United Kingdom, Cambridge, University Library, Ii, II, 10

Miscellany
Physical Description
  • Material: Parchment
  • Pages: 315 leaves
  • Leaves Format: not available
  • Dimensions: 330 x 210 mm
Detailed Description
  • Foliation:
    We have two unnumbered paper sheets at the front. Of the 315 sheets, the ones after ff. 38v and 251v are unnumbered as well.
  • Condition Description:
    According to Thomson , the manuscript was heavily retrimmed, affecting the marginalia, and parts of ff. 153r- 156v are torn off. The Cambridge Catalogue describes the manuscript as in good preservation, though some leaves are mutilated, and containing many fine illuminations.
  • Decoration:
    The largest initial letters are depicted in gold and various colours. The other larger ones are partly in red, partly in blue. The minor letters have these same colours, alternately. The letters of the titles on top of the pages are in alternating red and blue, like the minor initial letters. According to the Cambridge Catalogue, the name of Aristotle is not always mentioned. According to Thomson , we have red or blue paraphs, as well as line-fillers and highlighting.
  • Layout:
    Text is set in two columns.

    According to Thomson, 35 lines to the page.

    According to Thomson , f. 234v has no script and ff. 312r- 313v are mainly blank.
  • Hand Description:
    Text is most diligently written by one German hand, as it seems. According to Thomson , it is a gothic rotunda bookhand. The Cambridge Catalogue dates the handwriting to the 14th century .
  • Binding Description:
    The codex has been rebacked in the 17th century.
  • Provenance:
    On f. 310r we have, by a hand of the 14th - 15th century : "Istum textum philosophie legavit M. John Normann post decessum suum, quondam socius collegii de Balliolo Oxon., eidem collegio et supplicavit ut orent [...]". The remaining words are erased; Thomson additionally reads "[ut orent] socii istius pro eo" and "Carwe" or "Careue" from the 15th century at the foot of f. 311v .
    According to Thomson , the manuscript is in the 1583 catalogue of Cambridge University Library.
History
  • Origin Date: 14th century
  • Origin Place: not available
  • Cambridge University Library: A catalogue of the manuscripts preserved by the library of the University of Cambridge, Volume III (1858) , pp. 379-383 [No. 1743]
  • George Lacombe , Aristoteles Latinus Vol. Pars Prior, Rome (1939) , pp. 360 - 361
  • Rodney Malcolm Thomson , Catalogue of Medieval Manuscripts of Latin Commentaries on Aristotle in British Libraries Vol. Vol. 2: Cambridge, Turnhout (2013) , pp. 193 - 195
Content
Aristotle De lineis indivisibilibus 184r - 186v
  • Incipit:
    Utrum sunt indivisibiles linee ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Qusta Ibn Luqa De differentia spiritus et animae 229r - 233v
  • Incipit:
    Interrogasti me de differentia spiritus et animae et ut tibi scriberem et quid dixerunt antiqui in ea ...
  • Explicit:
    Haec sufficient tibi in hoc de quo interrogasti. Auferat a te Deus omnem tristitiam et expellat a te quicquid fuerit timendum, et det tibi fortunam in hoc saeculo et in futuro.
  • Note:
    This is the translation of Johannes Hispalensis . According to Thomson , the text has isolated comments. The Cambridge Catalogue notes, that we have a disquisition about 'corpora coelestia', occupying two columns, in a later hand (maybe 15th century ) at the end (before f. 234v ) of this text. This seems to be the following text, the De Substantia Orbis (item 25).
Averroes De Substantia Orbis 233v - 234r
  • Note:
    This is just the beginning of the text. According to Thomson , it is an addition on previously blank leaves. The Cambridge Catalogue notes, that we have a disquisition about 'corpora coelestia', occupying two columns, in a later hand (maybe 15th century ) at the end (before f. 234v ) of the previous item (24, the De differentia spiritus et animae). This seems to refer to the De Substantia Orbis.
Aristotle Metaphysica 240v - 310r
  • Incipit:
    Omnes homines natura scire ...
  • Explicit:
    ... neque haec esse principia.
  • Note:
    This is the new translation. According to Thomson , we have sparse and unevenly distributed glossing from the 14th and 15th century and nothing after f. 298r . He adds, that John Duns Scotus is quoted.
Aristotle De causis 235r - 240r
  • Incipit:
    Omnis causa primaria plus est influens super causatum suum.
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Aristotle De plantis 220r - 229r
  • Incipit:
    Tria ut ait Empedocles ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing. The Cambridge Catalogue notes, that the Greek text does not contain the first column, but begins to correspond with the words (col. 2): "Vita in animalibus et plantis ...".
Aristotle De intelligentia 218r - 219v
  • Incipit:
    Cum rerum quidem omnium esse ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing. The Cambridge Catalogue notes, that this text is a kind of prologue to the following De plantis (item 23).
Aristotle De pomo 214r - 218r
  • Incipit:
    [Prologue:] Cum homo creaturarum dignissima similitudo sit omnium ad imaginem Dei factus ...
    [Text:] Cum clausa esset via veritatis sapientibus ...
  • Explicit:
    [Text:] Et dixerunt: Ille qui recolligit philosophorum animas tuam recolligat animam, et reponat eam in thesauris suis: sicut dignum est animam hominis directi et perfecti sicut tu es.
