POETA ANGLICUS.
Every proof or disproof of statements continually made with regard to the extravagant titles assumed, or complacently received, by the bishops of Rome being both interesting and important, the inquiry of J.B. (Vol. ii., p. 167.) is well deserving of a reply. Speaking of a passage cited by Joannes Andreæ, in his gloss on the preface to the Clementines, he asks, "who is the Anglicus Poeta?" and "what is the name of his poem," in which it is said to the pope, "Nec Deus es nec homo, quasi neuter es inter utrumque?"
"Poetria nova" was the name assigned to the hexameter poem commencing, "Papa stupor mundi," inscribed, about the year 1200, to the reigning Pope, Innocent III., by Galfridus de Vino salvo. Of this work several manuscript copies are to be met with in England. I will refer only to two in the Bodleian, Laud. 850. 83.: Ken. Digb. 1665. 64. Polycarp Leyser (Hist. Poem. medii Ævi) published it in 1721; and Mabillon has set forth another performance by the same writer in elegiac verse (Vet. Analect. pp. 369-76., Paris, 1723). In the latter case the author's name is not given, and accordingly he is entered merely as "Poeta vetus" in Mr. Dowling's Notitia Scriptorum SS. Pat., sc. p. 279., Oxon., 1839. Your correspondent may compare with Andreæ's extract these lines, and those which follow them, p. 374.:
"Papa brevis vox est, sed virtus nominis hujus
Perlustrat quiequid arcus uterque tenet."
Galfridus evidently derived his surname from his treatise on vines and wine; and he has been singularly unfortunate in the epithet, for I have never seen VIN-SAUF correctly printed. It varies from "de Nine salvo" to "Mestisauf." Pits and Oudin call him "Vinesalf" and Fabricius and Mansi change him into "Vine fauf."
The question now remains, Are the Roman Pontiffs and their Church answerable for the toleration of such language? Uncertainty may on this occasion be removed by our recollection of the fact, that a "Censura" upon the glosses of the papal canon law, by Manriq, Master of the Sacred Palace, was issued by the command of Pope Pius V. in 1572. It was reprinted by Pappus, Argent. 1599, 12mo., and 1609, 8vo., and it contains an order for the expurgation of the words before quoted, together with the summary in the margin, "Papa nec Deus est nec homo," which appears in every old edition; for instance, in that of Paris, 1532, sig. aa. iij. So far the matter looks well, and the prospect is not hopeless. These glosses, however, were revised by another master of the Apostolic Palace, Sixtus Fabri, and were edited, under the sanction of Pope Gregory XIII., in the year 1580; and from this authentic impression the impious panegyric has not been withdrawn. The marginal abridgment has, in compliance with Manriq's direction, been exterminated; and this additional note has been appended as a palliative:—
"Hæc verba sano modo sunt accipienda: prolata enim sunt ad ostendendum amplissimam esse Romani Pontificis potestatem."—Col. 4. ed. Paris, 1585.
R.G.
Poeta Anglicus (Vol ii., p. 167).—I cannot answer J.B.'s Queries; but I have fallen upon a cross scent, which perchance may lead to their discovery.
1. Ioannes Pitseus, de Scriptor. ad ann. 1250, (Relat. Histor. de Rebus Anglicis, ed. Par. 1619, p. 322.), gives the following account "de Michaele Blaunpaino:"—
"Michael Blaunpainus, vulgo Magister cognominatus, natione Anglus, patria Cornubiensis, ... missus Oxonium, deinde Parisios, ... præ cæteris se dedidit elegantiæ linguæ Latinæ, fuitque inter præcipuos sui temporis poetus per Angliam potissimum et Galliam numeratus. Hunc subinde citat Textor in Cornucopia sub nomine Michaelis Anglici.... In lucem emisit: Historiarum Normanniæ, librum unum: Contra Henricum Abrincensem versu. librum unum. Archipoeta vide, quod non sit. (MS. in Bibliotheca Lunleiana.) Epistolarum et carminum, librum unum. Claruit anno Messiæ 1250, sub Henrici tertii regno."
2. Valerius Andreas, however, gives a somewhat different account of Michael Anglicus. In his Biblioth. Belg. ed. 8vo. Lovan, 1623, p. 609., he says:
"Michael Anglicus, Bellimontensis, Hanno, I. V. Professor et Poeta, scripsit:
Eclogarum, libros iv., ad Episc. Parisien.
Eclogarum, libb. ii., ad Lud. Villerium.
De mutatione studiorum, lib. i.
Elegiam deprecatoriam.
Et alia, quæ Paris. sunt typis edita. Hujus eruditionem et Poemata Bapt. Mantuanus et Joannes Ravisius Testor epigrammate commendarunt: hic etiam in Epithetis suis Anglici auctoritatem non semel adducit."
3. Franciscus Sweertius (Athenæ Belgricoe, ed. Antv. 1628, p. 565.) gives a similar account to this of Valerius Andreas.
4. And the account given by Christopher Hendreich Brandebargca, (ed. Berolini, 1699, p. 193.) is substantially the same; viz.,
"Anglicus Michael cognomine, sed natione Gallus, patria Belmontensis, utriusque juris Professor, scripsit Eclogarum, lib. iv. ad Episc." &c ... "Et diversorum carminum libros aliquot, quæ omnia Parisiis impressa sunt. Claruit autem A.C. 1500."
5. Moreri takes notice of this apparent confusion made between two different writers, who lived two centuries and a half apart. Speaking of the later of the two, he says (Dictionnaire Historique, Paris, 1759, tom. i. par. ii. p. 87.):—
"Anglicus (Michel), natif de Beaumont dans le Hainaut, qui vivoit dans le XVI. siècle, étoit poëte et professeur en droit. Nous avons divers ouvrages de sa façon, des églogues, un traité de mutatione studiorum, &c. (Valer. Andreas, Bibl. Belg.) Quelques auteurs l'ont confondu avec Michel Blaumpain. (Voyez Blaumpain.)"
Of the earlier Anglicus, Moreri says (ubi sup., tom. ii. par. i. p. 506.):
"Blaumpain (Michel) surnommé Magister, Anglois de nation, et Poëte, qui vivoit vers l'an 1250. Il est nommé par quelques-un Michel Anglicus. Mais il y a plus d'apparence que c'étoient deux auteurs différens; dont l'un composa une histoire de Normandie, et un traité contre Henri d'Avranches; et l'autre laissa quelques pièces de poësies;—Eclogarum, libri iv., ad Episcopum Parisiensem; Eclogarum, libri ii., ad Ludovicum Villerium, De mutatione studioram, Elogia deprecatoria, &c. Baptiste Mantuan parle de Michel Anglicus, qui étoit de Beaumont dans l'Hainault. (Pitseus, De Script. Angl. p. 322.; Valerius Andreas in Bibl, p. 670.)"
Perhaps some of your readers may have access to a copy of the Paris impression of Michael Anglicus, mentioned by Andreas, Sweertius, and Hendreich. J.B. will not need to be reminded of these words of Innocent III., in his first serm. de consecr. Pont. Max., in which he claimed, as St. Peter's successor, to be
"Inter Deum et hominem medius constitutus; citra Deum, sed ultra hominem; minor Deo, sed major homine: qui de omnibus judicat, et a nemine judicatur."—Innocentii tertii Op., ed. Colon. 1575, tom. i., p. 189.
Did the claim originate with Pope Innocent?
J. Sansom.