and §, No 95., June 21. °56.] 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
485 
LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1856, 
Potes. 
ANCIENT MONASTIC LIBRARIES. 
In an interesting notice by Dr. Topp (“N. & 
Q.,” 1% 8. i. 83.) of a manuscript catalogue of 
the library of the Friars Hermits of the Order 
of St. Augustine at York, compiled in 1372, 
preserved in Trinity College, Dublin (and which 
I am glad to find is to be published by the 
Camden Society), brief mention is made of “ an- 
other ancient catalogue of a monastic library, 
equally curious, and even more important, from 
its magnitude, and the numerous works it con- 
tains on English history, early romances, &c.” I 
had fully expected that Dr. Topp would have 
followed up this communication by a second, in 
which some further account would have been 
given of the catalogue in question; but as he has 
not done so, I may be permitted to supply, in 
some measure, the omission, more particularly 
since (if Dr. Topp has not already discovered it) 
I can supply him with the name of the monastic 
house to which the catalogue belongs, and which 
is not mentioned in the manuscript itself. This 
catalogue is written on paper, in folio, towards 
the close of the fifteenth century, and the press- 
mark by which it was known, when I saw it in 
Trinity College, Dublin, in 1835, was D. i. 19. 
Prefixed is an alphabetical table, the use of which 
is thus stated : 
“Tabula super subsequentem Matriculam, ad sciendum 
quis liber, compilacio, exposicio, summa, scriptum, vel 
tractatus cujuscunque doctoris vel magistri contineatur 
in eadem, per primum numerum, in quo folio, et per se- 
cundum, in qua columpna invenies, scire poteris.” 
The arrangement of the works is according to 
classes, but without headings or titles, and the 
whole occupies no less than sixty-nine folios, from 
which the extent of the library may be judged of. 
Among the Historical works occur the following 
interesting volumes : 
“De morte Simonis de Montis fortis (sic). TEyangelium 
Justiciariorum Anglie, de conflictu Normannorum et An- 
glicorum. Sequencia Sancti Eulogii de Normannis, se- 
cundum barones portuum. Planctus Ecclesie de libertate 
sesa (sic) et perturbacione cleri, Anglia plangens sua 
fata. De laude Regis Anglie et victoria Scocie, et in- 
gressa in Flandriam. Laus Francorum. Passio Fran- 
corum, secundum Flandrenses, et Contencio inter corpus 
et animam.” 
“Liber Gylde sapientis, historiographi Britonum, cum 
A; 2° fo. in prohemio Gabaonitarum.” 
“Compilacio Gilde sapientis de gestis Britonum, in 
quaterno, cum B; 2° fo. mulieribus.” 
“ Gesta Cnutonis Regis.” 
“Gesta Alexandri Magni.” 
“ Cronica Albin,” 
“ Cronica intitulata Johannis Bevere.” 
(Your copies of William of Malmesbury, and one of 
Henry of Huntingdon. | 
“Cronica W. ‘.” 
[ Six copies. ] 
Cronica T. Sprot.” [Four copies, one imperfect. ] 
“ Cronica Cestrensis.” [ Three copies. | 
“ Narracio Petri Alfunsi.” [ Four copies. ] 
“ Boecius de Consolacione philosophie in Anglicis; 2° 
fo. utterest.” 
Among the numerous legendary narratives and 
romances, we find the subjoined curious items : 
“ Historia Britonum, in gallice, et in eodem libro, Nar- 
racio de quodam Milite et uxore sua, Amicus et Ame- 
lius, Historia de iiij° sororibus, Gesta Guydonis de 
Warewyk, in gallico, et nomina regum Britannie ab ad- 
ventu Bruti in Albion’ usque ad adventum Saxonum in 
Britannia.” 
“ Gesta Guidonis de Warewik, in gallico, et in eodem 
libro, Gesta Guydonis de Burgundia, in patria lingua.” 
“ Gesta Guydonis de Warwik, in gallico, et in eodem 
libro, Gesta cujusdem Militis qui vocatur Ypomedone, et 
Vita diversorum militum ad pedum (sic).” 
“ Liber fratris Antonii de Alta Ripa, in gallico, qui 
dicitur Aquilant.” [Three Copies. | 
“ Dicta’ Septem Sapientum, in gallico, et in eodem 
libro, Gesta Guydonis de Warwyk Antonii de Alta Ripa.” 
[ Two other copies of the Seven Sages. | 
“ Liber de Milite de Signo (sic), in gallico.” 
“ Katir Fitz Edmound [ Quatre Fitz Aymoun], in gal- 
lico; 2° fo. ore.” 
“ Liber de Launcelot, in gallico.” 
“ Liber qui vocatur Graal, in gallico.” 
« Romaunz de Perceval le Galois.” 
Liber de Guillielmo le March’ [ Guillaume d’ Orange], 
in gallico.” 
“ Liber del Roy Hertus [ Artus], in gallico.” 
Tt will not fail to be observed that all these 
Romances are in French, which was the prevail- 
ing language in England for works of fiction 
during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. 
The whole of the works mentioned are well 
known, with the exception perhaps of Aguilant, 
which may possibly be meant for Agolant, other- 
wise called the Roman d’Aspremont. It is uncer- 
tain whether Frater Antonius de Alta Ripa [Hau- 
terive] is to be considered the author or not; but 
if so, we have a new name to be added to the list 
of Romance writers, and hitherto quite unknown 
to bibliographers. 
At fol. 11. the following entry appears: 
“ Liber in Anglico Michaelis de Northgate, cum CC; 
2° fo., ithe vor alse.” 
This identical volume is now preserved among 
the Arundel MSS. in the British Museum (No. 
57.). It is a folio, written on vellum; and on 
one of the fly-leaves prefixed, is thus entitled : 
“This boc is dan Michelis of Northgate, ywrite an 
Englis of his ozene hand, thet hatte Ayenbyte of Inwyt ; 
and is of the bochouse of Saynt Austines of Canterberi, 
mid the lettres CC.” 
And at the end of the work (fol. 94.) is written : 
“ Ymende, thet this boc is volveld ine the eve of the 
holy apostles Symon an Judas, of ane brother of the 
cloystre of sauynt Austin of Canterberi, ine the yeare of 
oure lhordes beringe 1340.” 
This is conclusive evidence that the Catalogue 
contains a list of the books in the library of the 
great monastery of St. Augustine at Canterbury, 
