Page:Opus majus (IA b24975655 0003).pdf/12

viii PREFACE.

only a portion of the work. Of these, the oldest, undoubtedly of the thirteenth century, and possibly written at the very time when Bacon was composing his work, or very shortly afterwards, is the Coltonian MS. Jul. D.V. spoken of in this Appendix as J. It is a small parchment quarto and consists of $1 folios, (ff. 71-151b), covering pp. 1-241, 1.7 of the text of vol. i. In the last half of l'art I., the whole of l'art II., and the beginning of Part III., it is much injured, some folios being almost entirely destroyed. Many of the rubrics are illegible what is left of them show that the first three parts, as well as the first portion of Part IV, were divided into Distinctiones as well as Capitula.

In this MS. the transition from Part III. to l'art IV. is attended with great confusion. On f. 104, after the passage (p. 96 of vol. i,) ending, cum vario sapientiae damno languent, follow the words, Quodque non avertunt, ideo necessitate compulsi sunt moderni damnum cum vituperio sustinere, a quibus omnes sancti doctores, philosophi et sapientes antiqui remanserunt immunes. Then, without any break beyond an ordinary full stop and capital, come the words Secundum impedimentum est majus isto, nam una est scientia qua ignorala nulla alia sciri potest: et qua scita possunt aliae de facili edoceri ; et haec fuit in usu omnium sanctorum doctorum et philosophorum et sapientum antiquorum propter sui infinitam utilitatem ct pulchritudinem et magnificentiam, et haec est mathematica. Unde totius studii destructio est negligentia mathematicae. Quoniam qui ignorat quantitates continuas et discretas et earum applicationes ad caeteras res et scientias ignorabit omnia. Et, quod pejus est, omnis homo ignorans hoc suam ignorantiam non potest percipere (et seq. as in vol. i. pp. 97-108, as far as the end of Distinctio l'rima, sed hoc non est praesentis speculationis). J. then proceeds with the first six words of Distinctio Secunda (vol. i. p. 109) Quod de scientiis jam ostensum est, and there stops. He then interpolates a long passage, printed here for the first time, and given by no other MS., which is of great importance, because it fills up a gap in Part III. which would be otherwise inexplicable. On vol. i. p. 92 Bacon had expressed his intention of describing the value of linguistic studies not merely (1) in themselves but (2) for the government of the Christian commonwealth, and (3) for the conversion, or (4), if necessary, the repression of the heathen. In the text as it stands, the second of these topics is left unfinished, the third and fourth are not treated of at all. In J. the sense, broken off on f. 104 with the words raro sufficiunt, is carried forward on f. 107 with the words raro sufficiunt interpretes .. intelligentiam plenam, et rarius inveni[un]tur fideles (et seq.). This passage, here restored to its proper place, completes the second subject, and discusses in full the two others.