RMGYMss.
BIFOLIUM FROM A UNIVERSITY TEXT BOOK COMPENDIUM Ref 572 pages 4 and 1
This is a bifolium from a university or school text book containing the end of "Disticha Catonis" and the beginning of a commentary of the "Egloga Theodoli" Thought to be Italian, it was probably produced in the fourteenth century.
The text on pages 1,2 and 3 contain the last ten “closed couplets” of Liber IV of the Distichs of Cato, a Latin collection of proverbial wisdom and morality. The heading to Liberr IV is : -
“Semotam a curis si uis producers uitam
Nec uitiis haerere animi, quae moribus obsunt,
Haec praecepta tibi saepe esse legenda memento.
Inuenies, quo te possis mutare, magistrum.
Which translates to something like: -
“Be concerned if you want to live a productive life and have no faults that cling to you that may injure your character. These rules must be read often and remembered and you will find that you are able to transform yourself into the master.”
On page 1 are couplets 40, 41, 42 and 43 as follows: -
40. Cum quid peccaris, castiga te ipse subinde;
Vulnera dum sanas, dolor est medicina doloris.
(“When something is wrong, you will from time to time correct it. Whilst the wounds heal, the pain is the pain of the medicine.”).
41. Damnaris nunquam post longum tempus amicum,
Mutavit mores, sed pignora prima memento.
(“Never lose a long time friend. He changes his character, but remember the first impresion.”).
42. Gratior officiis, quo sis mage carior, esto,
Ne nomen subeas quod dicitur offici perdi.
(“More pleasing are tasks that are nobler, possibly. Do not undertake lost causes.”).
43. Suspectus caveas ne sis miser omnibus horis,
Nam timidis et suspectis aptissima mors est.
(“He is expected to take good care of you lest you be miserable at any time. For the fearful and suspicious are the most suitable for death.”).
On page 2 the couplets are 44. 45, 46 and 47 as follows: -
44. Cum fueris proprios servos mercatus in usus, (this line is worn away)
Et famulos dicas, homines tamen esse memento.
(“When you own slaves, they are bbought to use. It should be remembered that slaves are people.”).
45. Quam primum rapienda tibi est occasio prima,
Ne rursus quaeras quae iam neglexeris ante.
(“The first opportunity should be taken as soon as possible. You may not seek those things that you have previously neglected.”).
46. Morte repentina noli gaudere malorum:
Felices obeunt quorum sine crimine vita est.
(“Do not enjoy the sudden death of the wicked. Enjoy a happy life without guilt.”).
47. (“As you have a wife, you do not have a reputation about working. No efforts must be lost in making your enemy your friend.”).
On page 3 the couplets are 48 and 49 as follows: -
48. Cum tibi contigerit studio cognoscere multa,
Fac discas multa, vita nil discere velle.
(“When you had attained much learning, you learn so much that there is nothing left to learn”.).
49. Miraris verbis nudis me scribere versus?
Hoc brevitas fecit, sensus coniungere binos.
(“Are you surprised by my nakedness to write poetry? This made the brevity of two lines to make sense.”).
Around and underneath each couplet is “gloss” giving explanation and meaning to it.
Below the last couplet there is a further line in the larger script. It is a colophon and reads “scripsit scripta sua dextra sit benedicta”, which translates to something like “He who wrote these lines by his own right hand be blessed”.
On page 4 there is a different text. It is the beginning of what I have been advised is probably the commentary of Alexander Neckam on the “Egloga Theodoli”.
The size of the bifolium is approximately 240mm x 128mm (9 9/20ins. x 5 1/20ins.).
OVERALL CONDITION: -
The bifolium does have condition issues. First of all it is not complete as there is at least a single line of text and the upper border missing from the top of the bifolium. Also, there are several creases where the bifolium has been wrapped round a book cover, there are several holes within the text, pages 4 and 1 are very browned because of the use of glue, and whilst pages 2 and 3 are reasonably bright, having been on the outside of the book cover the text on them is a little worn.
GENERAL COMMENTS: -
Not withstanding its condition this is an interesting bifolium at several levels. The two texts that are included on it are seldom to be found available to purchase and I have been fortunate to be able to obtain this manuscript which has survived quite by chance. The fact that the bifolium is from a text book for use in a school or university makes it unusual that to have been written on velum. More often than not such books were written on paper. The quality of the script is such that it was probably not written by a professional scribe but by the person who was going to be using the book. Finally, colophons are infrequently found but there is one here and it is the writer asking for a blessing.
DISTICHA CATONIS OR THE DISTICHS OF CATO: -
This is a Latin collection of proverbial wisdom and morality originally assumed to have been written by Cato the Elder or even Cato the Younger but eventually attributed to an unknown author named Dionysius Cato from the 3rd or 4th century AD. The Cato was the most popular medieval schoolbook for teaching Latin, prized not only as a Latin textbook, but as a moral compass.
“Distich” means closed couplets, a style of writing with two-liners. It is a collection of moral advice, each consisting of hexameters, in four books. Cato is not particularly Christian in character, but it is monotheistic.
ALEXANDER NECKAM AND THE “EGLOGA THEODOLI”: -
Alexander Neckam (1157-1217) was an English scholar, teacher, theologian and abbof of cirencester Abbey. He was a prolific writer and his works included a commentary on the “Egloga Theodoli”'. This is a composition of bucolic poetry in a dialogical form, with an allegorical meaning and a celebration of rural life. It was probably written in the 9th. or 10th. Century and the name Theodolus is considered probably to be a pseudonym. The work is attributed by some authors to Gottschalk of Orbais (805-869). The Latin theodolus corresponds to the German translation of the name Gottschalk ( Godescalc : servant or slave of God).
