Chapter III: On John Blacman's Books

The following lists are found in MS. Laud. Misc. 154, in the Bodleian library, one on a flyleaf, the other--somewhat mutilated--in the lower margin of a leaf. The first enumerates the whole contents of each volume, the second gives the title of one tract only, but supplies the opening words of the second leaf of each volume, the usual medieval expedient for identifying a book.

I combine here the data of the two lists, calling the list on the flyleaf A and that on the lower margin B.

The MS in which they occur is a volume of Nic. de Lyra's commentary on the Bible: and list B begins by describing it.

(B) 1. Liber domus beate virginis de Witham Cartusiensis ex dono magistri Johannis Blacman.

(A) Lyra: Genesis ... Job.
_This is MS. Laud. Misc._ 154.

(B) 2, 3. cum duobus comparibus: primi 2º fo. _cognicio intellectiua_. 2º fo. secundi _et cetera R[=o]_. sed pro ligatura et illuminacione domus soluit xs et vjd.

(A) 2. Lyra: Psalterium--Prov.--Ecclus. Isa.--Malachias.
1, 2 Macc.
3. Lyra: Evv., Paul. Epp., Act., Cath. Epp. Apoc.
capitulaciones epistolarum et euangeliorum secundum cartus'.
_No._ 2 _is Laud. Misc._ 152. _No._ 3 _is not known._

(B) 4. Item librum policronicon. 2º fo. _adhibere._

(A) 4. les pedegrues reg. angl. _b._
tabula noua policronici _a._
policronicon cestrense.
_No. 4 is in Eton College Library MS. 204: formerly Ashburnham
Appendix 105: then belonged to Mr George Dunn._

(B) 5. Item Bartholomeus de casibus consciencie. 2º fo. _hic_ (?)
_suus_ (?) _pars._

(A) 5. magna carta
Bartholomeus de casibus consciencie
principia et fines originalium librorum
forma audiendi confessionem
tituli decretorum libri vjti et Clementis.

(B) 6. Item librum vocatum lucerna consciencie. 2º fo. _malorum ex._

(A) 6. lucerna consciencie
meditaciones Anselmi. credo
ritmicacio tocius scripture sacre
oraciones Anselmi ut apparet
tractatus de virtutibus et viciis
interrogaciones fori penitencialis
Alfonsus contra iudeos.
6. _This is MS. Bodl. 801._

(B) 7. Item librum sancti Thome de veritatibus. 2º fo. _sic dicit Augustinus._

(A) 7. Sanctus Thomas de veritatibus.
tabula super eodem.
7. _This is MS. Harley 1032._

(B) 8. Item Bibliam. 2º fo. _damasci._

(A) 8. interpretacio nominum hebreorum
biblia
capitulacio epistolarum et euangeliorum per annum.

(B) 9. Item magister historiarum (sententiarum). 2º fo. _pedito post._

(A) 9. magister sententiarum
theorica planetarum
tituli eiusdem libri sententiarum
Item in quibus non tenetur. (i.e. _a list of the passages in the
Sentences which were considered unsound_.)

(B) 10. Item Crisostomus in opere imperfecto. 2º fo. _erat futurus._

(A) 10. Crisostomus in opere imperfecto
tabula eiusdem.

(B) 11. Item vita Alexandri magni. 2º fo. voluminis _que est poª._

(A) 11. Defensorium logicale Ockam
vita Alexandri magni
dialogus inter Mariam et Johannem euangelistam
Ysidorus de ciuitate (? unitate) dei
Augustinus de uisione sancti Pauli apostoli
de celebracione horarum quidam processus
Siluester de decimis
Ieronimus de signis iudicii
Marbodus episcopus de vinculis beati Petri
oracio deuota: _domine Ihesu Christe qui in hoc_
de uirtutibus fide dileccione et humilitate
purgatorium sancti Patricii (_partly erased_)
Seneca de 4or virtutibus cardinalibus
de beneficiis ad Liberalem libri 4
de fortuitorum bonorum contemptu
de remediis fortuitorum
diffiniens virtut' et vic'
regula beati Benedicti.

(B) 12. Item Aristotiles de regimine principum. 2º fo. voluminis _simul omnia._

(A) 12. Aristoteles de regimine principum
Gwydo de excidio Troianorum
idem in metro.

(B) 13. Item Anticlaudianus. 3º fo. voluminis _affluit exundans._

(A) 13. nova poetria Galfridi Anglici
Anticlaudianus de restitucione.
13. _This is MS. Digby 104 (part)._

(B) 14. Item librum distinccionum. 3º fo. _quia sicut._

(A) 14. notabiles distincciones
sermones dominicales.

