I. The first page is a good deal stained:
f.1(4) GEOMETRIA Est DISCIplina magnitudinis immobilis formarumque descriptio
-lucidius maiorum dicta percipiet.
f.2b(5) DIUUS IVLIVS CAESAR UIR acerrimus et multarum gentium dominator
Diagrams on ff.4, 5.
(Genera controversiarum) -De itineribus.
f.6b(8) DE POSITIONE TERMINORUM
Controuersia est inter duos
-sed totum hic iudicandi hominem artificem oportebit.
f.9b(ll) NOMINA AGRIMENSORVM
Igini
-Cassii Longini.
f.10(12) IMPERATORUM
Seueri et Antonini iussu.
-Imp. Constantini iussu.
f.10(12) NOMINA LAPIDVM FINALIVM ET ARCHARVM POSITIONES
Primus lapis. Ostogonus.
With figures. In double columns.
The last is KALAFIONES.
f.11(13) INCIPIUNT CAPITULA LIBRI HVIUS
Tu qui uis perfectus esse geometricus . lege ista omnia que capitulata sunt subterius
-multa opponunt falsa pro ueris. EXPL.
A heading in blue and red, the blue lines almost entirely gone.
f.12(14) INCIPIT LIBER ANICII MANILII SEVERINI BOETII GEOMETRICO|RVM NO.IS AB EVCLIDE TRANSLATVS DIALOGVS
Δ(iscipulus). Quomodo inuenta est geometria. M(agister). Inuentam esse geometriam Aegytii diceunt pro necessitate terminorum terrae quos nilus inundationis tempore infundebat
-demonstratio et conclusio.
FINIT DYALOGVS: A. M. S. B.
f.13(15) INCIPIT LIB. II.
Restat autem nobis profundissima(m) quandam tradere disciplinam
-secundum maiorum normam multitudinemque protenditur.
f.17b(19) DE PARIBUS ET IMPARIBVS NVMERIS
Descriptio h̘ (autem) quę subposita est.
f.19(21) -si igitur duo prima latera proposite formulę quę faciunt angulum sub uno ad . xu .
(caret: in a hand of cent. xv.)
Half the page, and all the verso, left blank.
f.20(22) PRINCIPIUM MENSVRAE . PVNCTUM uocatur cum medium tenet figurę
With figures.
-In positione angulus esse dicitur etc.
due recte linee subiunguntur.
f.24(26) DE TRIANGVLI RATIONE LINEARVM
A(d) datum punctum date recte linee aequalem rectam lineam collocare.
-Si ab uno triangulo latere -reliquis lateribus continetur
[see diagram in text]
EXPLICIT RATIO ANGVLORVM.
f.28(30) Si sunt duo rectae lineae quarum una quidem indiuisa
-Dato rectilineo cum collocare quadratum.
With figure of AGER QUADRATVS.
EXPL. III.
f.29b(31) INCIPIT LIBER . IIII . ANICII MANILII SEVERINI BOETII AB EUCLIDE TRANSLATUS
Si in circulo per centrum linea quedam recta dirigatur.
-qi maior potestas limitum recturarum [James attempts to reproduce abbreviation; in the MS -rum looks like a broad minuscule n with a slanting bar through its right-hand part] ripeue non confirmant.
f.33b(35) DE INTERNA RATIONE ET NON RECIPIENDOS LIMITES
Sunt et medii termini qui dicuntur epidonici.
-Centuria habet in se iugera cc. (and figure).
f.36(38) INCIPIT ALTERCATIO DVORVM GEOMETRICORVM DE FIGURIS NUMERIS ET MENSVRIS
Quoniam diuerse forme agrorum ueniunt in disputationem.
-In demonstratione summitas In conclusione extremitas.
Explicit · ANICII MANNLII SEVERINI BOETII · LIB. V artis geometrię de greco in latinum translatus ab Euclide peritissimo geometrico.
Hi namque libri continent numerorum causas et diuisiones circulorum
-et mensurarum expositiones.
f.41b(43) ITEM DE EADEM
Geometria disciplina primum ad aegyptiis reperta
-et in figuris · dimensiones et numeros.
f.42(44) De quadripertita diuisione
Geometrig quadripertita diuisio est
-quod (/quia?) intra eas inueniuntur.
f.43b(45) IIII DE NVMERIS
Numerum autem (h) secundum geometriam ita queris
-tantundem faciunt.
f.44(46) DE IVGERIBVS. Castrensis iugeris quadratus
-tabulas ii. perticas lii.
f.44b(46) PODISMI MENSVRARVM GENERA sunt tria rectum · planum · solidum
With figures: on f.48(50)a a clever scribble of a dog; on the verso a bird in blue.
Cubitus habet sesquipedem etc.
-Miliarius habet ī passus cc ped. v. Stadia viii.
f.61b(63) DE MENSVRIS
Mensura est quicquid pondere capacitate
-ea mensura et facies octogonum.
[see figure in text]
f.64(66) DE AGRIS
Ager latine appellari dicitur
-Centuria · i · iugera ccta.
f.65(67) DE LIMITIBVS CONSTITUENDIS
Ab hoc exemplo antiqui mensuras agrorum
-Tot igitur quadratas perticas in hoc agro esse dicimus.
f.68b(70) NOMINA LIMITVM
LIMITES orientales dicuntur decumani
-Limites perpetui.
f.69b(71) IVLII FRONTINI DE AGRORVM QVALITATE
Agrorum qualitates sunt · iii ·
-a linea clauditur.
f.71(73) AGGENI URBICI
Suscepimus qualitates
-montanas appellauerunt.
f.77(79) Ex libro Censorim de GEOMETRIA
Terra media omnium rerum est
-Acutus minor recto.
f.78b(80) De figuris
Figura est que aliquo fine
-inter se contingunt.
f.78b(80) DE POSTVLATIS
Postulata geometriarum sunt v.