BIFOLIUM FROM A UNIVERSITY TEXT BOOK COMPENDIUM Ref 572 pages 4 and 1
This is a bifolium from a university or school text book containing the end of "Disticha Catonis" and the beginning of a commentary of the "Egloga Theodoli" Thought to be Italian, it was probably produced in the fourteenth century.
The text on pages 1,2 and 3 contain the last ten “closed couplets” of Liber IV of the Distichs of Cato, a Latin collection of proverbial wisdom and morality. The heading to Liberr IV is : -
“Semotam a curis si uis producers uitam
Nec uitiis haerere animi, quae moribus obsunt,
Haec praecepta tibi saepe esse legenda memento.
Inuenies, quo te possis mutare, magistrum.
Which translates to something like: -
“Be concerned if you want to live a productive life and have no faults that cling to you that may injure your character. These rules must be read often and remembered and you will find that you are able to transform yourself into the master.”
On page 1 are couplets 40, 41, 42 and 43 as follows: -
40. Cum quid peccaris, castiga te ipse subinde;
Vulnera dum sanas, dolor est medicina doloris.
(“When something is wrong, you will from time to time correct it. Whilst the wounds heal, the pain is the pain of the medicine.”).
41. Damnaris nunquam post longum tempus amicum,
Mutavit mores, sed pignora prima memento.
(“Never lose a long time friend. He changes his character, but remember the first impresion.”).
42. Gratior officiis, quo sis mage carior, esto,
Ne nomen subeas quod dicitur offici perdi.
(“More pleasing are tasks that are nobler, possibly. Do not undertake lost causes.”).
43. Suspectus caveas ne sis miser omnibus horis,
Nam timidis et suspectis aptissima mors est.
(“He is expected to take good care of you lest you be miserable at any time. For the fearful and suspicious are the most suitable for death.”).
On page 2 the couplets are 44. 45, 46 and 47 as follows: -
44. Cum fueris proprios servos mercatus in usus, (this line is worn away)
Et famulos dicas, homines tamen esse memento.
(“When you own slaves, they are bbought to use. It should be remembered that slaves are people.”).
45. Quam primum rapienda tibi est occasio prima,
Ne rursus quaeras quae iam neglexeris ante.
(“The first opportunity should be taken as soon as possible. You may not seek those things that you have previously neglected.”).
46. Morte repentina noli gaudere malorum:
Felices obeunt quorum sine crimine vita est.
(“Do not enjoy the sudden death of the wicked. Enjoy a happy life without guilt.”).
47. (“As you have a wife, you do not have a reputation about working. No efforts must be lost in making your enemy your friend.”).
On page 3 the couplets are 48 and 49 as follows: -
48. Cum tibi contigerit studio cognoscere multa,
Fac discas multa, vita nil discere velle.
(“When you had attained much learning, you learn so much that there is nothing left to learn”.).
49. Miraris verbis nudis me scribere versus?
Hoc brevitas fecit, sensus coniungere binos.
(“Are you surprised by my nakedness to write poetry? This made the brevity of two lines to make sense.”).
Around and underneath each couplet is “gloss” giving explanation and meaning to it.
Below the last couplet there is a further line in the larger script. It is a colophon and reads “scripsit scripta sua dextra sit benedicta”, which translates to something like “He who wrote these lines by his own right hand be blessed”.
On page 4 there is a different text. It is the beginning of what I have been advised is probably the commentary of Alexander Neckam on the “Egloga Theodoli”.
The size of the bifolium is approximately 240mm x 128mm (9 9/20ins. x 5 1/20ins.).
OVERALL CONDITION: -
The bifolium does have condition issues. First of all it is not complete as there is at least a single line of text and the upper border missing from the top of the bifolium. Also, there are several creases where the bifolium has been wrapped round a book cover, there are several holes within the text, pages 4 and 1 are very browned because of the use of glue, and whilst pages 2 and 3 are reasonably bright, having been on the outside of the book cover the text on them is a little worn.
GENERAL COMMENTS: -
Not withstanding its condition this is an interesting bifolium at several levels. The two texts that are included on it are seldom to be found available to purchase and I have been fortunate to be able to obtain this manuscript which has survived quite by chance. The fact that the bifolium is from a text book for use in a school or university makes it unusual that to have been written on velum. More often than not such books were written on paper. The quality of the script is such that it was probably not written by a professional scribe but by the person who was going to be using the book. Finally, colophons are infrequently found but there is one here and it is the writer asking for a blessing.
DISTICHA CATONIS OR THE DISTICHS OF CATO: -
This is a Latin collection of proverbial wisdom and morality originally assumed to have been written by Cato the Elder or even Cato the Younger but eventually attributed to an unknown author named Dionysius Cato from the 3rd or 4th century AD. The Cato was the most popular medieval schoolbook for teaching Latin, prized not only as a Latin textbook, but as a moral compass.
“Distich” means closed couplets, a style of writing with two-liners. It is a collection of moral advice, each consisting of hexameters, in four books. Cato is not particularly Christian in character, but it is monotheistic.
ALEXANDER NECKAM AND THE “EGLOGA THEODOLI”: -
Alexander Neckam (1157-1217) was an English scholar, teacher, theologian and abbof of cirencester Abbey. He was a prolific writer and his works included a commentary on the “Egloga Theodoli”'. This is a composition of bucolic poetry in a dialogical form, with an allegorical meaning and a celebration of rural life. It was probably written in the 9th. or 10th. Century and the name Theodolus is considered probably to be a pseudonym. The work is attributed by some authors to Gottschalk of Orbais (805-869). The Latin theodolus corresponds to the German translation of the name Gottschalk ( Godescalc : servant or slave of God).