The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

Shelfmark O.9.35
Alternative Title

Geomantica

James Number 1447
Century 14th
Physical Description

32 lines to a page. In a beautiful hand, with fine ornaments.

Provenance

Part of the Gale collection, given to T.C.C. by Roger Gale in 1738.Marked I. 19. No. 362.

On the last page is the erased signature Charles, shewing that the volume belonged to Charles V. of France. It is no.749 in the Catalogue of the Library of the Louvre (Delisle, Cabinet des MSS. III.149). It occurs in the earliest inventory, of 1373. On the flyleaf Thomas Langleius possidet hunc librum 1542,and on f.1, the later name of John Langley.

Second Folio le scorpion
Donor Gale, Roger (1672-1744), Antiquary
Size (cm) 29 x 19.5
Folio 139 + 2 ff.
Material Parchment
Language Middle French
Collation

2 flyleaves. 18-148 1510 168 1710 wants 10.

IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/O.9.35/manifest.json
Online Since 20/02/2016

Contents

1. Livre de Geomancie.
f.1 En lonor de dieu pere filz et saint esperit qui forma ciel terre et toutes autres choses. Et uoult demonstrer a home par la science dastrologie la verite des choses passees presente et a uenir
Initial: pink ground with white flourishes, a kneeling man on
L. in grey caped tunic receives a clasped book from one in dark red cape and hood and blue tunic. Border with thick leaf-work, and an angel and another figure.
Text and margin are full of geomantic diagrams, composed of dots.
On f.7a is a circular diagram, in outline, with beautifully drawn figures of the Twelve Signs.
On f.37b lists of the divisions of the Twelve Houses.
On f.39b a rubric
Ci desus sont escrips les tistres des questions de coy en ceste tierce partie ensieuent les solutions rendues par ordre si comme a chascune des xii mesons appartient.
Maintenant nous retornon ad solutions des questions deuant dictes.
Initial. On L. a man in grey gown and red sleeves. On R. a woman in scarlet holding a child in her arms.
Ends f.112a: Queue a des lettres i. et e. et des nombres . 14. Le liure de geomancie est acheue. que frere guillame de morbec de lordre des freres precheurs iadis peneancier du saint pere le pape translata du grec en latin. Et gautier le breton clerc ne de basqueuille le martel demourant a Eureux en normendie le translata du latin en francois et escripst u chastel de dangu a la priere de noble et puissant baron monseignor de preaus · et auec les autres choses ensieuantes les queles escriptures tant deuant alantes comme apres ensieuans furent escriptes u lieu dessus dit · lan de grace · 1347. dont dieu soit loe. Amen.
On ff.112b, 113 are tables.

f.114 2. Ci apres ensieuent les triplicites des figures de geomancie et la maniere de leurs conioncions et les seneficacions diceles sus les choses mondaines
Figures and interpretations follow.

f.127b 3. A louuraigne de cest art qui ensieut qui est dit lart des poins, comment faire ·4 . de lignes de poins tout par auanture qui seront dune longer si come ci (Four lines of dots containing respectively 17, 16, 16, 16) et puis len les doit deuiser par 12 par tant de fois comme len voudra ou porra. Et ceu qui demeura si ensaignera a entrer en la table des questions pour trouuer son iuge qui de la question proposee deura determiner
Then follow 36 sets of answers to questions in double columns, each headed by a name in red.
Gofal. 1. Jona 2. Choze 3, etc.
... Oreb. 36.
Another list of the judges equated with signs and Planets on f.131.

4. f.132 Ichi commence le liure eufrate
In double columns.
Mouton. leon. sagittaire sont signes orientex de nature de feu.
Ends f.138: et puet passer et auoir filz. Explicit.

5. La raison de lespere pictagoras iadis philosofre.
f.138 With diagram
Ends f.139a; Et saturne du samedi. deo gracias.
There is a multitude of small initials spreading into leaf-ornament, of excellent execution.

Bibliography

Avril, F., and L. Lafaurie, La Librairie de Charles V (Paris, 1968), no. 159.

Robinson, P., Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries, 2 vols. (Cambridge, 1988), no. 389, pl. 151 [dated 1347, written at Dangeau in France]

Shore, L. A., 'The continuum of translation as seen in three Middle French treatises on comets', Studies in Medieval Culture 35 (1995), 1-53.

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