John Lydgate and Benedict Burgh, Secrees of old Philisoffres — 390 stanzas rhyme royal

Note: Ringler Jr. (1992), TM 478; Ringler Jr. (1988), TP 482; for the original Latin MSS of the Secretum Secretorum, see Singer (1928), 1.27-31; for English prose texts compare Oxford, Bodleian Library Ashmole 59 (SC 6943), ff. 1-12v; Ashmole 396, ff. 1-42, Laud Misc. 685, ff. 5-57v, Rawlinson C.83, ff. 1-8; Rawlinson B.490, ff. 28v-72; University College Oxf. 85, pp. 70-135; London, British Library Royal 18 A.VII, ff. 1-26v; London, Lambeth Palace Library 501, ff. 1-42; Singer (1928), 29.

Author(s): John Lydgate; Benedict Burgh

Title(s): Secrees of old Philisoffres

Subjects: alchemy

Versification: — seven-line — ababbcc

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Note: On f. 131: ‘Here deyed this translatour and nobyl poete / And the yonge folwere gan his prologe on this wyse’; the second part of the poem, by Benet de Burgh, starts on the next page, f. 131v.

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Note: First five lines (Prayer for Henry VI) only; formerly 936.

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Attributed Title: This is the book of the gouernaunce of kyngges and prynces (f. 255)

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Attributed Title: This is the book of the gouernaunce of kynges and of prynces (f. 1)

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Attributed Title: Hic incipit tractus De regimine principum (f. 80); Here endyth þe notable tretyse callyd of Arystotyles regimen principum (f. 126)

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Note: Fragment; stanzas 328-31, 353-90, 170-91, 193-4, 195-213, 234-7, 228-33, 238-71, 273-89, 64, 43, 65, 68 as noted in Robbins and Cutler (1965), but treated as whole work: illuminated initial ‘I’ on f. 104, border, etc.; includes four-stanza ‘Verba translatoris’ (ff. 123v-124).

Attributed Title: Of the crafte of phisonomye which trete of the qualitees and Condicions of ich membre of man and of the Image of ypocras whiche Arestotele wrote to kynge Alisaunder (f. 104)

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Note: Begins imperfectly at line 65; followed by fragment of 447 used as envoy.

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Note: Begins imperfectly at line 83; leaves missing in middle; ends imperfectly; originally part of London, British Library Addit. 39922.

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Note: An extract: 26 stanzas beginning with 186.

Attributed Title: A tretis of the iiij seasons of the yere that is t[o] say ver Estas Authumnus & yemps (f. 49, by scribe); copieyd by JohnLydgate as aperyeth in his boke of kþe secretis to alysuander from aristotyll (added)

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Note: Lacks stanzas 1-30 and ends imperfectly in the section ‘Of a kyngis Secretaries.’

Attributed Author: Lidgate (f. iv)

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Note: Lines 1-3 wanting due to damage to first leaf.

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Attributed Title: Explicit Regimine Principium (f. 116)

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Note: A single leaf, lines 1268-1309.

Attributed Title: How aleche schal gouerne aprynce slepyng and wakyng (RT, f. 16)

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Note: Stanzas 1-119, ends incomplete due to missing folios.

Attributed Title: [t]his is the boke of the gouernaunce of kynges and princes (f. 24v)

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Note: In rhyme royal stanzas; the scribe is the so-called ‘Hammond scribe’.

Attributed Title: Explicit Regimine Principum (f. 130v)

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Note: Explicit Regimine Principium (f. 224)

Attributed Title: This is the book of the / gouernaunce of kinges / and Prynces (f. 52, in rubric)

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Attributed Title: This is the book of the gouernance of kynges and Princes (rubricated, f. 52)

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Attributed Title: This is the book of governaunce of kynges and Princes (f. 152)

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Note: Begins and ends imperfectly, c. 47 stanzas only, though scribe does not break into 7-line stanzas after first few leaves, so stanzas appear to be of varying length, the RR form notwithstanding.

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Note: Begins imperfectly at end of stanza 7, due to lost folio.

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Note: A single bifolium, not a centerfold, beginning at line 1476; outer third of folio 2 cut away, with some loss of text on f. 2v.

Attributed Author: HEre died this translatoure and noble Poete Jon lidgate and the folower began his prologe on this wise (rubric heading to last stanza on f. 1)

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Note: Ends “Amen.”

Attributed Title: Of the crafte of Phisonomye whiche doth trete of the qualitees and condicions of the membre of man and of the Image of ypocras whiche Arestotele wrote to kynge Alisaunder (f. 1, rubric)

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