Part of the Third Work (Opus Tertium) (1912) - Page 14

INTRODUCTION

which we are specially concerned. Bacon was writing this in 1267.¹ There is no evidence that it was ever sent to the Pope (who died 29 November, 1268), or indeed that it was ever finished.

The Third Work original: "Opus Tertium" as edited by Brewer consists of seventy-five chapters (the division into chapters being modern).

Chapters I to XXI form an introduction and incorporate much of the introductory matter of the Lesser Work original: "Opus Minus".

Chapter XXII summarizes the Great Work original: "Opus Majus", Part I.

Chapters XXIII to XXIV are concerned with the Great Work, Part II.

Chapters XXV to XXVII are concerned with the Great Work, Part III.

Chapters XXVIII to XXIX are concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, Section i.

Chapters XXX to XXXV are concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, Section ii.

Chapter XXXVI The original OCR text reads "XXVI" here, which appears to be a typographical error for 36, as it follows chapter 35 is concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, Section iii.

Chapters XXXVII to LII are concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, Section iv.

Chapters LIII to LXIV are concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, the utility of mathematics in divine matters original: "Mathematicae in divinis utilitas" (Bridges, 175-238).

Chapter LXV is concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, judgments of astronomy original: "Judicia Astronomiae"; this refers to the application of astronomical data to predict earthly events or astrology (ibid., 238-53).

Chapters LXVI to LXXI are concerned with the Great Work, Part IV, correction of the calendar original: "Correctio Calendarii" (ibid., 269-85).

Chapters LXXII to LXXV deal with music and do not correspond to any section in the Great Work.

It will thus be seen that the Third Work as edited by Brewer stopped short in its analysis of the Great Work, in Part IV of that work, containing nothing on the last two sections of Part IV, and nothing on Parts V, VI and VII.

In 1909, Professor Duhem of Bordeaux published the most important Roger Bacon discovery that has been made in recent years under the title An unpublished fragment of the Third Work of Roger Bacon original French: "Un fragment inédit de l’Opus Tertium de Roger Bacon"

¹ Third Work, edited by Brewer, pages 277, 278.