Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

A catalogue of Western manuscripts and papyri at Cambridge University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and selected Cambridge colleges

Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 30

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11853

Contents

Introduction: Probably copied in Italy in the 15th century, this copy of the Gospel of John was bound together towards the end of that century with a variety of other materials. These include a printed edition of the medical text De natura hominis by Hippocrates, translated in 1479-1480 by the Paduan humanist Andrea Brenta (c. 1454-c. 1485) and published in Rome around 1492, supplemented by related letters between Brenta and his correspondents. There is also a series of texts in Latin, including letters of the condottiere Alessandro Sforza (1409-1473), poems, medical and magical recipes and instructions for other chemical procedures such as making gunpowder, and a Latin translation of the pseudo-Aristotelian text the Secretum secretorum, in the 13th-century Latin translation of Philip of Tripoli. Dr Christopher Wright

Language(s): Greek, Latin and Italian

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Paper
Extent: Codex: iii + 3 + 109 + ii leaves. 205 × 141 mm.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers i-iii + iv-vi + 1-109 + vii-viii, in pencil, in Arabic and Roman numerals, recto, upper right.

Condition

There is some water staining, mould staining and areas of dirt.

Binding

Late 15th-century Italian full leather binding over wooden boards. Supported sewing with alum tawed skin supports. Traces of cord suggest that the book may have been resewn on cord and the previous supports kept on the spine. Both boards and the spine are decorated with blind tooling. Board attachment may be by laced-in slips. There are plain pastedowns and separate sewn endleaves of a later date. The metal catchplate of a fastening survives on the right boards, with a small remnant of the strap on the left board.

215 × 150 × 33 mm.

There is cracking to the leather covering of the spine.

Accompanying Material

On the left pastedown is a printed note reading ‘From the library of Charles Fairfax Murray’ and a printed and handwritten note of donation by Murray in 1905.

History

Origin: The various portions of the volume were probably bound together in the late 15th century in ; Italy, as suggested by the style of the binding. This must have occurred after about 1492, the date of publication of Brenta's translation of De natura hominis.

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by the painter and collector Charles Fairfax Murray (1848-1919) .

Given to the Fitzwilliam Museum by Charles Fairfax Murray in 1905.

Part 1 [Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Charles Fairfax Murray MS 30, ff. 1-10]

Contents

1. ff. 1r-10v
Language(s): Greek
Gospel of John

Excerpt: ends at Jn 5:6

Rubric: f. 1r Εὐαγγέλιον· κατὰ Ἰωάννην
Incipit: f. 1r Ἐν ἀρχὴ ἦν ὁ λόγος· καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν· καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος
Explicit: f. 10v τοῦτον ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς κατακείμενον· καὶ γνοὺς ὅτι πολὴν[sic] ἥδη χρόνον ἔχει· λέγει αὐτῶ

TLG 0031.004

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Unidentified motif ( c. 45 × 29 mm. ), in the gutter.

Collation

This part consists of a single folio, a quinion.

Layout

A single column of 25 lines. 143 × 85 mm.

Hand(s)

The text of ff. 1r-10v was copied by Hand A in mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in black ink, with modest variation in letter size.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear only at the end of lines. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is occasional decorative use of the double dot. Nomina sacra are accentuated only when more than three letters long.

The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon are present.

Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma, question mark and full stop.

Decoration

The text on f. 1r begins with a minor initial in bright red ink.

The beginning of the text on f. 1r is preceded by a vignette in red ink.

History

Origin: This portion of the manuscript was probably copied in the 15th century in ; Italy, as suggested by the style of script.

Part 2 [Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Charles Fairfax Murray MS 30, ff. 11-30]

Contents

2. ff. 11v-30v
Language(s): Latin
Hippocrates, De natura hominis De natura humana

Translated by Andrea Brenta (c. 1454-c. 1485) , printed edition (Rome c. 1492)

f. 11r is blank.

Part 3 [Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Charles Fairfax Murray MS 30, ff. 31-109]

Contents

3. ff. 31r-61v, line 19
Language(s): Latin
Letters

Mainly by Alessandro Sforza (1409-1473) and his correspondents

ff. 47v-48r are blank.

4. f. 61v, line 20-f. 70v
Language(s): Latin and Italian
Medical recipes and charms, and chemical formulae
5. ff. 71r-102r, line 18
Language(s): Latin
Secretum secretorum pseudo-Aristotle

Spuriously attributed to Aristotle; translated by Philip of Tripoli .

Rubric: f. 71r Incipit liber Aristothelis de regiem regum vel principum vel dominorum: vel secreta secretorum vel opuscula as Alexandrum discipulum suum
Incipit: f. 71r Domino suo excellentissimo intellectu religionis Christiane serenissimo Guidoni de Valentia civitatis Tripolis glorioso pontifici. Philippus suorum minimum clericorum se ipsum in fidele devotionis obsequium
Explicit: f. 102r faciebat ut dictum fuit de ipso superius
6. f. 103v
Language(s): Latin
Medical recipes
Rubric: f. 103v Ad malum tineae

Two remedies for worms.

7. f. 104r-109v
Language(s): Italian
Poems

Additional Information

Availability

Visitors to the Fitzwilliam Museum who wish to consult Collection material are required to apply to the Museum in advance of their visit. For information on eligibility and admission procedures see: Fitzwilliam Museum: Study Room.

Bibliography

    Greek manuscripts in Cambridge: recent acquisitions by college libraries, the Fitzwilliam Museum and private collectors. Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society, Easterling, Patricia E. (4, 179-191, 1966) A descriptive catalogue of the additional illuminated manuscripts in the Fitzwilliam Museum acquired between 1895 and 1979 (excluding the McClean Collection), Wormald, FrancisGiles, Phyllis M. (Cambridge, 1, Cambridge University Press, 1982)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library

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