Cambridge, St John's College, MS F.15
Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11898
Contents
Language(s): Greek
TLG 4036.001
TLG 4036.001
ff. 6v-8r blank
ff. 82v-[102v] blank
Physical Description
[i-v] + 1-82 + [83-103].
Early modern foliation in brown ink in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right corner (in use in this description), in all likelihood by the same hand of ff. [ii] recto - [iii] recto.
A modern foliation in pencil in Arabic numerals is present on the first recto of quires 2-4, from f. 1r (foliated as 5) to f. 17r (foliated as 21), and on ff. 34r (foliated as 38) and 82r (as 86).
Collation
- Quire 16 left cover, inner and ff. [i-v]
- Quires 2-118 ff. 1r-80v
- Quire 124 ff. 81r-[84]v
- Quires 13-148 ff. [85]r-[100]v
- Quire 154 ff. [101]r-[103]v and right cover, inner
Condition
In good condition. A stain on f. 22r and wormholes are present.
Layout
ff. 1r-82r: written space 205-210 × 120 mm. 40-46 lines per page
Hand(s)
The manuscript is written in a mixed minuscule vertical or slightly slanted to the right, with modest variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear within the lines, mute iota is present but without consistency. Breathings are courved and joined to accents.
The handwriting is characterized by the gamma inclined almost horizontally.
The scribe changes ink three times (ff. 1r-42r, 42v-55v, 56r-82r) and the handwriting is more spacious in the final leaves of the text (ff. 80r-82r).
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper point, lower comma and full stop.
Additions
On pastedown: classmark and initials of donor: Tho. C. S.; f. [i] recto: title Proclus graece in platonem de repubblicam, price (40s) and μηδὲν ἄνευ Θεοῦ; f. [103]v: scribbles and possession note (?): ‘Ἰωάννης Τασιερίηρος τοῦτον τὸν βιβλιων ... τῶ μὲν αυτῶ καὶ τωσαυτῶ και καλα’
Binding
Binding alla greca with full brown tanned skin covering over wooden boards; the wood is partially exposed on board corners. The same decorative pattern, a series of concentric rectangles, is embossed on the front and back cover: a rectangular frame enclosing a floral motifs and vases surmounted by three human heads, a smaller rectangle containing a lozenge pattern, a second smaller rectangle with the same motifs as the bigger one, and a plain rectangle with four hedera leaves. The spine is engraved with flowers in a lozenge pattern.
The head-, tail- and fore-edge of the boards are grooved. There are two sets of three holes on the front board, along with two corresponding holes on the fore-edge of the backboard for a fastening. A fragment of a strap with the classmark ("15") is preserved on the fore-edge of front board. Both pastedown are made of leaves of the first and the last quires, sewn through a little parchment stub to the board.
294 × 207 × 46 mm.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
The manuscript was owned by Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (1573-1624) , who probably purchased the manuscript from William Crashaw (1572-1626) . The Earl of Southampton promised in 1615 to donate a large portion of his manuscript collection to St John's College (cf. James 1913, p. vi-viii).
The manuscript was eventually received in 1635, after the Old Library was built in 1624, from Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton (1607-1667) , son of the former owner.
Additional Information
Record Sources
Availability
Visitors to St John's College who wish to consult Special Collections material are required to apply to the Library in advance of their visit. For information on eligibility and admission procedures see: St John's College: Old Library and Special Collections.
Bibliography
-
A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts in the library of St. John's
College, Cambridge, James, M. R. (Cambridge, University Press, 1913)
Funding of Cataloguing
The Polonsky Foundation
Digital Images
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
