On Delaying the Effects of Old Age (1928) - Page 24

A miscellaneous collection of (18) medical treatises. The only one which concerns us here is 12 (folios 27 to 29) "Summary explanation of the aforementioned letter containing eleven chapters according to Roger Bacon original: "Summaria exposicio epistole predicte continentis xj capitula secundum Rogerum Bacun"."

[No. 15, folios 56 to 64 contains the beginning of the Letter original: "Epistola", ending with the words "Moreover in each member original: "Preterea in vnoquoque membro"" in Chapter 2 (page 20, line 23 below).]

Vatican Library: Vatican Latin 4091. On paper and parchment; written in the fifteenth century in Italy; 122 leaves. (From different manuscripts bound together.) Treatises on natural science.

Folios 49 to 93 contain treatises by Roger Bacon; namely:

1 (folios 49r to 62v). Roger Bacon's Treatise in which a discourse is made concerning experience in general, having four divisions original: "Rogerii Bachonis Tractatus in quo fit sermo de experientia in communi habens quatuor distinctiones". Beginning: original: "Inc." "With the roots of the wisdom of the Latins having been placed original: "Positis radicibus sapientie latinorum"." Ending: original: "Expl." "than all others preceding original: "quam omnes alie precedentes"." [A version of Part 6 of the Major Work original: "Opus Majus"; the latter part differs from the ordinary version: see Bridges, Major Work, volume 3, pages xii, xv, 182.]

2 (folios 62v to 71r). Treatise on the power of art and nature by the same author original: "Tractatus de potestate artis et nature eiusdem". Beginning: "I reply to your request original: "Vestre petitioni respondeo"." Ending: "No one shall open, etc. original: "Nemo aperiet, etc.""

3 (folios 71r to 88r). Treatise by the same on the delay of old age original: "Tractatus eiusdem de retardanda senectute". Beginning: "Lord of the world, who took your origin from a noble and good stock original: "Domine mundi qui ex nobili bona stirpe originem assumpsistis"." Beginning of the treatise: "When [the world] grows old original: "Q(!)vndo senescente"; the "Q(!)" likely denotes a scribal variant for "Quando"." Ending: "I have composed the aforementioned letter original: "epistolam composui supradictam"" (12 chapters) [that is, the short version of the Letter].

4 (folios 88v to 93r). Treatise by the same on the wonderful craftsmanship which is performed by means of the lodestone original: "Tractatus eiusdem de mirabili artificio quod fit per lapidem magnetem". Beginning: "Dearest of friends, a certain [property] of the magnet original: "Amicorum intime, quandam magnetis"." Ending: "the present description demonstrates. The End original: "presens demonstrat descriptio. Finis."." [This is by Peter of Maricourt, On the Magnet original: "Pierre de Maricourt, De Magnete".]¹

iii. MANUSCRIPTS NOT COLLATED FOR THIS EDITION.

Oxford:

Bodleian Library:

Selden supra 94 (3482). On parchment; written in the first half of the fifteenth century in England; 6 + 284 pages. Contains the medical works followed by the two extracts as in manuscript B.

Can. Misc. 480. On paper; written in the fifteenth century in Italy; 98 leaves. Contains the medical works with the explanation original: "expositio" of the On the graduation of medicines original: "De graduatione medicinarum" and the extracts as in manuscript Can; it

¹ I am indebted to Father Livarius Oliger, O.F.M., for the description of this and other Vatican manuscripts.