-inter se paria sunt.
f.79(8l) EX LIBRO CASSIODORI
Ad geometriam ueniamus que est descriptio.
f.82b(84) -Rombus -angulos habet equales
Half a page and all f.83(85)a are left blank. I think on account of the badness of the surface. This is certainly the reason in several other places.
f.83(85) Quoniam autem (h̘) parallelogrammi spatii
-mediis intermissis (three-quarters of a page blank).
f.85b(87) Sol diuersis utitur nominibus
-necessario est latitude (figure |||).
(3.5 page blank.)
ITEM DE GEOMETRICA 88 (90)
Multi solis ortum et occasum comprehenderunt.
A diagram on 9f.1b of a mountain, and the sun and moon with faces. Seems to be English in style.
-hac ratione constituta omni tempore conuenit.
f.94(96) INCIPIT SCEMATA
Super datam rectam lineam terminatam triangulum equilaterum constituere.
Ends with a list of Greek terms
Podismus · p · iii
...
Dyagonus acutus angulus
f.101b(103) Agus angulus
f.102(104) (Rhemnius Palaemon de ponderibus)
Pondera peoniis ueterum memorata tabellis.
...
Haec quoque dragmarum simili tibi parte notetur necnon et sine aquis.
Pondera pars minima calculus est qui constat de granis ciceris duobus.
Ends f.109b(111): mille passus habentem miliarium et dimidium. Apud gallos leuuam facit habentem.
II. In a worse hand: with neumes
f.1 AUTENTUS PROTUS IN }
introitis duobus modis uaritur } in red
(Q)uorum primus modus est (G)audete.
(E)tenim sederunt (E)xurge quare.
(R)edime me domine Gloria patri.
f.2 Plais proti
f.3 AUTENTUS DEUTERUS
f.4 PLAGIS DEUTERI
f.5 AUTENTUS TRITUS
f.5b PLAGIS TRITI
f.6b AUTENTUS tetrardus
f.7b Plagis tetrartii
On f.8b are no neumes. It has a recapitulation of the modes.
On ff.9-11a the writing is in two columns and gives a series of beginnings of antiphons, with neumes.
The title in red has largely disappeared.
On f.11b is a scribble (xiii, xiv)
Aurelianus habet que (/quod?) non habet aurelianis
vix bene perlecto que (/quod?) non habet aurelianis
immaduit lacrimis aurelianis habet.
f.12 is blank.
The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts
R.15.14
| Shelfmark | R.15.14 |
|---|---|
| Manuscript Title | Pseudo-Boethius, Geometrica (A) and Tonary (B) |
| Alternative Title | Geometria etc |
| James Number | 939 |
| Century | 10th |
| Physical Description | 20 lines to a page. In a fine minuscule. Diagrams and coloured initials, in scarlet, darker red, green and blue. |
| Provenance | Given by Willmer. It is from St Augustine’s, Canterbury. In the Catalogue (f.67) is the entry, Geometria et arsmetrica Boecii W. de Clare. 2 fo. viri eciam. |
| Second Folio | viri etiam |
| Religious House | Canterbury, Kent, Benedictine Abbey (St Augustine's) |
| Donor | Wilmer, George (c.1583-1626), Alumnus Of Trinity (Matric 1598) |
| Size (cm) | 13.5 x 11 |
| Folio | 111 + 12 ff. |
| Material | Parchment |
| Language | LatinMusic |
| Collation | 112 (3 and 8 canc.) 28 38 410 58-78 810 910 (4 canc.) 1010 (3, 7, 10 canc.) 118 128 (7, 8 canc.) 138 || 148 154. The foliation begins with 3, the paper fly-leaves being apparently counted. |
| Notes | See Gneuss for list of various texts in part 1. |
| IIIF Manifest URL | |
| Online Since | 23/08/2013 |
Contents
Bibliography
Barker-Benfield, B. C., ed., St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues 13, (London, 2008), 3 vols., pp. 1879, 1880, 1881.
Fenlon, I., Cambridge Music Manuscripts, 900-1700, (Cambridge, 1982)
Folkerts, M., "Boethius"Geometrie II: ein mathematisches Lehrbuch des Mittelalters (Wiesbaden, 1970). A copy of this article is kept with the manuscript (R.15.14a)
Folkerts, M., 'The Importance of the Pseudo-Boethian Geometria during the Middle Ages', in Boethius and the Liberal Arts: a Collection of Essays, ed. M. Masi (Bern, 1981), pp. 187-209.
Gneuss, H.,Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: a List of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Medieval and Renaissance Studies 241 (Tempe, AZ, 2001), nos. 185 [part i; s. x1, origin North France or Flanders, provenance after 1100 St Augustine's Canterbury] and 185.1 [part ii; s. xi1, origin Saint-Vaast, Arras, provenance England by s. xiii]
Gneuss, H. and Lapidge, M., Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Biographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100 (Toronto, 2014), no. 185 and 185.1
Ker, N. R., Medieval Libraries of Great Britain, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 3, 2nd edn (London, 1964)
James, M. R., The Ancient Libraries of Canterbury and Dover (Cambridge, 1903), p. 519.
Keynes, S., Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts and Other Items of Related Interest in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, Old English Newsletter Subsidia 18 (Binghampton, NY, 1992), no. 12 + pl. XII.
Morgan, N. and Panayatova, S. (eds.) with the assistance of Rebecca Rushforth, Illuminated Manuscripts in Cambridge : A Catalogue of Western Book Illumination in the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Cambridge Colleges. Part 4, The British Isles, 2 vols. (London, 2013), vol 1. addendum 7