12.09 - The Works of Alesius

APPENDIX I (p. 283). THE WORKS OF ALESIUS. The following is a list of the published writings of Alesius, so far as I have been able to trace them:—

1. Epistola contra decretum quoddam Episcoporum in Scotia, 1533. [For a full copy of the title see p. 259 n. No place, date, or printer’s name is given on the title-page. This small 8vo consists of only 14 leaves. It begins: "Inclyto Regis Scotorum D. Iacobo Quinto Duci Albaniae, Principi Hiberniae & Orchadum Domino suo clementissimo Allexander Alesius S. D." At the end there is the date, "Anno. M.D.XXXIII." In Cooper’s ’Athenae Cantabrigienses’ (i. 239), 1542 and 1543 are given as the dates of other two editions.]

2. Responsio ad Cochlei Calumnias, 1533. [The full title is: "Alexandri Alesii Scotti Responsio ad Cochlei Calvmnias." No place, date, or printer’s name is given.]

3. Oratio de Gratitudine et Restituendis Scholis. Lipsiae (?), 1541. [In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses,’ the ’Oratio de Gratitudine’ and the ’De Restituendis Scholis’ are entered as separate works published in Leipsic in 1541. They may, however, have been also issued as one. In the ’Corpus Reformatorum,’ xi. 251-257, is printed the "Oratio de Gratitudine M. Alexandri Alesii Scoti, Decani, in promotione Magistrorum anno M.D.XXXIV." The full title of the other is: "De Restitvendis Scholis Oratio habita ab Alexdro (sic) Alesio, in celebri Academia Frācofordiana ad Oderam. An. M.D.XL. Mense Iunio. Francofordiae apud Ioannem Hanaw." The dedication ends: "Francofordiae ad Oderam calēdis Iunij. An. M.D.XL." There are only 19 leaves in this small tract.] 4. De Auctore et Utilitate Psalmorum. 1542.

5. De Auctoritate Verbi Dei contra Episcopum Lundensem. 1542. [See p. 264 n.]

6. Of the Auctorite of the Word of God agaynst the Bisshop of London. [For a full copy of the title, see p. 268 n. This small 8vo black-letter tract of 46 leaves bears no place, date, or printer’s name. In the British Museum Catal., Leipsic is given as the probable place of printing, and 1537 as the supposed date. Perhaps the date has been inferred from the opening sentence of the tract: "Abowt V yere agone I wrote to the noble king of Scottys the father of my contry complanning of a certen proclamacyon wherin the bisshops had forbidden the Holy Scripture to be redd in the mother tong." It is rather curious that in the Latin version this sentence runs thus; "Ante biennium scripsi inclyto regi Scotorum patri meae patriae, et questus sum de edicto quodam, quo episcopi prohibebant lectionem sacrorum librorum lingua patria."] 7. Cohortatio ad concordiam pietatis ac doctrinae Christianae defensionem. Lipsiae, 1544.

8. [De Argvmento Epistolae ad Romanos Dispvtatio prima, pvblice proposita in celebri Academia Lipsensi, et in ordinaria dispvtatione defensa, praesidente Alexandro Alesio, sacrae theologiae doctore. Lipsiae in officina Valenttini Papae. anno M.D.XLVII. This small 8vo tract of 8 leaves is printed in italics.]

9. Ordo Distributionis Sacramenti Altaris in Regno Angliae. 1548. [This is a translation of ’The Order of the Communion,’ which has been re-printed for the Parker Society in ’The Two Liturgies of Edward VI.’ In the British Museum Catal., it is mentioned that the translator’s address to the reader is signed: ’A. A. S. D. Th.’—i.e., "Alexander Alesius, Scotus, Doctor Theologiae." See also Coverdale’s Remains, Parker Society, p. 525 n.] 10. Epitome Catechismi D. P. Melanchthonis cui addita est expositio symboli et Orationis Dominicae. 1550.

