Thomas of Cantimpré, De natura rerum, books V, VI and VII (incomplete)

Contents

1. ff. 1r-33v Thomas of Cantimpré, De natura rerum Book V, 'De avibus'

Main text preceded by index of birds. Top right hand corner of f. 1 missing, including incipit f. 1v.

Begins imperfectly f. 1v: 'Qui omnia volatilia...''.

Explicit: 'Expicit liber de avibus'.

2. ff. 33v-44r Thomas of Cantimpré, De natura rerum Book VI , 'De monstris ac beluis marinis'

Main text preceded by index of monsters.

Incipit: 'Monstra marina sunt...'

Explicit: 'Explicit liber de monstris ac beluis marinis'.

3. ff 44v-49v Thomas of Cantimpré, De natura rerum Book VII, 'De piscibus marinis sive fluvialibus', incomplete

Main text preceded by index of sea and river fish.

Incipit: 'Nullus pisces ut dicit...'

Ends imperfectly: '...nec redire pisciculo...'

Thomas of Cantimpré (1201-1272) was a Dominican writer, preacher and theologian. His first and most important work, De natura rerum ('On the nature of things') was an encyclopedia of the natural world, and can be placed in the same category as the medieval encyclopedias of Alexander Neckham (1157-1217), Albert the Great (1193/1206-1280) and Bartholomew the Englishman (c. 1203-1272), all heavily influenced by the newly-translated works of Aristotle on the natural world. This manuscript contains a fragment of the encyclopedia, consisting of Book V - 'De avibus' ('On birds'), Book VI - 'De monstris ac beluis marinis' ('On beasts and monsters of the sea') and Book VII - 'De piscibus marinis sive fluvialibus' ('On salt and freshwater fish'.)

Early 14th Century

1 volume 49 ll. 4to. 18 1/2 x 13 1/2 cm. 31 lines in double columns. Collation: 1-2 (10), 3 (15), 4 (14). On vellum, modern vellum binding. Outer upper quarter of the first leaf cut out: margin cropped, natural flaw on leaf 39. Second folio: 'des habens'.

Purchased 1924.

The MS. contains Books V, VI and the beginning of VII only.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

A digitised copy is held by Wellcome Collection as part of The Medieval manuscripts digitisation project.