(B) 15. Item martilogium. 5º fo. voluminis _Trone est en ancieme._

(A) 15. tractatus gallicus
Martilogium
gesta Karoli in gallicis
miracula beate Marie versificata (_erased_)
miracula beate Marie rithmicata
Alexander Neckam _Qui vult bene disponere_
phale tolum
deuota meditacio in anglicis
themata festiuitatum per annum
tabula concordancie 4or euangelistarum
epistole et euangelia per totum annum
capitula speculi moralis Gregorii
canon pro predicatore
speculum morale Gregorii.

(B) 16. Item pastorale beati Gregorii. 2º fo. _pastoralis cure._

(A) 16. Gregorius in pastoralibus
Anselmus de 12 beatitudinibus
Anselmus de vanitate mundi
quidam processus de sacramento altaris
Athanasius de ymagine domini Ihesu.

(B) 17. Item gesta Romanorum. 2º fo. _tu es._

(A) 17. gesta Romanorum
regula beati Augustini.

(B) 18. Item vite sanctorum. 2º fo. voluminis _Et quod bonum._

(A) 18. narraciones bone exemplace
summa magistri J. Belet de officiis ecclesie
sermo bonus de libro consciencie
compilacio bona de vitis sanctorum
item de officiis ecclesie.

(B) 19. Item tabula Petri Blesensis. 2º fo. voluminis _hospita signa bonos._

(A) 19. reportorium poeticum
lapidarius cum tractatu herbarum
tabula epistolarum 163 Blesensis
exposicio notabilis super Boecium de consolacione
ars conficiendi colores.

(B) 20. Item meditaciones beati Bernardi. 2º fo. voluminis _de hiis._

(A) 20. moralia dicta originalia bona
meditaciones sancti Bernardi 13
Anselmus de passione Christi 3
Anselmus de amore dei 42
Augustinus de vera innocencia 56
Augustinus de laude psalmorum 100.
_dulcis Ihesu memoria._

(B) 21. Item Boecius de consolacione philosophie. 2º fo. _segetem necant._

(A) 21. Boecius de consolacione philosophie
Galfridus in noua poetria
canon tabularum Rede.

(B) 22. Item librum vocatum pharetra, 2º fo. _idem de coniugiis._

(A) 22. pharetra
quindenarius Gregorianus.

(B) 23. Item repertorium diuersorum. 2º fo. voluminis _Incipiens guerras._

(A) 23. Commentaciones prophetiales
liber facescie communis.
_Ex agro veteri_ (i.e. _Matthew of Vendôme's poem on Tobit_)
a chartuary aftre penkarr
tractatus de armis in anglicis
disputacio inter corpus et animam
processus de mundi vanitate
quedam commendacio artium liberalium
utilis tractatus rethorice.
Cirillus de transitu beati Jeronimi
12. capitula Hampol
Bernardus ad Eugenium papam
disputacio inter graciam et intellectum.

(B) 24. _alia manu._ Item Lucidarium cum aliis. 2º fo. _Illa itaque._

(A) 24. _alia manu._ Lucidari
tractatus Petri Alfonsi clericalis disciplina
tractatus de penitencia Roberti Grostest
tractatus inquirendi peccata in foro penitenciali
diuersa notabilia de canone juris.

Another MS which does not occur in the above list is Lambeth 436, Horologium Sapientiae, of cent. XV, which has in it: Liber cartusie de Witham. Orate pro Johanne Blacman.

MS. 182 at S. John's College, Oxford, containing lives of saints, formerly belonged to William and John Blacman.

In Laud Misc. 152, no. 2 in the list, dated 1463, are these doggerel lines:

Me dedit albus homo John Blacman ipse vocatus
In presente domo qui redditus est graduatus
Extitit Oxonie vir in artibus iste magister,
Cantor et Etonie dignus dum rege minister
Pro quo defuncto seu viuo queso precare
P............ quicumque solet celebrare
Ut deus hunc Hominem Nigrum cognomine dictum
Post vite finem det sumere lucis amictum.
Amen.

In list B the catalogue of books is followed by a short note of vestments given by Blacman to Witham. The last item is interesting:

Item circa diuersas reparaciones factas in uita sancti Hugonis (_the founder of the house_) in ecclesia de-laffrery sumptus fert non exiguos.

Footnotes:

[48] Morgan was dean of Windsor 1484-96; bp of S. David's 1496-1504

CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY J. B. PEACE, M.A., AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Transcriber's Notes:

Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_.

Passages in Black Letter font are indicated by =text=.

Long "s" has been modernized.

Letters with macrons are represented by [=x].

Letters with tildes are represented by [~x].

Additional spacing after some of the quotes is intentional to indicate
both the end of a quotation and the beginning of a new paragraph as is
in the original text.

The original text contains two types of footnotes. The set of footnotes
used to mark page breaks in the original document have been placed in
the text of this document. The second set of footnotes are used for
commentary on the text.