Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

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

Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.9.9

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11936

Contents

Introduction: This manuscript contains the so-called Corpus Hermeticum and Plotinus' Enneads. The Corpus Hermeticum is a collection of philosophical-theological treatises comprising elements of magic and astrology, traditionally ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, identified with the Egyptian god Thoth. The Enneads are the collection of the works of the neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus, collected by his pupil Porphyry. The manuscript was copied in the 16th century, probably around the 1550s, as the watermarks suggest, by the prolific scribe Camillo Zanetti, his father Bartolomeo, and another contemporary scribe in Italy, where the Zanettis were active. Dr Erika Elia

Language(s): Greek

1. pp. 1-53
Hermes Trismegistos (attributed), Corpus Hermeticum, treatises 1-18

pp. 63-66 are blank

1.1. pp. 1-8
Treatise 1: Poimandres
Rubric: p. 1 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου Ποιμάνδρης
Incipit: p. 1 Ἐννοίας μοι ποτὲ γενομένης περὶ τῶν ὄντων
Explicit: p. 8 l. 13 καθὼς παρέδωκας αὐτῷ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν

TLG 1286.001

1.2. pp. 8-11
Treatise 2
Rubric: p. 8 l. 14 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου πρὸς Τὰτ λόγος καθολικός
Incipit: p. 8 Ἦ θεὸς τὸ θεῖον· λέγω νῦν οὐ τὸ γενητόν
Explicit: p. 11 προγνωσία τίς τῆς πάντων φύσεως

The text starts at A.D. Nock (ed.), Corpus Hermeticum, 1: Traités I-XII, Paris 1945, p. 33 l. 2 (see apparatus, on the incipit of this text see also p. xii)

TLG 1286.002

1.3. pp. 12-13
Treatise 3
Rubric: p. 12 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου λόγος ἱερός
Incipit: p. 12 Δόξα πάντων ὁ θεὸς καὶ θεῖον
Explicit: p. 13 l. 6 καὶ ἡ φύσις καθέστηκεν

TLG 1286.003

1.4. pp. 13-15
Treatise 4
Rubric: p. 13 l. 7 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν Τὰτ· λόγος ὁ κρατὴρ ἢ μονάς
Incipit: p. 13 Ἐπειδὴ τὸν πάντα κόσμον ἐποίησεν ὁ δημιουργός
Explicit: p. 15 ἡ μαγνῆτις λίθον τὸν σίδηρον

TLG 1286.004

1.5. pp. 16-19
Treatise 5
Rubric: p. 16 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν Τὰτ· ὅτι ἀφανὴς θεὸς, φανερώτατος[sic] ἐστιν
Incipit: p. 16 Καὶ τόνδε σοι τὸν λόγον ὦ Τάτ διεξελεύσομαι
Explicit: p. 19 l. 2 ψυχῆς δὲ νοῦς, νοῦ δὲ, ὁ θεός

TLG 1286.005

1.6. pp. 19-21
Treatise 6
Rubric: p. 19 l. 2 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου, ὅτι ἐν μόνῳ τῷ θεῷ τὸ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, ἀλλαχόθι δὲ, οὐδαμοῦ
Incipit: p. 19 Τὸ ἀγαθόν ὦ Ἀσκληπιέ, ἐν οὐδενί ἐστιν
Explicit: p. 21 l. 12 καὶ ζῆν τούτων χωρὶς οὐ δυνάμεθα

TLG 1286.006

1.7. pp. 21-22
Treatise 7
Rubric: p. 21 l. 13 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου ὅτι μέγιστον κακῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ[sic] ἀγνωσία
Incipit: p. 21 Ποῖ φέρεσθε ὦ ἄνθρωποι μεθύοντες
Explicit: p. 22 l. 9 περὶ ὧν βλέπειν σε δεῖ.

TLG 1286.007

1.8. pp. 22-23
Treatise 8
Rubric: p. 22 l. 10 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων ἀπόλλυται· ἀλλὰ τὰς μεταβολὰς ἀπωλείας καὶ θανάτους πλανώμενοι λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι
Incipit: p. 22 Περὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος
Explicit: p. 23 l. 24 καὶ σύστασις πάντων ὁ θεός.

