Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 406: Seneca, Tragedies. Iohannes de Alta Villa, Architrenius. Miscellaneous Texts

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Abstract/Contents

Summary
CCCC MS 406 contains a number of texts copied in a series of early thirteenth-century hands. Among these is what is thought to be one of the earliest versions of the 'A' recension of Seneca's Tragoediae to be copied in England. The text has been much used and discussed by modern editors of Seneca's Tragedies. Alongside this there appears a broad variety of texts typical of a monastic or university commonplace book including satirical verse, classical history, cosmology and poetics. The texts include the Architrenius of Iohannes de Alta Villa (fl. late twelfth century) and the Anticlaudianus of Alanus ab Insula (Alain de Lille, c. 1128-1203), Joseph of Exeter (d. 1210) Bellum Troianum, Walter of Châtillon (fl. c. 1160-90) Alexandreis, the first part of Bernardus Silvestris (d. after 1159) Cosmographia (the Megacosmos) and Geoffrey of Vinsauf (d. after 1200) Poetria noua. There has been some suggestion that the manuscript has an Oxford provenance, but when and how this manuscript passed into Parker's possession is not known.
Contents
Tragedies -- Architrenius -- Epistola ad Terricum in Megacosmum -- Bellum Troianum -- Anticlaudianus -- De coloribus sententiarum -- Poetria noua -- Alexandreis

Description

Alternative title Senecae Tragoediae. Architrenius, etc.
Type of resource mixed material
Extent ff. 4 + 144
Date created [ca. 1200 - 1299]
Language Latin
Material Vellum
Layout double and triple columns of 53, 46, 51, etc. lines
Height (mm) 215
Width (mm) 155
Collation a(4) 1(8)-5(8) | 6(8)-8(8) | 9(8) 10(4) 11(8)-13(8) | 14(10) (10 canc.) 15(4) (1 canc.) | 16(8)-19(8) (8 a slip).
Writing in several very good small hands
Foliation ff. a + i-iv + 1-144 + b
Additions On f. ir is pasted a slip with a list of contents (xiii): In hoc uolumine cantinentur subscripta. i. Tragedie Senece. Soror tonantis. ii. Architrenius. Velificatur athos, etc. The other flyleaves blank.
2 fo. sceptra obtinentur

