of the entire volume, and it is not improbable that he was the translator of several of the pieces, such as the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Statutes of Blac Rogier, and Peter Alfons' Disciplina Clericalis. All the pieces of the MS are in English prose, except the last, which is a fragment of the Psalter in Latin and English. The "Table of Contents," which is in a much later hand than that of the MS, is imperfect and conveys no proper conception of the real importance of this volume. On the inside of the first cover and on the first fly-leaf the same hand that wrote the brief table of contents has scribbled a considerable bibliography of the works of Richard Rolle of Hampole-which was, however, evidently copied from the well-known catalogues of Leland, Bernard, and Bale. The items of the table of contents are as follows:

P. 29. explicit Passio Nichodemi.

P. 30. The libel of Richard Hermit of Hampol, of the rule of good living in 12 chapters.

P. 46. A treatise against ghostly temptations. The twelve degrees of humility.

P. 61. The deeds or Acts of the Apostles.

P. 85b. Of Life contemplative and of the works thereof; it endeth p. 129.

P. 1816. Part of the Psalter, Latin and English.

The most interesting and valuable documents preserved in this MS are not mentioned in this table of contents. It will therefore be necessary to call attention to these productions before attempting to give a complete list of the contents of the volume.

For the student of literature the most valuable piece in the MS is the version of Peter Alfons' well-known collection of oriental tales, which bears the Latin title of Disciplina Clericalis.' There were apparently from twenty-five to thirty-five tales in the original collection from which this version was translated; and the whole was written by a Jew named Moses, who was converted to Christianity and baptized under the name "Petrus Alfonsi" (Peter Alfons) in Aragon in July, 1106, by Stephen, bishop of

1 Known in Old French Poetry as Le chastoiement d'un père à son fils. There are several MSS of this poem, as well as of the Latin prose version, in the British Museum. Cf. Ward, Catalogue of Romances, Vol. II, pp. 235 ff. The "Castoiement" was edited from the Maihingen MS by M. Roesle (Munich, 1899).

Huesca, King Alfonso I of Aragon (VII of Castille and Leon) standing as his god-father. The tales are told by a dying Arab father to his youthful son for his admonition and instruction. The version of the Worcester Cathedral MS 172 is the only one that has as yet been discovered in Middle English literature.' It contains the usual (according to the Latin) prologue, and twentyfour or twenty-five tales, evidently translated directly from the Latin. But the order in which the tales are reproduced differs materially from that of any of the MSS described by Ward.

I am not able to say whether or not the "Libel of Richard hermyte of hampol" is a genuine work of Richard Rolle of Hampole. It is at any rate ascribed to the famous "Yorkshire Writer" both at the beginning and close of the piece, and the presumption is strongly in favor of its genuineness. Moreover, it has never been noticed by Horstmann, or any other modern student of the life and works of Richard Rolle-that is, Horstmann does not record this piece in the list of "Works bearing his name," though the title of the first work given in this list (The form of living—an epistle to Margaret Kirkly, in 12 chapters and 2 parts) does bear some resemblance to it.'

It is possible that another piece of our MS, A treati agenst gostly temptaciouns (ff. 33b ff.), is the work of Hampole. Horstmann prints a piece with a similar title (A tretyse of gostly batayle), but judging from a comparison of the first few sentences of the two works, they are in no sense identical.

Still another piece of a similar character which seems to have been very popular during the latter years of the Middle Ages begins (f. 726) with the indefinite heading "That the inner havyng of a man Shuld be like to the vtter." This extensive

1 That this Collection was by no means unknown in ME. literature is shown by the fact that a large number of the tales are included (in abbreviated form) in the ME. version of the Alphabetum Narrationum (cf. Mrs. Mary M. Banks, An Alphabet of Tales: An English Fifteenth Century Translation of the Alphabetum Narrationum, etc.; ed. for the E. E. T. S. from Brit. Mus. MS Addit. 25, 719; Part II [London, 1905]. An Old Norse version of the Disciplina was edited by H. Gering, Islendzk Æventyri; Isländische Legenden, Novellen und Märchen (2 vols., Halle, 1882-83), Vol. I, pp. 163-98.