TLG 1286.008

1.9. pp. 23-26
Treatise 9
Rubric: p. 23 l. 25 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου· περὶ κινήσεως καὶ αἰσθήσεως· καὶ ὅτι ἐν μόνον[sic] τῷ θεῷ τὸ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν· ἀλλαχόθι δὲ οὐδαμοῦ
Incipit: p. 23 Χθές ὦ Ἀσκληπιὲ, τὸν τέλειον ἀποδέδωκα λόγον
Explicit: p. 26 καὶ αἰσθήσεως λεγέσθω.

TLG 1286.009

1.10. pp. 27-33
Treatise 10
Rubric: p. 27 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου, Κλείς
Incipit: p. 27 Τὸν χθὲς λόγον ὦ Ἀσκληπιὲ, σοὶ ἀνέθηκα
Explicit: p. 33 ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἑνὸς τὰ πάντα.

TLG 1286.010

1.11. pp. 34-40
Treatise 11
Rubric: p. 34 Νοῦ[sic] πρὸς Ἑρμήν[sic]
Incipit: p. 34 Κατάσχες οὖν τοῦ λόγου ὦ Τρισμέγιστε Ἑρμῆ
Explicit: p. 40 l. 1 καὶ οὐ διαψευσθείσῃ[sic].

TLG 1286.011

1.12. pp. 40-45
Treatise 12
Rubric: p. 40 l. 2 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου περὶ νοῦ κοινοῦ πρὸς Τάτ
Incipit: p. 40 Ὁ νοῦς ὦ Τὰτ, ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ οὐσίας
Explicit: p. 45 l. 21 μὴ εἶναι κακόν.

TLG 1286.012

1.13. pp. 45-51
Treatise 13
Rubric: p. 45 l. 22 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Τὰτ, ἐν ὄρει λόγος ἀπόκρυφος περὶ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ σιγῆς ἐπαγγελίας.
Incipit: p. 45 Ἐν τοῖς Γενικοῖς
Explicit: p. 51 l. 6 καὶ τὸν πατέρα τὸν ἡμέτερον.

TLG 1286.013

1.14. pp. 51-53
Treatise 14
Rubric: p. 51 l. 7 Ἑρμοῦ τοῦ τρισμεγίστου, Ἀσκληπιῷ εὖ φρονεῖν.
Incipit: p. 51 Ἐπεὶ ὁ υἱός μου Τὰτ
Explicit: p. 53 l. 15 ἐν οἷς τὰ ὄντα ἐστίν.

TLG 1286.014

1.15. pp. 53-57
Treatises 16-17
Rubric: p. 53 l. 16 Ὅροι Ἀσκληπιοῦ πρὸς Ἄμμονα[sic] βασιλέα· περὶ θεοῦ· περὶ ὕλης· περὶ εἱμαρμένης· περὶ ἡλίου· περὶ νοητῆς οὐσίας· περὶ θείας οὐσίας· περὶ ἀνθρώπου· περὶ οἰκονομίας τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀστέρων· περὶ τοῦ κατ' εἰκόνα ἀνθρώπου
Incipit: p. 53 Μέγαν σοι λόγον ὦ βασιλεῦ διεπεμψάμην
Explicit: p. 57 l. 27 περὶ τῶν ἐξῆς θεολογήσομεν.

Tracts 16 and 17 are written one after another, as if one text; tract 17 starts on p. 57 l. 16 (on this arrangement of the treatises and on the nature of treatise 17 see A.D. Nock (ed.), Corpus Hermeticum, 1: Traités I-XII (Paris, 1945), p. 241

TLG 1286.016 + 1286.017

1.16. pp. 57-62
Treatise 18
Rubric: p. 57 l. 28 Περὶ τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους τοῦ σώματος ἐμποδιζομένης ψυχῆς
Incipit: p. 57 Τοῖς τῆς παμμούσου μελῳδίας τὴν ἁρμονίαν ἐπαγγελλομένοις
Explicit: p. 62 l. 15 καὶ ἄτρωτον προὐξένησε τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν.

