322 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 78. 



The title of tlic first edition, wlilch is very rare, 

 is as follows : 



"Liber Conformitatum Vita? S. Fi'ancisci ad Vitam 

 .Tesu Christi. Aiithore Fr. Bartliolomajo deg'li Albizzi, 

 ex recens. Fran. Zenoiiis. Iinpressiini INIediolani per 

 Gotarclum Ponticiim apud lemplum Saiicti Satyri. 

 Anno M.cccccx. die 18 mensis Septembris. In fol. 

 literis quadratis." 



Tl^e second edition : 



" Opus anr. et inexplicabilis bonitatis et conti- 

 nentla?, Conformitatum scilicet vita; Bcati Fra. ad vita 

 Di. liri Jesu xpi. Mediolani, in edibus Zanoti casti- 

 lionei 1513. in fol. gotb." 



The third edition, also in folio, appeared at 

 Boloj^ne (1590) as " Liber aureus, inscriptus liber 

 Conformitatum, etc., per Hiei-em Bucchium," with 

 some alterations in the text. 



Fourth edition : 



" Vita S. Frail, conf. ad vit. Xtl., per S. Bonaven- 

 turam Conscriptu ab Henr. Sedulio Com. illustrata, 

 4to., Antr. 1597." 



Another edition, by Jer. Buceli, in folio, ap- 

 peared at Bologne in 1620 ; and an abridged 

 edit ion in octavo, by Piiil. Bosquier, at Cologne, 

 under the title o£ Aiitirjuitates Franciscancc, a very 

 good edition of the Liber Conform., " Et ex An- 

 iialibus Madingi collecta per Tibnr. Navarrum," 

 was published in 4to. at Rome in 1670. 



The late Dr. Elringtou had a very fine copy of 

 the followins French translation : — 



" Traite des Conformites du Disciple avcc son Maitre, 

 c'est a dire, de Saint Fiangois avcc J. C, etc., le tout 

 recueilii par un frere mineur recollect. (Valentin 

 IMaree.) Liege, 1658-60. 4 part, en ."3 vol. in 4to." 



In 1542 a small volume was put forth, contain- 

 ing choice passages from the Liher Conformitatum., 

 with a preface and letter to the reader, purport- 

 ing to be from Martin Luther. It was accordingly 

 by many attributed to him ; the real compiler was 

 Erasmus Alberus. The title of the first edition is 



" Alcoranus Franciscorum, etc., ex libro conformi- 

 tatum : Francof. 1542, parv. 8vo." 



It was reprinted, with a French translation, by 

 Conrad Badius, at Geneva, 1560 or 1578 ; so says 

 Brunet. 



The best edition of this work was that published 

 at Amsterdam in 1734, in two vols. 12ino., with 

 some capital plates by Picart. The title is — 



" L' Alcoran des Cordeliers, tant en Latin qu'en 

 Fran9ois ; c'est a dire, Uecuell des plus notables bourde . 

 et blasphemes de ceux qui ont ose comparer Sainct 

 Francois a Jesus Cbrist : tire du srand livre des Con- 

 formites, jadls compose par frere Barthelemi de Pise, 

 Cordelier en son vivant. Nouvelle edition, ornee de 

 figures dessinees par B. Picart. A Amsterdam. Aux 

 Defens de la Compagnie. mdccxxxiv." 



Another work, printed the same year, is often 

 found with this : — 



" Legendo Doree, ou Sommaire de I'Histoire des 

 Frercs-mendians de I'ordre de Saint Francois. (Par 

 Kic. Vignier.) Amsterdam, 1734. 12mo. Reimpr. 

 Eur I'ed. de Leyde, 1608 in 8vo." 



Thomas of Celano, the friend and scholar of 

 St. Francis, and the author of the famous Dies 

 Ira, after the saint's death composed a brief 

 account of his life, which be afterwards greatly 

 enlarged, and which even now is the most authentic 

 we possess. I should be glad to know the best, 

 as well as the latest editions of tliis li.fe. 



" Francis," said Luther, " was no doubt an honest 

 and a just man. He little thought that such supersti- 

 tion and unbelief should proceed out of his life." — 

 Tischri:deii. 



Berington says of St. FrancLs : 



" In an age of less intemperance in religion, miracles 

 and the fancied intervention of peculiar favours from 

 heaven, would not have been deemed necessary to stamp 

 worth and admiration on a character wliich in itself 

 possessed the purest excellences that fall to the lot of 

 man. But tiiis circumstance, and more than this, the 

 reception which an institute so peculiarly framed met 

 with, serve to manifest the singular taste of the age." 

 — Beringlon's Henry II., p. 629. 



" It is scarcely possible," says Mr. IMassingberd, 

 " to read the history of St. Francis of Assisi, with- 

 out believing that there was in him a sincere and 

 self-devoted, however ill-directed, piety." AVe 

 must not let the foolish legends afterwards written 

 of him lower him in our estimation, nor cease to 

 regard him as a sincere and devoted Christian. 



Mariconda. 



iffltiinr ^ntrs). 



Charles Lamb's Epitaph. — Perhaps the follow- 

 ing lines, which I have copied from the gravestone 

 of Charles Lamb, who lies in the churchyard at 

 Edmonton, may be interesting to those of your 

 readers who are among the admirers of the witty 

 and gentle Elia : — 

 " Farewell, dear friend ; that smile, tliat harmless mirth, 



No more shall gladden our domestic liearth ; 



That rising tear, with pain forbid to flow, 



Better than words, no more assuage our woe ; 



Tint hand outstretch'd from small but well-earn'd 

 store, 



Yield succour to the destitute no more. 



Yet art thou not all lost ; thro' many an age 

 With sterling sense and humour shall thy page 

 Win many an English bosom, pleased to see 

 That old and happier vein revived in thee. 

 This for our earth, and if with friends we share 

 Our joys in heav'n, we hope to meet thee there." 



I have heard it conjectured that the above were 

 written by Wordsworth. I shall feel obliged if 

 any of your readers will inform me whether the 

 late laureate was the author of them or not ? 



Maria S. 

 Edmonton. 



