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THE ABBREVIATIO OF THE OXONIENSE OF SCOTUS BY ROGERIUS ANGLICUS THE edition of Rogerius Anglicus found in the following pages is prepared from the one manuscript of Rogerius known to exist. It is written on vellum in two columns of 40 lines each, with folio dimensions of 22 ? 18 cms. There are approximately 47 pages of text to which a Table of Contents is added, bringing the complete work to 50 folios. The Explicit bears the signature of the scribe, Paulus Barianus, and is dated August 4, 1474. Nothing is known of its history prior to the time it was presented to the University of Pittsburgh as a gift of Thomas Mellon, who procured it from William M. Voynich some years ago. It has since been transcribed and made the subject of a Doctoral thesis by Kevin Guinagh, and presented as such to the same University.1 This present edition is offered as a transcription independent of Dr. Guinagh's work. Extended research has failed to identify the author of the Abbreviatio. Who Rogerius was can only be conjectured at this time. He cannot be Roger Bacon, since Bacon preceded Scotus in point of activity. The same is true of Roger Marston. Another English Franciscan by the name of Rogerus Varro seems to have lived and flourished about the year 1290, if we can accept the statement of Joannes Pitseus in his De Illustribus Angliae Scriptoribus, which Wadding saw fit to include in his Annales (V, p. 268). Others, including the unknown author of the Collectanea AngloMinoritica (Anthony Parkenson?),2 mention the name of Rogerus Varro and tell us that he wrote learnedly. We have not included these other references since all of them seem to quote Pitseus as their source of information. Wadding in a second instance (Annales, VI, p. 137) mentions Rogerus Varro as one of the names carved on the tomb of Scotus (the tomb which existed prior to the translation of Scotus' body 1."An Unpublished Manuscript of Rogerius Anglicus," Univ. of Pittsburgh Bulletin, XXVIII (December: 1931). 2.Part I (London: 1726) iii, 103. Editor's note : Our intention to publish the entire text of the Abbreviatio is canceled in favor of its separate presentation toward the end of the current year as a FRANCISCAN INSTITUTE PUBLICATION. 218 GAUDENS MOHAN219 in 1619). If such a Rogerus lived at all, his name would be engraved on Scotus' tomb only because of his association with Scotus or with the Franciscans in general. However, Sbaralea maintains that Rogerus Varro, unus ex his, qui insculpti sunt in latere tumbae Scoti, est Guglielmus Varro, eius magister, dictus per errorem Rogerus; vel etiam Rogerus Baccon dictus corrupte Varro? Here the question must rest, until further investigation proves, or disproves, Sbaralea's statement. The Abbreviatio is not a collection of select passages from the Oxoniense, but rather an epitome of Scotus' doctrine presented in the author's own style and his own words. The thought is Scotus, but the presentation is the author's own. As a rule, Rogerius presents his Questions in the words of Scotus, uses Scotus' references , and then selects one argument from Scotus which he transfers into his own words. Not all the Questions proposed by Scotus have been used by Rogerius, but sufficient to give us the gist of the doctrine contained in the Oxoniense. The spelling found in this edition has been made to conform with modern usage in order to present a more workable text. Chapter headings, divisions into Questions, etc., have been provided where the manuscript fails to do so. We wish to express our thanks to A. L. Robinson, Acting Librarian of the University of Pittsburgh, for permission to edit the text of Rogerius Anglicus, and to our confrère, Fr. Philotheus Boehner, O.F.M., for his valuable assistance and encouragement. Incipit Abbreviatio opens egregii doctoris subtilis Magistri Ioannis Scoti super quatuor libros sententiarum reducía per egregium patrem ac in sacra pagina virum doctissimum fratrem Rogerium Anglicum ordinis minorum. 3. Sbaralea, H., Supplementum et Castigatio ad Scriptores Waddingi, IH (Rome: 1936) 75. 220THE ABBREVIATIO OF THE OXONIENSE [PROLOGUS] [QUAESTIO 1} UtRUM HOMINI PRO STATU ILLO SIT NECESSARIUM ALIQUAM DOCTRINAM INSPIRARI AD QUAM...

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