TLG 1286.018

2. pp. 67-477
Plotinus, Enneades

TLG 2000.001

2.1. pp. 67-68
Table of contents
Rubric: p. 67 Πίναξ σὺν θεῷ τοῦ παρόντος βιβλίου
Incipit: p. 67 Πλωτίνου φιλοσόφου ἐννεάδος α΄ λόγοι οὗτοι
Explicit: p. 68 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ, περὶ τῆς πρώτης ἀρχῆς τῶν πάντων· ἤτοι περὶ τοῦ ἑνός.
2.2. pp. 69a-124
Ennead 1
Rubric: p. 69a Πλωτίνου φιλοσόφου ἐννεάδος α΄, λόγος α΄. Περὶ τοῦ τὶ τὸ ζῷον, καὶ τὶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος
Incipit: p. 69a Ἡδοναὶ καὶ λῦπαι φόβοι τε καὶ θάρρη
Explicit: p. 124 εἰς τὸ προκόπτειν οὔσης ἐπιδόσεως, οὐκ ἐξακτέον.
2.3. pp. 125-196
Ennead 2
Rubric: p. 125 Πλωτίνου φιλοσόφου ἐννεάδος β΄ λόγος α΄· περὶ οὐρανοῦ
Incipit: p. 125 Τὸν κόσμον ἀεὶ λέγοντες
Explicit: p. 196 l. 9 τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἔξωθεν οὖσαν.
2.4. pp. 196-286
Ennead 3
Rubric: p. 196 l. 10 Πλωτίνου φιλοσόφου ἐννεάς τρίτη
Incipit: p. 196 Πλωτίνου ἐννεάδος γ΄ λόγος α΄ περὶ εἱμαρμένης. Ἅπαντα τὰ γινόμενα καὶ τὰ ὄντα
Explicit: p. 286 l. 7 χρόνος ἔσται, κινήσεως δὲ οὔσης||

The text of the 3rd Ennead ends imperfectly in chapter 7 (P. Henry, H.-R. Schwyzer, Plotini opera, 1, Leiden 1951, p. 385 l. 72)

2.5. pp. 286-290
Ennead 4, chapter 2
Rubric: p. 286 l. 8 Πλωτίνου περὶ οὐσίας ψυχῆς, ἐννεάδος δ΄· ὃς πρὸ πάντων τῶν περὶ ψυχῆς λόγων ὀφείλει ἀναγινώσκεσθαι
Incipit: p. 286 Τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς οὐσίαν
Explicit: p. 290 l. 3 τὸ δ’ ὑπέρτατόν, ἓν μόνον.

The text of the 4th Ennead is limited to chapter 2 (P. Henry, H.-R. Schwyzer, Plotini opera, 2, Leiden 1959, pp. 3-9)

2.5. pp. 290-313
Ennead 5, chapters 8-9
Rubric: p. 290 l. 4 Πλωτίνου ἐννεάδος ε΄· περὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ κάλλους
Incipit: p. 290 Ἐπειδή φαμεν τὸν ἐν θέᾳ τοῦ νοητοῦ κόσμου γεγενημένον
Explicit: p. 313 l. 19 ἵνα καὶ γένηται, αὐτοψυχὴν ἐκείνην λέγειν

The text of the 5th Ennead is limited to chapters 8-9 (P. Henry, H.-R. Schwyzer, Plotini opera, 2, Leiden 1959, pp. 374-427), which are written without interruption: chapter 9 starts on p. 304 l. 5, inc. πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενόμενοι

2.6. pp. 313-452
Ennead 6, chapters 4-9
Rubric: p. 313 l. 20 Πλωτίνου ἐννεάδος ϛ΄ λόγος ε΄[sic]· περὶ τοῦ τὸ ὂν ἓν καὶ ταυτὸν ὂν ἅμα πανταχοῦ εἶναι ὅλον
Incipit: p. 313 Ἆρά γε ἡ ψυχὴ πανταχοῦ
Explicit: p. 452 l. 12 φυγὴ μόνου πρὸς μόνον