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , the text has isolated comments. The Cambridge Catalogue notes, that the prologue is falsely inscribed "Prologus Aristotelis ", but that the author (of this prologue) reveals himself in the words: "Quapropter nos Manfredus Divi Augusti Imperatoris Frederici filius Dei gratia Princeps Tharentinus".
Aristotle Epistola ad Alexandrum 211r - 212r
  • Incipit:
    Aristoteles Alexandro . Misisti mihi quod saepe sustinuisti multos ...
  • Explicit:
    ... ex hiis libris tibi scriptis. Vale.
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Aristotle De mundo 204v - 211r
  • Incipit:
    Mihi tociens [sic] divina quaedam ac mirabilis ...
  • Note:
    This is the translation of Nicolaus Siculus . According to Thomson , the text has isolated comments.
Aristotle De progressu animalium 198v - 204v
  • Incipit:
    De partibus autem optimis animalium ad motum ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Aristotle De coloribus 194v - 198v
  • Incipit:
    Simplices colores sunt quicunque elementis consequuntur ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Aristotle De proprietatibus elementorum 188v - 194r
  • Incipit:
    [F. 188r :] Postquam praemissus est sermo a nobis in Coelo et mundo et determinavimus illud determinatione sufficiente ... volumus ergo nunc determinare ceteras proprietates quae sunt in alto et infinito ...
  • Explicit:
    Hoc est ergo illud cujus volumus declarationem ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing. The Cambridge Catalogue argues, that this cannot be a work of Aristotle 's, and unlikely is a Latin version of some Arabic commentator on Aristotle 's physical works. This Catalogue gives the title as "De causis et proprietatibus rerum", but proposes, that it is indeed the De proprietatibus elementorum.
Aristotle De inundatione Nili 187r - 188r
  • Incipit:
    Propter quid aliis fluminibus in hyeme ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Anonymous Vita Aristotelis 212r - 213v
  • Incipit:
    Aristoteles philosophus de gente quidem fuit Macedo ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Aristotle Physiognomonica 178r - 184r
  • Incipit:
    Quoniam et animae sequuntur corpora ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , without glossing.
Aristotle De iuventute, De respiratione, De morte 170v - 178r
  • Incipit:
    [F. 170v :] De juventute autem et senectute et vita et morte nunc dicendum ...
    [F. 172v :] De respiratione enim aliqui quidem pauci ...
    [F. 177r :] Est autem omnibus animalibus commune ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation, with hardly any glossing.
Aristotle De longitudine et brevitate vitae 169r - 170v
  • Incipit:
    De eo autem quod est haec quidem esse longae vitae animalium ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation. He adds, that there is one long gloss on f. 170r , quoting Robert Alyngton .
Aristotle De motu animalium 165r - 168v
  • Incipit:
    De motu autem eo qui animalium ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , we have glossing as in the De memoria, but gradually lessening.
Aristotle De somno et vigilia 158v - 165r
  • Incipit:
    De sompno autem et vigilia considerandum est quid sint ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation, with glossing as in the De memoria (item 7), but very sparse from f. 162v onward. The Cambridge Catalogue notes, that this text also includes the De somniis and the De divinatione ex somniis of the (pre-Bekker) Weise edition.
Aristotle De memoria et reminiscentia 156r - 158v
  • Incipit:
    De memoria autem et memorari dicendum quid ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation, with discontinuous but copious glossing from the 15th century .
Aristotle De sensu et sensato 149r - 156r
  • Incipit:
    Quoniam autem de anima secundam ipsam determinatum est ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation, with hardly any glossing.
Aristotle De anima 129v - 148v
  • Incipit:
    Bonorum honorabilium notitiam opinantes ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation, with glossing as in the Physica (item 1), but mostly from the 15th century . He adds, that Albert the Great is quoted.
Aristotle Meteorologica 96v - 129r
  • Incipit:
    De primis quidem igitur causis naturae ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation, with hardly any glossing until f. 122r , the main glossing hand is that of the De generatione (item 3).
Aristotle De generatione et corruptione 80v - 96v
  • Incipit:
    De generatione autem et corruptione natura generatorum ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation and the text has glosses from the 15th century , sometimes heavy, sometimes very sparse.
Aristotle De caelo 52r - 80v
  • Incipit:
    De natura scientia plurima videtur circa corpora ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation. He adds, that the text has glossing similar to the Physica (item 1), but less dense and very little after f. 65v . Furthermore, a new small note-hand of scholastic type from the 14th century appears.
Aristotle Physica 1r - 52r
  • Incipit:
    Quoniam quidem intelligere et scire contingit ...
  • Note:
    According to Thomson , this is the new translation. He adds, that the text has discontinuous but copious interlinear and marginal glosses of all periods from the end of the 13th to the 15th century : Walter Burley , Robert Grosseteste , Thomas Aquinas and Giles of Rome are referred to. Furthermore, there are mnemonic distichs from the 14th century at the foot of the page.