St John's College MS O.61 (James 544)
De diversis regulis iuris antiqui. Latin, 1650.
'De diversis regulis iuris antiqui' forms the last title of Justinian's Digesta (Book 50 Title 17) and comprises over 200 regulae, many in the form of general maxims. The text attracted a number of commentaries. This manuscript gives the text of each regula followed by commentary. The regulae from 1 to 117 are given a single number, but those thereafter are given two numbers, from 118 (vulgarem editionem)/158 (Florentinas Pandectas) to 146/186. The commentary includes exempla, gives a ratio for each regula, and sets out limitationes. The author of the commentary is unknown. The manuscript is dated, on p.292, 'Oct: 25 1650'.
A note on the flyleaf reads as follows: '3o Cal. Sept. 1664. Allardus Uchtmannus Groninghensis ortu, Linguae Sanctae Professor Lugduni Batavorum, Cant.(?) venit. Est autem sobrinus meus. Sumus enim duorum fratrum nepotes, duarum amitinarum filii. Habitat autem Leidae in Lata Platea in due(?) Breed street in Leiden.' Uchtmann (1611-80) was professor of Hebrew at Leiden University 1648-67.
200 x 155mm. [12], 296 pages + many blanks. Paper, with small wormhole running through bottom left-hand corner to p.246. Single neat hand throughout. Binding: 17th-century blind-tooled calf over pulpboard; two red labels on the spine with gilt lettering 'De regulis juris antiqui' and 'M.S. Sir Thomas Salusbury'; two tickets pasted to the spine read 'MS 529' and '625'.
The following inscriptions appear inside the front board: 'MSS of the late Sir Thomas Salusbury Judge of the Admiralty. Henry Vanne Salusbury Doctors Commons Novr. 1824. D.d. H.V. Salusbury March 1st 1828. J: Lee. Doctors Commons 1828.' Sir Thomas Salusbury (d. 1773) was a Fellow of Trinity Hall (1732-51) and thereafter served as Judge of the Admiralty Court (1751-73). Henry Vanne Salusbury (1796-1830) was also a Fellow of Trinity Hall (1820-5). John Lee (formerly Fiott) (1783-1866), the antiquary and astronomer, was a Fellow of St John's College and studied law for many years. Lee's bookplate, with the motto 'Verum atque decens', is pasted inside the front board. This manuscript was given to St John's by Sir Robert Forsyth Scott (1849-1933) in 1921 (book label inside back board).