Bibliographic information

M.R. James Date xiii
Downloadable James Catalogue Record
Title
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:fp391pz2877/MS_406.pdf
Superseded Interim Catalogue Record
Title
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:zj484kv4840/406.pdf
Contains
Title
Seneca, Tragedies. 1r-40v
James
Senecae Tragoediae. 1r-40v
Author
Seneca
Note
Triple columns. Misbound. The true order of the quires is 1, 4, 3, 2, 5
a.
(1r) Hercules Furens
Rubric
(1r) Iuno
Incipit
(1r) Soror tonantis hoc enim solum mihi
Note
b.
(5r) Thiestes
Ending imperfect
Explicit
(8v) Parere crescit pondus et dextram grauat
Note
l. 986
Continued f. 25r
c.
(9r) Medea
Begins imperfect l. 387
Incipit
(9r) Flammata facies spiritum ex alto citat
Note
The beginning is on f. 23v
d.
(11r) Agamemnon
e.
(14r) Octauia
Breaks off at l.761
Explicit
(16v) Superos adora maneat ut presens metus
Note
Continued on f. 33r
f.
(17r) Edippus
Beginning at l. 285
Incipit
(17r) Gelidumque dirimit
Note
The beginning is on f. 32r
g.
(19v) Troas
c.
(23v) Beginning of Medea
b.
(25r) End of Thiestes
h.
(25r) Thebais
i.
(27v) Ypolitus
g.
(32r) Beginning of Edippus
e.
(33v) End of Octavia
k.
(33v) Hercules Oetheus
Ending 39v
Explicit
(39v) Fulmina mutes
Rubric
(39v) Lucii. Annei. Senece. Hercules Oe ... neus explicit feliciter
Note
f. 40r-40v blank
Examined by Mr C. E. Stuart, Trinity College, Craven Student 1907. It is one of the earliest of the English MSS.
Title
Iohannes de Alta Villa, Architrenius. 41r-64v
James
Iohannis de Alta villa Architrenius. 41r-64v
Author
Iohannes de Alta Villa
Note
Another hand: double columns
Incipit
(41r) Velificatur athos dubio mare ponte ligatur
Note
Wright, Satirical Poets of the Twelfth Century I 240
Ends f. 64r
Explicit
(64r) Equet in eternum populus dilectus et ultra
Rubric
(64r) Explicit
Note
On f. 64v in 4 columns are the capitula to the Architrenius
Title
Bernardus Silvestris, Epistola ad Terricum in Megacosmum. 65r-74r
James
Bernardi Siluestris Megacosmus. 65r-74r
Author
Bernardus Silvestris
Note
Another hand: double columns
Rubric
(65r) Incipit Epistola magistri bernardi siluestris ad magistrum Terricum in megacosmum
Incipit
(65r) Terrico ueris scientiarum titulis doctori
Explicit
(65r) ualeatque uita uestra
Rubric
(65r) Incipit megacosmus bernardi siluestris
Incipit
(65r) Congeries informis adhuc cum silua teneret
Note
(69r) Liber II
Ends 74r
Explicit
(74r) Ductoresque pedes omnificasque manus
Rubric
(74r) Explicit cosmographia magistri bernardi siluestris
Note
Ed. Wrobel and Barach, Biblioth. philos. mediae aetatis I, Innsbruck, 1875
Title
Joseph of Exeter, Bellum Troianum. 74v-86v
James
Iosephi Exoniensis Ilias. 74v-86v
Author
Joseph of Exeter
Note
(74v) (Prologue)
Incipit
(74v) Cresce Ioseph nomen augmenti moribus impleNe uirtute minor nomine maior eas...Nam uacuus labor est carpere mortis iter
Rubric
(74v) Frigii Daretis Yliados liber primus de prima pergamorum euersione incipit
Incipit
(75r) Iliadum lacrimas concessaque pergama fatisPrelia bina ducum bis adactam cladibus urbem
Note
(77r) Herethe hand changes and there are 3 columns to a page
Ends
Explicit
(86v) Quam pascit presens extremaque krminat etas
Rubric
(86v) Frigii Daretis yliados liber explicit
Note
Printed several times: e.g. in the London reprint of the Delphin edition of Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis (1825)
Title
Alanus ab Insula (Alain de Lille), Anticlaudianus. 86v-100v
James
Alani Anticlaudianus (without the prose preface). 86v-100v
Author
Alanus ab Insula (Alain de Lille)
Incipit
(86v) Auctoris mendico stilum falerasque poete
Note
Wright, Satirical Poets of the Twelfth Century II 272
Ends
Explicit
(100v) Supplantare nouas saltem post fata silebit
Title
De coloribus sententiarum. 101r-101v
Note
a.
(101r) Poem exemplifying colores, double columns
Headings in margin
Rubric
(101r) Exempla colorum sententiarum
Incipit
(101r) Ecce Est pape leges sacras dictantere minorum
Note
(101r) Distinctio
(101r) Prescriptam iuris formam seruare sed errant
(101r) Licencia
(101r) Quam plures quorum ce pape redarguit error. Parcis non punis enormia lucra sequentes, etc....
(101r) (Breuitas)
(101r) Non persona patris uel sacri flaminis esse Debuit ipsa salus hominis sic collige paucis
(101v) Demonstracio
Explicit
(101v) Ciuibus angelicis celo nascente creatis Lucifer egregie lucis de luce creantis ... Istius radix sic sum quasi causa remota Huius pestis ero uicine causa salutis
Title
Geoffrey de Vinsauf, Poetria noua. 102r-112v
Author
Geoffrey de Vinsauf
Note
b.
Rubric
(102r) Incipit liber magistri Galfridi (Vinesauf: cut off) Anglici ad Willelmum de Wrotham epistola prima
Incipit
(102r) Quem pape scripsi munus speciale libelliAccipe flos regni primo pocieris honore...Sed licet omnis apex tibi crescat honoris, honoreCrescere non poteris quantum de iure mereris
Note
Text begins
Incipit
(102r) Papa stupor mundi si dixero papa nocenti
Note
Ends 112v
Explicit
(112v) Plene. sed res est longe fecundior ore
Rubric
(112v) Explicit artificium lepide loquendi
Note
Printed in Leyser, pp. 861-978
Title
Walter of Châtillon, Alexandreis. 113r-144v
James
Gualteri de Castellione Alexandreis. 113r-144v
Author
Walter of Châtillon
Note
(113r) Another hand
Incipit
(113r) Primus aristotiles imbutum nectare sacro...Pergama miratur et sompnia uisa retractat
(113r) Gesta ducis macedonie totum digesta per orbem
Explicit
(113r) nostram paciare camenam
Note
The next eleven lines in another hand
Incipit
(113r) Nondum prodierat mature plena tenellis...Confusos turbare duces primumque (?) leonis
Note
(141v) Liber X ends
Explicit
(141v) Gloria Willelmi nullum moritura per euumLaus tibi sit christe quia finitur liber iste
Rubric
(141v) Explicit liber Alexandri
Note
(141v) Prose prologue
Incipit
(141v) Moris est usitati cum in auribus multitudinis
Explicit
(141v) totum opus per capitula distinguamus
Note
Capitula follow, ending with the argument of Liber I (Primus Aristotiles) as above
See Hist. Litt. XV 100. Ward, Catalogue of Romances I 94. Often printed
On ff. 142v-144r are scribbles, notes, memorial verses, lists of sins, etc.
Liber VII 331, etc. reads
Incipit
(132r) Nollet corruptus munere iudexNon caderent hodie nullo discrimine sacriPontifices. quales nuper cecidisse querunturVicine modico distantes equore terreSed quia labilium, etc.
TJames 69
Stanley G. 3
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/ky226pt1201
Location MS 406
Repository UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

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