11. Commentarius in Epistolam Primam Si Pauli ad Timotheum. Lipsiae, 1550.

12. Commentarius in Epistolam Secundam Si Pauli ad Timotheum. Lipsiae, 1551. [The exact title of this is: "In Alteram ad Timotheum Expositio. Avtore Alexandro Alesio. D. Lipsiae, excvdebat Georgivs Hantzsch anno M.D.LI."]

13. Ordinatio Ecclesiae in Regno Angliae. 1551. [This is a translation of the ’First Liturgy of Edward VI.’ As a translation it is somewhat adversely criticised in the ’Liturgical Services of Queen Elizabeth,’ Parker Society, pp. xxiv-xxvii. The full title is: "Ordinatio Ecclesiae, sev Ministerii Ecclesiastici, in Florentissimo Regno Angliae, conscripta sermone patrio, & in Latinam linguam bona fide conuersa, & ad consolationem ecclesiarum Christi, ubicunque locorum ac gentium, his tristissimis temporibus, edita, ab Alexandro Alesio Scoto sacrae theologiae doctore. Lipsiae in officina VVolfgangi Gvnteri. Anno M.D.LI." The copy of this 4to in the Edinburgh University Library belonged to Drummond of Hawthornden. In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses,’ 1619 and 1690 are given as the dates of two 8vo editions.]

14. Commentarius in Epistolam S. Pauli ad Titum. Lipsiae, 1552. [The full title of this is: "Epistolae ad Titvm Expositio, in qva pleraque tractantur per quaestiones, ut a pueris facilius percipi, & retineri possint. Nulla est autem sententia in tota Epistola praetermissa, quae non sit explicata: Et de Syntaxi, & Figura sermonis, ac genuina significatione dictionū passim disputatur. Praelecta Lipsiae, ab Alexandra Alesio. D. Lipsiae, in officina typographica Georgii Hantzsch. M.D.LII."]

15. Refutatio errorum Andreae Osiandri de Justificatione. Wittembergae, 1552. [The full title is: "Alexandri Alesii Doctoris Theologiae diligens refutatio errorum, quos sparsit nuper Andreas Osiander in libro, cui titulum fecit: De Vnico Mediatore Christo. Edita VVitebergae ex officina Ioannis Lufftij anno 1552." In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses’ it is stated that an edition was also printed at Leipsic in 1553.]

16. Commentarius in Evangelium Joannis. Lipsiae, 1552. Basilii, 1553. [The full title is: "Commentarivs in Euangelium Ioannis, praelectvs in celebri Academia Lipsensi, ab Alexandro Alesio D. Theologo, anno Domini 1552. Cum locuplete rerum & uerborum memorabilium indice. Basileae, per Ioannem Oporinum." The colophon is: "Basileae, ex officina Ioannis Oporini, anno salutis humanae M.D.LIII. Mense Martio." This volume contains over 600 pages.]

17. Disputatio in XIIII. cap. Rom. Disputt. et Orr. aliquot Francoforti habitae 1540 et 1541. [The full title is: "In Capvt XIIII. Epistolae Pavli ad Romanos, Dispvtatio Alexandri Alesii Theologiae D. Lipsiae, M.D.XLVI." This tract of 6 leaves, with the exception of the title-page and the heading, is printed in italics.]

18. Omnes Disputationes Alexandri Alesii in Epistolam Si Pauli ad Romanos. Lipsiae, 1553. [The full title is: "Omnes Dispvtationes D. Alexandri Alesii de tota Epistola ad Romanos diversis temporibvs propositae ab ipso in celebri Academia Lipsensi, et a mvltis doctis viris expetitae, iam tandem collectae per Georgivm Hantsch, et editae in gratiam stvdiosorvm. Cvm praefatione Philippi Melanchthonis. M.D.LIII." In the British Museum Catal. Wittenberg is entered as the supposed place of publication. In the sale catal. of the Makellar Library there is the item: "Alesius (Alex. Scotus) De Paulina Argumentatione, capiti secundo ad Romanos, Ideo inexcusabilis es, o Homo quis-quis es qui Judicus (sic), Disputatio Sexta, ... s. l. anno 1549." See also supra, Nos. 8 and 17.] 19. Primus Liber Psalmorum Davidis. Lipsiae, 1550, 1554.