2 Cf. C. Horstmann, "Richard Rolle of Hampole" (Yorkshire Writers, Vol. II, Introd., pp. XL f.).

3 Ibid., pp. 420 ff. Horstmann did not know about the Worcester Cathedral MS, when he published his work.

moral-religious treatise exists in several MSS' in the British Museum under the title, The Diuyne Clowde of Unknowynge; or A Boke of Contemplacion. It has been at different times ascribed to William Exmeuse, Maurice Chawney, and Walter FitzHerbert. "The statutes of the blissed Lord and Bisshop, blac Rogier" (ff. 155-63) is of especial interest to students of English history. The document is composed of thirty-three "statutes" concerning the episcopal government of the city of London, issued in Latin by Roger Niger, who was bishop of London during the second quarter of the thirteenth century. The regulations touch upon many of the most interesting social questions with which the church had to deal during the Middle Ages. The English version of this MS, which is the only one known,' was probably made in the fifteenth century.

2

For the sake of convenience to those students of literature and history who may be interested in any of the pieces contained in MS 172, I give the following complete list of the contents, together with the rubric and first few words of most of the pieces:

Ff. 4-12 (olim "XVII-XXV"): A fragmentary version of the Gospel of Nicodemus, embracing chaps. 12-27 (according to Tischendorf's Evang. Apocr.)

Ff. 12-126: A short account of the discovery of Joseph of Arimathea in a prison at Jerusalem by Titus and Vespasian and of the death of Pilate a sort of Paradosis Pilati."

Ff. 13-16, The Legend of the Holy Rood, at the close of which the copyist incorrectly placed the colophon, "explicit Passio Nichodemi." Ff. 16-166: A short homiletic treatise beginning: "It was wont to be doubted of sum whi Tithes bien yevon to holichirche."

Ff. 17-326: Richard Rolle of Hampole's Libel of the Amendement of mannes lif. Rubric, or prologue: "This is the libel of Richard hermyte of hampol of the Amendement of mannes lif, other ellis of the 1 Cf. especially Reg. 17 G. XXVII and XXVIII, Reg. 17 D v; Harl. 674, 91c; 959 f. 41; 2373. 2 Roger, surnamed Niger, succeeded Eustachius de Fauconberge as bishop of London and he was consecrated in 1229 (?). He died at Stepney, near London, in 1241 (cf. Newcourt, Repertorium Ecclesiasticum, Vol. I, pp. 13 and 58).

3 A Latin version of the Statutes is preserved in the Cambridge University Library MS Gg. IV, 32 (ff. 108-16), beginning: Statuta inter rectores, Archidiacon. London per dominum Rogerum bone memorie nigrum, etc.

The older pagination may always be arrived at by adding 13 to the later numbering of the leaves which is followed here.

5 This piece and the next following one are virtually merged with the Gospel of Nico demus in this MS.

Rule of goode livyng; and it is departed in .xij. chapters. The first is how a man conuertë hym to god. The secunde is how he shal disport hym vnto the world. The .iij. is of poverte. The .iiij. is of thordynaunce of goode livyng. The .v. is of tribulacioun. The .vj. is of pacience. The .vij. is of praier. The .viij. is of meditacioun. The .ix. is of Redyng. The .x. of clennesse of mynde. The .xj. of the love of god. The .xij. of the contemplacioun, other the biholdyng of god. Of thiese matiers eueriche after other as god yevith hem we shuln folowe."1

Then the first chapter begins: "Tarie the noght, man, to be conuerted vnto the lord god, nother delay the noght from day to day," etc.

The twelfth chapter ends with the colophon: "Explicit Ricardus de Ampull."

Ff. 33-336: A short homily on the "office of a Bisshop."

Ff. 336-44: A treati agenst gostly temptaciouns, beginning: "Ure merciful lord god, Ihesu, chasticith his children and suffrith hem to be tempted for many profitable skillis and to their profite."

Ff. 44-466: A homiletic piece with the rubric, "Hic incipiunt duodecim gradus humilitatis," and beginning: "Seynt Gregory, the doctour, saith that without mekenes it is vnlieful of truste on foryevenes of thi synne." The colophon runs: "Expliciunt .xij. gradus humilitatis."

