Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Thomas Hibernicus
THOMAS Hibernicus or de Hibernia (fl. 1306–1316), known also as Palmeranus or Palmerston, theological writer, was born at Palmerstown, near Naas, in Kildare (Tanner, Bibl. Brit.), whence he is sometimes styled ‘Palmeranus.’ He studied at Paris, became a member of the Sorbonne, and took the degree of bachelor of theology about 1306. He was neither a Franciscan nor a Dominican, but has been called both. To the Sorbonne he bequeathed 16l., with copies of his own works and many other books. His name is mentioned seven times in the Sorbonne ‘Catalogue’ of 1338, and some of his books are now in the Bibliothèque Nationale. He was living in 1316. He wrote: 1. ‘Tabula originalium sive Manipulus Florum,’ extracts from more than thirty books of the fathers, arranged in alphabetical order, which he finished in 1306 (Bibl. Nat. Fonds Lat. MS. 16533). The work had been begun by John Walleys or Wallensis [q. v.], and is sometimes found divided into two parts, ‘Flores Biblici’ and ‘Flores Doctorum.’ It was a favourite work in the middle ages, and copies exist in many English, French, and Italian libraries. It was printed at Piacenza in 1483, and at Venice in 1492, and many times in the sixteenth century. 2. ‘Tractatus de tribus punctis Christianæ religionis,’ beginning ‘Incipit liber de regulis omnium Christianorum.’ In the Sorbonne MSS. 594 it is dated 1316. Another manuscript (Montfaucon, Bibliotheca, ii. 1260) calls the author Thomas Hibernicus, doctor. This work was printed at Lübeck in 1496 (Hain, Repertorium, iii. 5844). 3. ‘Commendatio theologica,’ beginning ‘Sapientia ædificavit sibi,’ in the Sorbonne MS. 594 and 1010. 4. ‘Tractatus de tribus hierarchiis tam angelicis quam ecclesiasticis,’ in the Sorbonne MS. 1010. 5. ‘De tribus sensibus sacræ scripturæ.’ 6. ‘In primam et secundam sententiarum,’ beginning ‘Circa primam distinctionem,’ a folio in the Sorbonne Library. Ware ascribed to him: 7. ‘De illusionibus dæmonum.’ 8. ‘De tentatione diaboli.’ 9. ‘De remediis vitiorum.’
Thomas de Hibernia (d. 1270), a learned Franciscan, must be distinguished from the subject of the preceding article. He went to Italy, and was taught by Peter de Hibernia [q. v.] (Wadding, Ann. Min. iv. 321). Thomas was a man of profound humility, and rather than become a priest he cut off his left thumb. He died in 1269–70, and was buried in the monastery of St. Bernard in Aquila. He wrote the ‘Promptuarium Morale,’ which Wadding printed, together with the Concordances of St. Anthony, at Rome in 1624.
[Wadding's Annales Minorum, iv. 302, 321; Sbaralea's Supplementum ad Scriptores a Waddingo descriptos, 1806, p. 679; Quétif and Echard's Scriptores Ordinis Predicatorum, i. 744; Tanner's Bibl. Brit.; Ware, De Scriptoribus Hiberniæ, i. 60; Delisle's Cabinet de MSS. ii. 176.]