The Herrn Doktor Bruce's on-line text of the Panormia is very nice and a joy to have
available (macte virtute, that man!). With this, and also with the Munich Gratian and
Aleksandr Koptev's on-line Roman Law, we must surely now reconsider some of our
'sources' for texts we may be working with? For example, we can trace Isidore and
Augustine back to their various works, but, supposing we have a 13c Italian legalist,
then does the man go back to more antique times or does he clutch at (for him) more
modern examples? e.g. from Canon Law, which is stuffed full of these people? After
all, with Gregory IX's Decretals, we already have the (Senecan) example of a dog
returning to its own vomit, and there is much more here (but mostly less vivid).
I will not apologise if this sounds reductionist: I have Mr of Occam's original razor
in my pants' pocket.
Angus Graham, de orae sanctae agathae
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