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

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23

Summary Catalogue no.: 2674

Physical Description

Composite: eight parts
Extent: vii + 219 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 8.875 × 6.5 in.

Condition

Partly in poor condition.

Layout

2 cols.

Decoration

With illuminated or coloured capitals, etc.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

14th and 15th cent. lists of contents are at fols. 217 and vi v. The 14th cent. list of contents on fol. 217 shows that some leaves are missing after fol. 6, containing 'Tractatus de vicijs barbarismi & solocismi & figuris secundum Donatum. Item tractatus de orthographia & incipit Quoniam grammatice. Item tractatus de accentu & incipit Post hec de accentu'. Three leaves are also missing after fol. 109 containing 'Tractatus de coloribus pictorum & eorum factura ... & incipit viride terestre'.

Coventry, Warwickshire, Benedictine cathedral priory of St Mary the Virgin: evidence of contents, see arts. 2, 3, 5.

'Rychard Byrd' is scribbled on foll. 19v, 20r, 23r, (late 15th cent.).

This appears to be the only volume corresponding to the 'Scripta diuersa philosophica et medica vno volumine 4to' given by sir George More in 1604: there are some indications however that the volume was not referenced till nearly 1620.

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 1

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 1)
Richard of Billingham, Speculum puerorum
Rubric: Tractatus qui dicitur Terminus est in quem
Incipit: Terminus est in quem resoluitur proposicio
(fol. 4v)
The character of each day of a lunation with reference to the letting of blood
Incipit: Luna prima. Adam plasmatus est. Dies bona
Philosophy

Some Latin philosophical notes are at foll. 5v, 6v.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 14th century, early ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 2

Contents

Language(s): Latin

2. (fol. 7)
Alexander Nequam, Corrogationes Promethei
Rubric: Exposiciones parcium Biblie secundum Alexan drum Necham [early 14th century]
Rubric: Liber iste dicitur Ferrum [early 14th century]
Incipit: Ferrum situ rubiginem ducit

Some satirical verses follow, apparently of about A.D. 1300.

Incipit: Frater Rauf fetunde qui scilicet unus habunde | res alias funde tria pignera sunt aliunde

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Penwork.

History

Origin: 13th century, end ; English

Provenance

On fol. 86 is 'ex dono fratris Roberti Euerdone', 15th cent.

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 3

Contents

Language(s): Latin

3. (fol. 87)
Ps.-Aristotle, Secreta secretorum
Rubric: Liber Aristotelis de secretis secretorum siue de regimine principum uel regum uel dominorum
Final rubric: Completus est tractatus ex signis & moribus naturalibus hominum ad regem magnificum Alexandrum ....

The Latin translation of Philippus Tripolitanus, with various prologues, as in S.C. 2136 and 2140.

3. (fol. 109v)
An astrological piece on the character of the moon in the signs of the Zodiac
Incipit: Luna exeunte in Ariete
Final rubric: Explicit .xij. signa planetarum

At the foot of the page is an erased inscription 'Istum librum concessit [?] huic ecclesie frater Robertus Euerdone', see above.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 14th century, early ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 4

Contents

(fol. 110v)
Gawain’s Proverbs
Incipit: Ki ben e mal a un pris prent
Dean and Boulton, no. 269, p. 152

Added, 14th century.

Language(s): Anglo-Norman
Incipit: Labeur de Picard, pité de Lombardt | Patience d’Allemant, humilité de Normandt
Jonas

Added, 14th century.

Language(s): Anglo-Norman

Some Latin verses against lawyers, etc.

Incipit: Nulli causidico

Added, 14th century.

Language(s): Latin
4. (fol. 111)
Palladius, De agricultura
Rubric: Palladii, Rutili, Tauri, Emiliani, uiri illustris. Opus agriculture incipit

With a list of chapters preceding each book.

