Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/493

. NO 25., JUNE 21. '56.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

485

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1856.

ANCIENT MONASTIC LIBRARIES.

In an interesting notice by DR. TODD (" N. & Q.," 1 st S. i. 83.) of a manuscript catalogue of the library of the Friars Hermits of the Order of St. Augustine at York, compiled in 1372, preserved in Trinity College, Dublin (and which I am glad to find is to be published by the Camden Society), brief mention is made of " an- other ancient catalogue of a monastic library, equally curious, and even more important, from its magnitude, and the numerous works it con- tains on English history, early romances, &c." I had fully expected that DR. TODD would have followed up this communication by a second, in which some further account would have been given of the catalogue in question ; but as he has not done so, I may be permitted to supply, in some measure, the omission, more particularly since (if DR. TODD has not already discovered it) I can supply him with the name of the monastic house to which the catalogue belongs, and which is not mentioned in the manuscript itself. This catalogue is written on paper, in folio, towards the close of the fifteenth century, and the press- mark by which it was known, when I saw it in Trinity College, Dublin, in 1835, was D. i. 19. Prefixed is an alphabetical table, the use of which is thus stated :

" Tabula super subsequentem Matriculam, ad sciendum quis liber, compilacio, exposicio, summa, scriptum, vel tractatus cujuscunque doctoris vel raagistri contineatur in eadem, per primum numerum, in quo folio, et per se- cundum, in qua columpna invenies, scire poteris."

The arrangement of the works is according to classes, but without headings or titles, and the whole occupies no less than sixty- nine folios, from which the extent of. the library may be judged of.

Among the Historical works occur the following interesting volumes :

" De morte Simonis de Montis fortis (s?c). Evangelium Justiciariorum Anglie, de conflictu Normannorum et An- glicorum. Sequencia Sancti Eulogii de Normannis, se- cundum barones portuum. Planctus Ecclesie de libertate sesa (s?'c) et perturbacione cleri. Anglia plangens sua fata. De laude Regis Anglie et victoria Scocie, et in- gressa in Flandriam. Laus Francorum. Passio Fran- corum, secundum Flandrenses, et Oontencio inter corpus et animam."

" Liber G3 r lde sapientis, historiograph! Britonum, cum A ; 2 fo. in prohemio Gabaonitarum."

"Compilacio Gilde -sapientis de gestis Britonum, in quaterno, cum B ; 2 fo. mulieribus."

" Gesta Crmtonis Regis."

" Gesta Alcxandri Magni." [Six copies.^

" Cronica Albin."

" Cronica intitulata Johannis Bevere."

[Four copies of William of Malmesbury, and one of Henry of Huntingdon.']

" Cronica W. T."

"Cronica T. Sprot." [Four copies, one imperfect.] " Cronica Cestrensis." [ Three copies. ] " Narracio Petri Alfunsi. [ Four copies. ~\ " Boecius de Consolacione philosophic in Anglicis ; 2 fo. utterest."

Among the numerous legendary narratives and romances, we find the subjoined curious items :

" Historia Britonum, in gallico, et in eodem libro, Nar- racio de quodam Milite et uxore sua, Amicus et Ame- lius, Historia de iiij or sororibus, Gesta Guydonis de Warewyk, in gallico, et nomina regum Britannie ab ad- ventu Bruti in Albion' usque ad adventum Saxonum in Britannia."

" Gesta Guidonis de Warewik, in gallico, et in eodem libro, Gesta Guydonis de Burgundia, in patria lingua."

" Gesta Guydonis de Warwik, in gallico, et in eodem libro, Gesta cujusdem Militis qui vocatur Ypornedone, et Vita diversorum militum ad pedum (sic)."

" Liber fratris Antonii de Alta Ripa, in gallico, qui dicitur Aqwlant" \_ Three Copies. ]

" Dicta Septem Sapientum, in gallico, et in eodem libro, Gesta Gu3*donis de Warwyk Antonii de Alta Ripa." [Two other copies of the Seven Sages.~\

" Liber de Milite de Signo (szc), in gallico."

" Katir Fitz Edmound [Quatre Fitz Aymoun"], in gal- lico ; 2 fo. ore."

" Liber de Launcelot, in gallico."

" Liber qui vocatur Graal, in gallico."

" Roiwrtmz de Perceval le Galois."

" Liber de Guillielmo le March' [Guillaumed' Orange 3, in gallico."

" Liber del Roy Hertus [Artus~\, in gallico."

It will not fail to be observed that all these Romances are in French, which was the prevail-. ing language in England for works of fiction during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The whole of the works mentioned are well known, with the exception perhaps of Aquilant, which may possibly be meant for Agolant, other- wise called the Roman d'Aspremont. It is uncer- tain whether Frater Antonius de Alta Ripa [Hau- terive] is to be considered the author or not ; but if so, we have a new name to be added to the list of Romance writers, and hitherto quite unknown to bibliographers.

At fol. 11. the following entry appears:

" Liber in Anglico Michaelis de Northgate, cum CC ; 2 fo., ithe vor alse."

This identical volume is now preserved among the Arundel MSS. in the British Museum (No. 57.). It is a folio, written on vellum; and on one of the fly-leaves prefixed, is thus entitled :

" This boc is dan Michelis of Xorthgate, ywrite an Englis of his ozene hand, thet hatte Ayenbyte of Inwyt ; and is of the bochouse of Saynt Austines of Canterberi, mid the lettres CC."

And at the end of the work (fol. 94-.) is written :

" Ymende, thet this boc is volveld ine the eve of the

holy apostles Symon an Judas, of ane brother of the

cloystre of sauynt Austin of Canterberi, ine the yeare of

oure Ihordes beringe 1340."

This is conclusive evidence that the Catalogue contains a list of the books in the library of the great monastery of St. Augustine at Canterbury,