20. Disputationes Tres De Mediatore et Justificatione hominis. Lipsiae, 1554.

21. Responsio ad Tapperum de Missa et Coena Domini. Lipsiae. [In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses,’ 1565 is given as the date of publication.]

22. Contra horrendas Serveti Blasphemias Disputationes Tres. Lipsiae, 1554. [These disputations were probably issued separately and were supplemented by a fourth. In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses’ there is the entry: "Contra Michaelem Servetum ejusque blasphemias disp. iii. Leipsic, 8vo. 1554"; and also this other: "Contra horrendas Serveti blasphemias disputatio quarta. Leipsic, 8^{vo.} 1555."] 23. Disputatio de Perpetuo Consensu Ecclesiae. Lipsiae, 1553(?), 1556.

24. Ad libellum Ludovici Nogarolae comitis De Traditionibus Apostolicis et earum necessitate Responsio Alexandri Alesii D. Lip. 1556. [For the rarity of this tract see supra, p. 255 n. In his Introduction to Gau, Dr Mitchell gives as the alternate title: "Apostolicae institutiones a Ludovico Nogarola Com. in parvum libellum collectae et ab Alexandro Alesio in Disputationem propositae in celebri Academia Lipsiensi. Lipsiae, Excudebat Georgius Hantzsch, 1556." 8vo.]

25. Responsio ad Duos et triginta Articulos Theologorum Lovaniensium. Lipsiae, 1559. [In the sale catalogue of the Makellar Library 1545 is given as the year of publication. In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses’ 1549 is given.]

26. Assertio Doctrinae Ecclesiae Catholicae de Sancta Trinitate, cum confutatione erroris Valentini Gentilis. 1564 (?). [British Museum Catalogue gives Geneva, 1567.]

27. Edinburgi Regiae Scotorum Urbis Descriptio. Bannatyne Club Miscellany, vol. i. [This description of Edinburgh was sent by Alesius to Sebastian Munster for his "Cosmography," printed at Basle in 1550, and republished in 1572. There are translations of it in Mackenzie’s Lives and Characters of Scots Writers, ii. 400, 401; and in Chambers’ Minor Antiquities of Edinburgh; and in Hume Brown’s Scotland before 1700.]

28. [Congratulatory letter to Queen Elizabeth, dated at Leipsic, 1st September 1559. The original holograph of twenty pages and a slip is still preserved. A translation of most of it is given in the Calendar of Foreign State Papers, Reign of Elizabeth, i. 524-534.]

[There are copies of Nos. 5, 12, 14, 15, 16 (1553), and 18 in St Andrews University Library; of No. 2 in the Church of Scotland Library, Edinburgh; of No. 16 (1553) in the Signet Library; of No. 8 in the Advocates’; of Nos. 2, 3 (De Restituendis Scholis), 5, 13, 16 (1553), and 17 in the Edinburgh University Library; and of Nos. 1, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16 (1553), 18, 19 (1554), 23 (1556), and 26 in the British Museum. Nos. 27 and 28 are in all important public libraries. At Laing’s sale, No. 1 brought L6, 5s.; No. 2, L17, 17s.; No. 5, L6; No. 6, L4; No. 13, L10; No. 15, L5, 17s. 6d.; No. 16, L5, 10s.; and No. 18 (with which was bound up "Sarcerius de Scholasticae Theologiae Vanitate"), L6. In the ’Athenae Cantabrigienses,’ the following six items, which are not in the above list, are mentioned: "Disputatio de Justitia Dei et Justitia hominis coram Deo. Leipsic, 1553." "De utriusque naturae officiis in Christo." "De distincta Christi hypostasi." "Preface to Gardiner upon obedience. Translated from English to Latin." "De Balaei Vocatione. Translated from English." "Ordinationes Anglorum Ecclesiae per Bucerum. Translated from English to Latin." In connection with the last, see ’Liturgical Services of Queen Elizabeth,’ Parker Society, p. xxv, n. 3.]