Language(s): Latin
5. (fol. 156)
M. Cetius Faventinus, Liber artis architectonicae
Rubric: De architectura ualde utilis sciencia de libris antiquorum qui de hoc scripserunt non paruo labore excerpta
Incipit: Multa oracione

In 39 chapters.

Apparently the interpolated version, as in MS. Rawl. G. 62: cf. K. W. Gransden, 'The Interpolated Text of the Vitruvian Epitome', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 20, No. 3/4 (Jul. - Dec., 1957), 370-372

Language(s): Latin
(fol. 165v)
Arithmetic

Two short pieces 'de multiplicatione numerorum

Language(s): Latin
(fol. 166)
Medicine

Medical description of a 'propsiletrum' against noxious humours

Language(s): Latin
(added about A.D. 1300 on fol. 166v)
Booklist
Rubric: Hij sunt libri quos. J. de Bruches monachus Couintriensis scripsit ad opus Couintriensis ecclesie. Qui hos ab ecclesia sine consensu conuentus alienauerit anathema sit

With a list of about 32 volumes. A similar list is printed from MS. Digby 104, fol. 171, in Hearne's History of Glastonbury (Oxford, 1722) at p. 291.

English Benedictine Libraries: The Shorter Catalogues, ed. R. Sharpe et al., Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues 4(1996), B23 (pp. 108-113)
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 13th century, second half ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 5

Contents

Language(s): Latin

6. (fol. 167)
Logical treatise
Incipit: Cum sit nostra presens intencio ad artem
Final rubric: Expliciunt Sumule ad modum Oxonie
(fol. 173v)
Logic (fallacies)
Incipit: Ut dicit Aristoteles in libro Elenctorum
Final rubric: Expliciunt Fallacie ad modum Oxonie
(fol. 178v)
Grammar
Incipit: Cum sit nostra presens intencio circa regulas
Rubric: De cursu planetarum & temporum diuisione [from list of contents]
Incipit: Per veterem sagacitatem

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 13th century ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 6

Contents

7. (fol. 181)
Logical treatise
Incipit: Quid sit materia artis dialectice
Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 189v)
Grammatical treatise
Rubric: Obiectiones Donati
Incipit: Notandum quod octo sunt partes
Language(s): Latin
(fol. 194v)
Grammar (versification)
Rubric: Versus diuersi coloris de sancta Kateryna
Incipit: Celi gemma bona, succurre reis Kateryna

Examples of different kinds of mediaeval metres, rhyming and other; added, 14th century, same hand as fol. 110v.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 13th century ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 7

Contents

8. (fol. 195)
Ps.-Albertus Magnus, Summa naturalium
Rubric: Termini naturales composite a Ranulpho monacho Cestrensi
Incipit: Philosophia diuiditur in 3 partes, videlicet Logicam, Ethicam, & Philosophicam

Ends in the 17th chapter of the 4th part with the words 'alius expanditur circa ipsum'.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 13th century ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23 – Part 8

Contents

Language(s): Latin

9. (fol. 207)
Johannes de Sacro Bosco, Tractatus de sphaera
Rubric: Tractatus Spere
Incipit: Tractatum de spera quatuor capitulis
10. (fol. 212v)
Treatise on arithmetic
Rubric: Algorismus
Incipit: Cum hec sciencia de numeris que Algorismus
eTK 0301H
(fol. 214v)
Assize of bread
Incipit: Quando quarteria frumenti venditur pro .xii. denariis
Explicit: Ista assisa est per totam Angliam precepto domini Regis

Some calculations about the price of corn, and baking bread, 1267 (?).

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

History

Origin: 13th century ; English

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23, endleaves (fols. ii, vii, 215-218)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: six leaves

History

Origin: 13th century

MS. Auct. F. 5. 23, endleaves (fols. v-vi)

Contents

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: two leaves

History

Origin: 13th century

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (2025) by Matthew Holford from the Summary Catalogue (1922) with additional reference to published literature as cited.

Last Substantive Revision

2025-01: Description revised to incorporate all information from Summary Catalogue.