Collection of two Latin MSS., Written in the 15th century in Flanders (?)

File

MS. Canon. Liturg. 17

Held at the Weston Library

A. Fol. 26. '... Hore beate Marie Virginis secundum consuetudinem Romane ecclesie':

Preceded by a Calendar (fol. 1) and '... Hore de Sancta Cruce' (fol. 14), etc.
Followed by the Penitential Psalms and Litany (fol. 72), and the 'Vigilie Mortuorum' (fol. 89)
There are ten full-page miniatures in French or Flemish style: 'Gheertrudis' in the Calendar points to the latter: but the occurrence of Nicasius in red (Dec. 14) to Rheims or Arras
A leaf or two is lost after fol. 16

B. Written in 1477, fol. 103b. 'Incipit liber qui intitulatur Roxarius [Rosarius], compositus per magistrum ... [several words erased]':

At end (fol. 168v) 'Explicit liber qui intitulatur Roxarius ferrens roxas tam albas quam rubeas, compositus per magistrum Arnaldum de Villa Noua' later hands call the work the Rosa Medicinae of Johannes Anglicus (=John of Gaddesden), to which it bears no resemblance
It is an alchemical treatise on the Philosopher's stone or Secretum Secretorum (prologue beg. 'Desiderabile desiderium', text beg. 'Vniuersa diuine bonitatis opera'), but, though ascribed to Arnoldus in many MSS., is not the work printed as Rosarius Philosophorum in his Opera
Some miscellaneous matter follows, partly in the hand of the scribe of the preceding work (with 'Expleui scribere penultimo Aprilis 1477', fol. 172v), partly later, but nearly all on alchemical subjects