The text of the 6th Ennead is limited to chapters 4 (indicated as the 5th in the manuscript)-9 (P. Henry, H.-R. Schwyzer, Plotini opera, 3, Leiden 1973, pp. 135-328); chapters 4-5 are written one after another, without interruption: chapter 5 starts on p. 332 l. 25, inc. τὸ ἕν (after that, there is a lacuna until προϊὸν μὲν ἐπὶ θάτερα, ἐφ’ ὅσον, Henry-Schwyzer (1973), pp. 160 l. 1-14); chapters 7-8 are written without interruption

3. pp. 452-469
Excerpts from Ennead 4, chapter 30 (Villoison, Plotini Dissertatio Prima)
Rubric: p. 452 l. 13 Πλωτίνου περὶ τοῦ πῶς δρᾷ ἡ οὐρανία διάθεσις εἰς τὸν περίγειον κόσμον
Incipit: p. 452 Ἐπειδὴ πεπίστευται, ὡς διὰ τῶν ἄστρων πολλὰ τελεῖται
Explicit: p. 469 οὗ δὲ μὴ νοσήσαντι[sic] θεμένου.

Ed. A. de Villoison, Anecdota graeca (Venetiis, 1781), 2, pp. 227-237

4. pp. 470-477
Excerpts from Ennead 3, chapters 8-9 (Villoison, Plotini Dissertatio Secunda)
Rubric: p. 470 Πλωτίνου περὶ τῆς αϛ ἀρχῆς τῶν πάντων ἤτοι περὶ τοῦ ἑνός
Incipit: p. 470 Ἐπειδήπερ δεῖ εἶναι τὸ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ νοῦς
Explicit: p. 477 κρεῖττον γὰρ τὸ ποιοῦν τοῦ ποιουμένου. Τελειώτερον[sic] γάρ.

Ed. A. de Villoison, Anecdota graeca (Venetiis, 1781), 2, pp. 237-241

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: f. [ii] Western paper. Watermarks: Gothic letter P surmounted by a quatrefoil ( 63 × 20 mm. ) comparable (although with differences) to Piccard online Buchstabe P DE4500-PO-110862 , which is dated to 1537. pp. 1-478, ff. [iii]-[iv] Western paper, folded in folio. Watermarks: pp. 1-294, 295-296/309-310 Anchor in a circle surmounted by a five-point star, countermark ‘ TC’ with a clover ( 68 × 43 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, identical with Sosower Ancre 96 , which is dated to ca. 1550-1552. pp. 297-308, 311-326 Justice with countermark ‘ BS’ with a clover ( 117 × 55 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, identical with Sosower Justice 2 , which is dated to 1556 (Rome). pp. 327-358 Letters ‘ P3’ with a clover ( 30 × 24 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, identical with Sosower Lettres assemblées 35 , which is dated to ca. 1549-1553. pp. 359-478, ff. [iii]-[iv] Anchor in a circle surmounted by a five-point star, countermark ‘ BE’ ( 64 × 42 mm. ), in the centre of the leaf, identical with Sosower Ancre 49 , which is dated to ca. 1553.
Extent: Codex: i + 1 + 246 + i leaves. 340 × 235 mm.
Foliation:

Modern pencil pagination, in Arabic numerals, in the upper margin right, from 1 to 477. Numbers are present only on the recto of the leaves, with some cases of - mistakenly - foliated leaves, which resulted in the presence of pages indicated by a number and the letters a/b. Two leaves at the beginning and three at the end of the manuscript are unnumbered (ff. [i]-[ii], [iii]-[v]): ff. [i]-[ii] + pp. 1-68, 69a, 69b, 70a, 70b, 71-116, 117a, 117b, 118a, 118b, 119-138, 139a, 139b, 140a, 140b, 141-154, 155a, 155b, 156a, 156b, 157-160, 161a, 161b, 162a, 162b, 163-478 + ff. [iii]-[v].

