Marston MS 265     Northern Spain, s. XIII 4/4
Thomas Aquinas, Super Metaphysicam, Super De causis

I. 1. ff. 1r-120v  Sicut docet philosophus in politicis suis quando aliqua
plura ordinantur ad unum...et primum bonum quid supra dixit deum.  qui
est benedictus in secula seculorum Amen.

Super Metaphysicam; H. V. Shooner, Codices manuscripti operum
Thomae de Aquino (Montreal and Paris, 1985) v. 3, p. 35.  Numerous
corrections, erasures and annotations by at least three contemporary hands,
one of which also annotated art. 2 (see provenance).

II. 2. ff. 121r-132v  [S]icud [sic] dicit philosophus in .x. ethicorum ultima
felicitas hominis consistit in optima hominis operitione...Primo
cunctorum.  sint grates principiorum.  A quo nostrorum riuus fuit
eloquiorum.  Explicit liber de causis.  editus a ffratre Thoma de
aquino.  ordinis ffratrum predicatorum.

Super de causis; Shooner, op. cit., p. 35.

Composed of two distinct parts, parchment (poor quality), 305 x 218 mm.
Part I:  ff. 1-120 (medieval foliation 1-122 omits 37, 38; modern foliation
1-120), written space 227 x 146 mm.  2 columns, 51 lines.  Single
vertical bounding lines full length; an additional pair of vertical rulings in
outer margin.  Ruled in lead or crayon; remains of prickings in upper
and lower margins and on f. 8 in inner margin.  I-IX 12, X 4, XI 8.
Catchwords, some enclosed in rectangles, either vertical and perpendicular
to text along inner bounding line or horizontal between line and gutter.
First leaves of gatherings usually marked in red with different styles
of signatures (e.g., ff. 49-54 have a sequence of one to six small circles
between columns just below written space).  Written by a single scribe in 
small gothic book hand.  One illuminated initial, rubbed, f. 1r: blue with
white highlights on dark red ground with white highlights; terminals of
ground extend up and down as modest border in blue, dark red and gold.
Flourished initials of various sizes, styles and quality: blue with red
penwork designs, red with blue, red with purple (ff. 75r-119r) and red and
blue divided with penwork in purple (e.g., f. 88v); some flourished
initials with border extensions (e.g., f. 110v).  Running headlines in red
and blue; paragraph marks alternate red and blue.  Traces of guide letters
for decorator.
Part II:  ff. 121-132  (medieval foliation for 123-124 only, modern
foliation 121-132), written space 235 x 150  mm.  2 columns, 62 lines.
Frame-ruled in crayon.  Remains of prickings in upper, lower and outer
margins.  A single gathering of twelve leaves.  Written in a less accomplished
gothic script than that in Part I.  Spaces for decorative initials remain
unfilled.
Binding:  Spain, s. xiv-xv.  Original sewing on five tawed skin, double
supports laced into beech boards.  Plain, wound natural color endbands.
Single parchment leaf (front) and bifolium (rear), from what appear to be two
different Hebrew Bible manuscripts, serve as pastedowns and spine-lining;
they have been cut out around the sewing supports.  Yellow edges.
Covered in what was originally blue tawed skin (now faded) with two
fastenings, the catches on the lower board and the straps attached
with star-headed nails.  Traces of title [?] scratched onto skin
of upper board.

Parts I and II were written in Northern Spain in the fourth quarter of the
13th century.  One of the correctors in Part I, who gives his name
on f. 24v ("Istum quarternum correxit ffrater S. de saranyena..."),
apparently came from Sarinena, a town 56 miles northeast of Saragossa.
The two parts were together soon after they were written, since another
contemporary hand has annotated the entire codex and the Spanish
binding dates from the 14th or 15th century.  The manuscript was formerly
"24-39" in the Biblioteca del Cabildo in Saragossa where it was
located until the 1950s when it was photographed by the Leonine Commission;
at that time it contained the following information that is no longer
in the codex:  1. note of the decorator on f. 120v:  "Sicut hic litere maiores
xxvj. minores vero c.l. et par. c.lxxxviij ***"; 2. contemporary title
on first flyleaf:  "Sanctus tomas super methaphysicam et super libro de
causis N. 5";  3. a modern booklabel:  "Biblioteca del Cabildo Metropolitano
de Zaragoza, Armario 24, No. del registro 1620, No. de orden 39."  
Sold by Dawsons of Pall Mall (cat. 102, n. 9, pl. 8) in 1959; acquired from
C. A. Stonehill in the same year by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  memoriam

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 95, no. 265.
H. V. Shooner, Codices manuscripti operum Thomae de Aquino (Montreal
and Paris, 1985) v. 3, p. 35.

Barbara A. Shailor