Ff. 466-47b: A series of four short tales or narratives: (a) Rubric, "Narracio de periculo differendi penitenciam." Begins: "Ther was a worthi man and a Riche whos name was Crisaurius, and as plentivous as he was of worldly goodis, also ful he was of synne and vice in pride, in lechery, in covetise," etc. (b) “Alia narracio," beginning: "Ther was .ij. scoole felawes, of the whiche oon entred into Religion," etc. (c) "Narracio contra confessos de peccatis sed non contritos," beginning: "Cesarius" the grete clerk telleth that ther was a man in Parice, a young man that yaf al to lechery," etc. (d) "Narracio de peccatore penitente et Saluate" (sic), beginning: “Ther was a Thief in a grete desert, leeder maister of many," etc.

Ff. 48-72: The dedis of Apostels, having the heading: "The prolog on the dedis of Apostels." The "prolog" begins: "Luke of Antioche, of the nacioun Sirie, whos praiseng is told in the gospel. At Antioche he was a worthy man of lechecraft, and afterwards a disciple of Cristes apostels," etc.3

Ff. 726-116: The Booke of Contemplacion; or, The Diuyne Clowde of Vnknowynge, a long moral-theological treatise in ninety-three chapters

I have retained the reading of the MS in all cases, though the punctuation is generally my own, and capitals have usually been introduced at the beginning of the sentences. 2 Caesarius von Heisterbach († 1240), the well-known German monastical writer and historian, whose Dialogus magnus visionum et miraculorum is also a store-house of mediæval tales and fables. Cf. Mary Banks, op. cit.

3 A comparison of the "prolog" with those printed by Forshall and Madden (Wycliffite Bible) shows that this version of the Dedis of the Apostels is a copy of Purvey's translation.

with the heading: "That the inner havyng of a man Shuld be like to the vtter," and beginning: "Gostly brother in Ihesu Crist, I praie the that in pe callyng whiche our lord hath callid the to," etc.

Ff. 1166-117: A short theological or religious piece which has been crossed out, beginning "Ihesus be oure spede, Amen." The words: "Pater Noster" in large, red letters occur frequently on the page.

Ff. 117-1176: "Ui (i. e. six) vertuous questiouns, and answers of .vj. holy doctours, of tribulacioun paciently taken in this world."

Ff. 1176-118 seem to contain a few "Masses" by Popes Gregory and Innocent, which have been crossed out.

Ff. 1186-138: The Disciplina Clericalis by Peter Alfons, the prologue to which begins: "Peter Alfons seruant of Ihesu Crist, maker of this booke, with Thankynges I do to god, the whiche is first and without bigynnyng; to whom is the bigynnyng and the end of al goodenes, the fulfillyng," etc. The tales proper have the following beginning: "Therfor Enoch the philosophre, whiche in Arabik tung is named Edriche, saide to his sone: "The dreede of god be thy busynes, and lucre and wynnyng shal come to the without any labour.""

Ff. 138-148: A version of the Epistle of Alexander to Aristotle, having the rubric: "Incipit epistola Alexandri magni Regis macedonum ad Magistrum suum Aristotilem," and beginning: "Alwey I am myndeful of the also among the preeks and doubtes of our batels, most diere comandour, and, after my Moder and sisters, most acceptable," etc. The piece ends with an Epitaphum in Latin verses, the first two lines of which are:

Primus Alexander, pillea natus in vrbe

Quem comes Antipater, confecto melle veneno.

Ff. 1486-155: A theological treatise on the power and authority of the Pope.

Ff. 155-163: The Statutes of Roger Niger, bishop of London (122941), which piece has the heading, "The statutes of the blissed Lord and Bisshop blac Rogier." Begins: "To the Bisshop of London of the comfort of the lord Petir, Archedeken of London, made and direct to al the Persons, vicars and parassh praestes in the Citee of London constitute." Ff. 163b-165b: A deed or charter of William de Courtney' (from 1381), beginning: "William bi divyne suffraunce Archebisshop of Caunterbury, of al Inglond Prymat, and of the Apostels seete legate, to our wel beloved sone, Thomas Bekaton, doctour of lawe, Archedeken of London, and Deane in the chirche of our lady at the Bowe of London," etc. Ends: yeven in our Manor at Lamblith the .xj. Kalendis of December, the yeere of our lord MCCCLxxxvij, and of our translacioun the .vij."

2

Ff. 165b-166: Another short archiepiscopal document, having the rubric: "The tenour folowith of constituciouns memoratief." A rubric 1 Cf. Newcourt, Vol. I, p. 19. 2 Ibid., p. 61, n. c.