Collation

The manuscript consists of quaternions, except for the last quire, which is a ternion.

  • 1 later endleaf f. [i]
  • 1 endleaf f. [ii]
  • Quires 1-308 pp. 1-470
  • Quire 316 pp. 471-478, ff. [iii]-[iv]
  • 1 later endleaf f. [v]

Vertical catchwords by the scribes, written from top down, in the lower margin of the last leaf of each quire, near the gutter. They are not present in the leaves where the text has been written by hand B ( pp. 314-375).

Condition

The manuscript is in good condition. There are passim some stains (see p. 65).

Layout

A single column of 30 lines. 220 × 125 mm.

Hand(s)

pp. 1-62, 67-314 l. 12 Hand A: Camillo Zanetti (16th c., first half-after 1587) ( RGK I, 212; on him also RGK II 299; RGK III, 351).

The text is written in brown ink; titles and initials in red.

pp. 314 l. 13-375 Hand B: another scribe took over from Camillo Zanetti on p. 314, in a minuscule script datable in the 16th c., slightly slanting to the right, regular in size, characterised by a tendency to use squared forms and to emphasize the oblique strokes.

The text is written in brown ink; titles and initials in red.

pp. 376-477 Hand C: Bartolomeo Zanetti (1486/1487-1547 at least) ( RGK I, 31; on him also RGK II 43; RGK III, 56).

The text is written in brown ink; titles and initials in red.

Decoration

Various small friezes in red ink, characteristics of the production of Camillo Zanetti:

  • an undulated linear frieze with clovers at both ends on p. 1
  • an undulated linear frieze with a clover and a leaf at the ends pp. 53, 67-69a, 125, 286, 290.

Initials in ekthesis in red ink are decorated with a simple vegetal motif, see e.g. p. 1.

Additions

On the left pastedown is glued a label with the shelfmark.

On f. [ii] recto there is an indication about the contents in the upper part of the leaf, ‘ In hoc volumine continentur | Hermes Trismegistus | Plotini Enneades’. Below, by another hand, in black ink, is written a table of contents of the books of the Enneades as contained in the manuscript, with references to a printed edition.

In the upper margin of p. 1 is written the shelfmark ‘ B.9.9’.

Binding

16th/17th century western full leather binding, pasteboards. Golden tooling on both covers: arms of Silvius Elwes (see History) in an oval, with particulars painted in red, and initials ‘S. E.’ On spine, gold tooling on a red square with title ‘Hermes | Trismegistius[sic] | et Plotini | Enneades’ and three paper labels with the shelfmark. The edges are coloured in blue/green. 345 × 250 × 68 mm.

History

Origin:

As the watermarks and the scripts indicate, the manuscript was copied around the 1550s-1560s by the scribe Camillo Zanetti, his father Bartolomeo, and another contemporary scribe, in Italy.

Provenance and Acquisition

The manuscript was owned by Silvius Elwes (c. 1576-1638) , Chaplain of Trinity College.

It was donated by Elwes to Trinity College Library between 1626 and 1630 (see P. Gaskell, Trinity College Library: the first 150 years (Cambridge, 1980), p. 234). On the right margin, lower part, of p. 1 is pasted the Trinity College bookplate. On pp. 1, 62, 67 and 477 there are stamps of Trinity College Library.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description (2020) draws partly on M.R. James, The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College Cambridge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1900), vol. 1, p. 147.

Availability

Visitors to Trinity 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: Trinity College: Information for Readers.

Bibliography

    The western manuscripts in the library of Trinity College: a descriptive catalogue, James, M.R (Cambridge, 1, Cambridge University Press, 1900) Corpus hermeticum, Tome I: Traités I-XII, (Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 1945) Repertorium der griechischen Kopisten, 800-1600. I. Grossbritannien Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Byzantinistik, Gamillscheg, ErnstHarlfinger, Dieter (Wien, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1981) Signa officinarum chartariarum in codicibus graecis saeculo sexto decimo fabricatis in bibliothecis hispaniae, Sosower, Mark L. (Amsterdam, Adolf M. Hakkert, 2004)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

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Cambridge Digital Library

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