Aristotle — 12th century, late to 13th century, early; English, St. Albans, abbey (?)

Title

Aristotle — 12th century, late to 13th century, early; English, St. Albans, abbey (?)

Shelfmark

MS. Selden Supra 24

Date

12th century, late to 13th century, early

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Acquisition

Acquired by the Bodleian in 1659

Provenance

St Albans, Hertfordshire, Benedictine abbey of St Alban: 'Hic est liber Sancti Albani quem qui ei ...' (fol. 3v). (MLGB3: evidence from an ex-libris inscription or note of gift to an institution).

John Selden, 1584–1654

Title

Aristotelian treatises

Shelfmark

MS. Selden Supra 24

Summary

Aristotelian treatises, in Latin, with glosses:

Fol. 3v. Books I-IV. 3 of the Metaphysics of Aristotle, or Metaphysica vetus: beg. 'Homines scire desidera[n]t natura'.

Fol. 27v. The 2nd and 3rd books of the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, or Ethica vetus.

Fol. 41. The treatise of Aristotle De generatione et corruptione, in two books, in the Graeco-Latin translation.

Fol. 64. 'Collectiones expositionum ab antiquis Grecis in libro Aristotelis de Mundo qui dicitur Celi et Mundi. Expositiones iste in sexdecim continentur capitulis': beg. 'Differentia inter corpus & quamlibet aliam magnitudinem '. This refers to the treatise commonly called De Caelo.

Fol. 76. The treatise De Causis, often attributed to Aristotle: beg. 'Omnis causa primaria plus est influens': here entitled 'Metaphisica Auendauth [i. e. David judæi].'

2nd half of the 13th century, (fol. 84). 'Liber Aristotelis ... in factura impressionum superiorum que fiunt in alto & inferius', the four books of the Meteorologica of Aristotle: at end 'Conpletus est Liber Metheororum Aristotilis cuius tres libros transtulit magister Giraldus Lumbardus [i. e. Gerardus Cremonensis] sum[m]us philosophus de Arabico in Latinum, quartum transtulit Henricus Aristip[p]us [archdeacon of Catania] de Greco in Latinum, tria ultima capitula [de compositione lapidum] transtulit Aurelius [i. e. Alfredus] Anglicus Sarulensis [i. e. de Sarchel] de Arabico in Latinum.'This is a fuller form than any noticed in Notices et Extraits xxxi. 1. 11.

On fols. 3v and 84 is 'Liber Sancti Albani quem qui ei abstulerit aut titulum delenerit anathema sit . Amen', 13th cent. The volume originally had 32 leaves in front (sheets I-IV). Also part E was a separate volume in the Sc. Albans library, and according to a late 14th cent. list of contents on fol. 3 had 'Marcianus de astrologia' at the end.

Date

Made up of five pieces written in the 13th century

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment

Physical extent

117 Leaves

Custodial history

Manuscript 3426 acquired by the Bodleian Library