medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> I started a research on the De septem septenis, a strange 12th-century
> work published under the name of John of Salisbury, in PL 199 (MS
Harleian 3969). This edition seems to be a faulty one. Moreover, as far
as I see, since (at least) the 80s there has not been any special
investigation dedicated to the text, but even its covering letter (which
can be from John) is omitted from the edition of John's letters: the work
is sometimes attributed to John, sometimes to the circle around William
of Conches (Luscombe in DS 8).
you've choosen a facinating and highly interesting text for your research
- congratulatuions!
To the best of my knowledge no thorough study of the "De septem septenis"
has been published recently (and I wonder if there is anything at all),
though the text is frequently mentioned in articles and books about
medieval philosophy and Platonism - for instance: A History of
Twelfth-Century Western Philosophy, ed. Peter Dronke, Cambridge 1988,
repr. 1992, p. 67 and 69; Theodore Silverstein, Liber Hermetis Mercurii
Triplicis de VI rerum principiis, in: AHDLMA 30 [22], 1955, p. 238; Peter
Dronke, Fabula. Explorations into the Uses of Myth in Medieval Platonism
(Mittellateinische Studien and Texte 9, Leiden 1974, repr. 1985), pp. 2, 35.
British Library MS Harley 3969 (which is rather from the second half of
13th or even from the early 14th c. than from the 12th c.) is probably the
source for the edition in Migne's PL 199, as the text breaks off in the
same place; a modern hand has added the same note in the margin which is
at the end of the text in PL 199, 964: "Deest unum folium". Many of the
texts in this manuscript have rich illumination at the beginning, so a
collector's greed might have been the reason for the loss of this and
other folia. Before the manuscript came into Harley's possession, it
probably was in the library of Emmanuel College, Cambridge (cf M. R. James,
The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
1904, p. XIII) - but as this college is a post-medieval foundation, the
medieval provenance of the manuscript is (at least at present) not known.
There is, however, a second manuscript, now in Cambridge, Corpus Christi
College, MS 459, f. 99r-107v, 13th c. according to James's catalogue,
which seems to have the complete text. The provenance of the manuscript
is Peterborough (Ker, Medieval Libraries if Great Britain 151).
Interestingly the text is ascribed to "Robert de Curtun", i.e. Robert
Courson, around 1200 master at Paris and afterwards cardinal. With respect
to the general character of Robert's known writings this ascription comes
as quite a surprise; nevertheless we are well advised to be careful with
general characterizations of medieval authors' writings, so thorough
research is urgently needed!
good luck!
Christoph Egger
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