Previously Unpublished Works, Fascicles VI-VII

xxiii

'This book belongs to the Order of Friars Minor original: "de ordine fratrum minorum." This refers to the Franciscans., granted to W. Herebert, who procured it for the order' original: "concessus W. Herebert, qui eum ad ordinem procuraverit." William Herebert (d. 1333) was a famous Franciscan scholar and philosopher at Oxford. (cf. also folio 47 and see Little's Grey Friars at Oxford, p. 167). The two manuscripts (7 F. vii and 7 F. viii) were in the Lumley library (Lumley Catalogue, folio 358), but came into the hands of Prince Henry's chaplain, John Prideaux (Bishop of Worcester 1641–50), whose name is in both (a note in 7 F. vii, folio 46, is in his hand), and from there into the Theyer collection. 7 F. vii has the name of John Theyer with the date 1651. (Theyer* sale-catalogue no. 16, C.M.A. 6376, 6375.)

176 leaves, written in Spain, much reduced and injured by the binder's knife, so that the numerous marginal notes are partly destroyed.
(1) A book on the universal art of chronology and calculation [computus] computus original: "De universa arte chronologica et computistica liber." The "computus" was the medieval science of calculating time and the dates of religious festivals like Easter., divided into three parts: the first of which contains those things that naturally belong to the science of the calendar, the second those things established by authority and usage, and the third part contains (many) tables and the logic behind the tables. It begins: All things have their time and all things pass through their own seasons original: "Omnia tempus habent et suis spatiis transeunt universa." A variation of Ecclesiastes 3:1. (folios 1-60 b).
The other tracts in the volume are:
Giles (of the Order of Preachers) on the essence, motion, and significance of Comets original: "Egidius (O.P.) de essentia motu et significatione Cometarum." Giles of Lessines was a 13th-century scholar who wrote on astronomy.. On twilight original: "De crepusculo.". Eclipse tables, etc., for Saragossa. Extracts from Sacrobosco Johannes de Sacrobosco, author of the most influential medieval astronomy textbook.. The Perspective In this context, "Perspective" refers to the science of optics. of Peckham. The Four-Part Treatise original: "Quadripartitus." A famous astrological work traditionally attributed to the mythical sage Hermes Trismegistus. of Hermes, and other tracts on Astronomy and Algorism The study of Arabic numerals and arithmetic.. We owe the identification of this manuscript of the Computus to Dr. Birkenmeyer.

Erfurt, Amplonian 394, Folio, 167 folios; beginning of the fourteenth century, containing twenty-one astronomical tracts.
folios 145-147 b. Bacon's book on the calendar original: "Liber Bachonis de compoto.". The opening line original: "incipit." is wrongly given as 'If, with some things placed, you wish to know within the circle' original: "Si locatis aliquibus volueris scire in circulo.", which is a part of the preceding tract. It begins: 'The solar year, as has been said...' original: "Annus solaris sicud dictum est." The extracts are: p. 9, l. 22 to p. 27, l. 27; p. 33, l. 28 to p. 37, l. 35; p. 42, l. 37 to p. 45, l. 20; and a number of smaller extracts between p. 50, l. 6 and p. 66, l. 11.
Until the Bodleian manuscript was identified, the Erfurt diagrams, rough as they were, were the only aid to the original works of Bacon, as the spaces left for them in the Royal manuscript were left unfilled. The Ashmole manuscript drawings are those reproduced here.

• The cost of this and the other volume of Bacon manuscripts, 7 F. vii, was £40.