half.
Form: codex
Extent: v + 73 fols.
Dimensions (binding): 10.875 × 8.125 in.

Decoration

Good initials (alphabet).

Diagrams. Added to a MS. of 14th century. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 1143, pl. CVI)

History

Origin: 14th century, last quarter;decoration added 15th century, second half

Provenance and Acquisition

Fol. 37, ‘Thomas Aynow(?)’, 15th century.

Presented by (Sir) Richard Worseley, 1607.

MS. Bodl. 177 – Part 1 (fols. 1–22)

Contents

(fol. 1)
Sphere of life and death

Cf. eTK 1315D, 1522K, etc. With a short explanation:

Incipit: Racio spere ... Pictagore quam Apellogus exarauit

The latter Sphaera occurs again on fol. 22. At foll. ii-iii are two notes by Rudolf Peiper in 1878 about this article.

Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 2)
Johannes Viennensis, Speculum elementorum
Rubric: Tractatus magistri Johannis Vien(n)ensis de perfecta & infallibili arte alkimie qui dicitur Speculum Elementorum
Language(s): Latin
2.
Alchemical notes and recipes

Partly attributed to ‘magister Dominicus Hispanus’. On fol. 12v is a peculiar alphabet: on fol. 18 is a glossary of alchemical terms rendered in Latin and English.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment (one folio is paper, see Provenance)

Layout

mostly in 2 cols.

History

Origin: English ; 14th century, last quarter

Provenance

Fols. 2–21 are fols. 69–76, 78–84, 58, 57, 68, 67, 86 of an older volume; fol. ‘84’ is paper.

Fol. 21, ‘Memorandum quod Anna mater vxoris mei sepulta fuit die Jouis penultimo die Aprilis anno regni regis Henrici vjti xxiijº. Et obiit die Mercurii.’

MS. Bodl. 177 – Part 2 (fols. 22–32)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

(fol. 27v)
Rubric: Tabula principalis Gerlandi

No years are filled in, but comparison with the table in MS. Digby 190, fol. 75v, shows that the table covers the years 1042–1572. In the fourth line of the column for the years beginning with 1380 the space for 1384 has a small line at the top of the ‘a’ suggesting that the next eclipses expected are those of 1384.

2. (fol. 29)
Scientific treatises
Rubric: 12 Experimenta naturalia de corio serpentis translata a Johanne Paulino ab arabico in Latinum
(fols. 30, 31, 32)
Rubric: Capitulum de 16 herbis
Rubric: de lapidibus
Rubric: de animalibus

Imperfect at end.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Dimensions (leaf): 265 × 185 mm.

Layout

1 col. of variable size.

Decoration

Coloured tables and initials.

Rubrics.

History

Origin: 1383 or 1384 ; English

MS. Bodl. 177 – Part 3

Contents

1.
Medical treatises
(fol. 33)
Rubric: Tracatus vrinarum
Incipit: In tractatu vrinarum primum quid vrina sit videndum
(fol. 34v)
Rubric: Liber pulsuum
(fol. 38)
Rubric: Modus iudicandi urinas

‘Secundum galterum’.

(fol. 38v)
Rubric: Liber vrinarum Egidij cum commento

The text of the poem is not given.

Language(s): Latin
2.
Treatise on chiromancy
Incipit: Si linea vite sit grossa
Incipit: Ad sciendum artem chiromanticam

Cf. eTK 0060J, 1108J, 1453K (?)

Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 42)
Astrological treatise
Rubric: Fortuna de xii signis
Incipit: Qui fuerit natus in signo Aquarij
Language(s): Latin
4. (fol. 45)
Johannes de Sacro Bosco, Algorismus

Ends imperfect in ch. 4 (here ch. 5). Each chapter followed by the corresponding passage of Alexander de Villa Dei, Algorismus.

Language(s): Latin
5. (fol. 46v)
Treatise on chiromancy
Incipit: Chiromancia est sciencia cognoscendi
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Layout

2 cols.

Decoration

Drawings of alchemical instruments (furnaces, pots, etc.) on fols. 51v-52v.

Diagrams.

History

Origin: 14th century, last quarter ; English

MS. Bodl. 177 – Part 4

Contents

1. (fol. 53)
Alchemical recipes
Incipit: Aqua Tartari sic fit
Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 54v)
Ps.-Roger Bacon, Speculum secretorum
Incipit: In nomine Domini ... Ad instruccionem multorum circa hanc artem
Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 56)
‘Geber’, Liber triginta uerborum
Rubric: Liber de 30 verbis
Incipit: Iam tu scis qui adquiris
Language(s): Latin
4. (fol. 57v)
Petrus de S. Audomaro, Nouus quadrans correctus
Rubric: Ars et operacio noui Quadrantis editi a magistro Prefacio Martilisensis[sic] ... & postea a Petro de Sancto Adamaro Parisius diligenter corecti & perfecti
Incipit: Accipe ergo tabulam eream
Language(s): Latin
5. (fol. 61v)
Devotion

With Latin prayer referring to SS. Cyricus and Julitta.

Language(s): Latin and Middle English
6. (fol. 63v)
Short treatise on the interpretation of dreams
Incipit: Danielam prophetam cum esset
Language(s): Latin
7. (fol. 64v)
Short text on arithmetic
Incipit: Ars metrica docet de numero per se
Language(s): Latin
8.
Astronomical tables
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 14th century, last quarter ; English

MS. Bodl. 489 - binding leaves

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Sermons

Parts of two leaves: cf. SC 2069, 2683, 2753.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 13th century

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (2018) from the following sources:
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, III (1973), no. 1143 [decoration]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [contents, history, provenance]

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (2 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2018-10-29: Revised to incorporate all information in Watson, Pächt and Alexander, and SC.