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 O.1.8

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11954

Contents

Introduction: This manuscript, copied in the early 16th century, contains a Miscellany of Greek texts, largely comprising ancient works and excerpts. These include a selection of Aesop's fables, a large collection of sayings of pagan and Christian authors, the letters of the 2nd-3rd-century CE sophist Flavius Philostratus, a poem by the 2nd-century CE poet Moschus of Syracuse, accompanied by a Latin translation by the Italian humanist Angelo Poliziano (1454-1491), and a poem by the 12th-century Byzantine author Michael Haplucheir. This text, concerning the conventional theme of the woes of the impoverished scholar, is structured in the form of a drama, which is unusual for this period. A later owner, probably in the 17th century, has written a list of books on two blank folios. The predominantly erotic character of the letters of Philostratus provides a thematic link with the poem by Moschus, but there is otherwise no clear uniting theme. Rather than being an original compilation, the manuscript appears to be derived directly from a previously existing miscellany, as indicated by the similarity of its content with a 15th-century manuscript, which appears to share a common source (Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Pal. gr. 122). Dr Christopher Wright

Language(s): Greek and Latin

1. ff. b recto-h verso, pp. 1-27
Aesop, Fabulae
Language(s): Greek
Filiation: Mercati and Leone suggest that this copy is derived from the same source as Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Pal. gr. 122, on the basis of the similarity of their content and Leone's collation of the text of Michael Haplucheir

Fables 9 (ff. b recto-c recto), 10 (f. c recto-c verso), 23 (ff. c verso-d recto), 27 (f. d recto-d verso), 29 (ff. d verso-e recto), 33 (f. e recto-e verso), 36 (ff. e verso-f verso), 18 (ff. f verso-g recto), 286 (f. g recto-h recto), 35 (f. h recto-h verso), 12 (p. 1), 50 (pp. 1-3), 52 (pp. 3-4), 53 (pp. 4-5), 58 (p. 6), 64 (pp. 6-7), 66 (pp. 7-9), 67 (pp. 9-10), 239 (pp. 10-11), 326 (p. 12), 115 (pp. 13-14), 117 (pp. 14-15), 120 (pp. 15-16), 134 (p. 16), 170 (pp. 16-17), 180 (pp. 17-18), 198 (pp. 18-20), 207 (pp. 20-21), 188 (pp. 21-22), 216 (pp. 22-23), 223 (pp. 23-25), 279 (pp. 25-27).

Incipit: f. a recto Αλώπηξ[sic] καὶ τράγος διψῶντες εἰς φρέαρ κατέβησαν
Explicit: p. 27 ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται τὸ μελλον[sic] ἐκφυγεῖν

TLG 0096.002

f. a recto-a verso is blank apart from later notes

2. pp. 28-29
Moschus Syracusanus, Eros drapeta
Language(s): Greek
Rubric: p. 28 Μόσχου. Ἔρος δραπέτης
Incipit: p. 28 αʹ Κύπρις τὸν Ἔρωτα τὸν υἱέα μακρὸν ἐβώστρει
Explicit: p. 29 τὰ γὰρ πυρὶ πάντα βεβάπται

TLG 0035.001

3. pp. 30-31
Moschus Syracusanus, Eros drapeta
Language(s): Latin

Translated by Angelo Poliziano (1454-1491)

Rubric: p. 30 Amor fugitivus e greco Moschi
Incipit: p. 30 Cum Venus intento natum clamore vocabat
Explicit: p. 31 Omnia quippe igni sunt infecta illius arma
Final rubric: p. 31 Τέλος τοῦ Ἔρωτος δραπέτου Μόσχου διὰ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου Πολλικιανοῦ εἰς Λατινικὸν τετραμμένου

p. 32 is blank

4. pp. 33-91
Flavius Philostratus, Epistulae et dialexeis
Language(s): Greek
Filiation: Mercati and Leone suggest that this copy is derived from the same source as Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Pal. gr. 122, on the basis of the similarity of their content and Leone's collation of the text of Michael Haplucheir
Rubric: p. 33 Φιλοστράτου Αθηναίου[sic] επιστολαὶ[sic] τῶ μειρακίω
Incipit: p. 33 Τὰ ῥόδα ὥσπερ πτέρους[sic] τοῖς φύλλοις ἐπιχούμενα ἐλθεῖν
Explicit: p. 91 μηκέτι πνέοντα ῥόδον μόνον. ἀλλὰ καὶ σοῦ

TLG 0638.006

p. 92 is blank

5. pp. 93-103
Michael Haplucheir, Dramation
Language(s): Greek
Filiation: Leone (pp. 263-265) identifies this copy as derived from the same source as Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Pal. gr. 122
Rubric: p. 93 Στιχοι[sic] τοῦ Γλόχειρος[sic] Μαχαήλου
Incipit: p. 93 Χαίρε τύχη πότνια τρισολβία, τοίαν δὲ σὲ ξύμμαχον ἐννοεῖν θέλω
Explicit: p. 103 Δέδοικα μήπως εἰς ἐναντίον πέσω

Ed. M. Treu, "Ἁπλουχείρος Μιχαήλος δραμάτιον", Gymnasialprogramm Waldenburg 1874, pp. 1-6

6. pp. 104-105
Lists of books
Language(s): Latin
Rubric: p. 104 Librorum Catologus[sic]
Incipit: p. 104 Harmonia evangelistarum Osiandri cum eiusdem Osiandri in eadem annotationibus
Explicit: p. 105 Aristoteles Organon graecum

p. 106 is blank

7. pp. 107-200
Apophthegmata philosophorum
Language(s): Greek

Brief excerpts, in alphabetical order by author's name, from Antisthenes, Aristides, Aristonymus, Chrysostom, Aristippus, Alexander, Apollonius, Aristotle, Antigonus, Antiphanes, Aristarchus, Anaxagoras, Aeschylus, Anacharsis, Amphides, Antagoras, Aesop, Anexamenius, Aeschines, Apelles, Amasis, Dion, Basil, Bias, Babylas, Barnabas, Benedict, Bezaleel, Gregory, Gerontius, Gelasius, GIycon, Diagoras, Diogenes, Demosthenes, Demonax, Dion, Democritus, Demetrius, Didymus, Demades, Eupolis, Eucritus, Euripides, Epicurus, Empedocles, Epictetus, Euclid and Theocritus

Defective at the end

Incipit: p. 107 Αντισθενης τοῖς μέλλουσι σώζεσθαι ἔφη. φίλων δεῖ γνησίων
Explicit: p. 200 οἰκίας λιθίνας ἔχοντας||

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. a-h, pp. 1-32 Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Circle ( c. 30 × 21 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 2972. This example is dated to 1510. pp. 33-199 Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Coat of arms (three fleur-de-lys) ( c. 50 × 25 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 1677. This example is dated to 1511-1518.
Extent: Codex: i + 108 + i leaves. 205 × 140 mm.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated and paginated with the numbers [i] + a-h, 1-200 + [ii]; ff. a-h are foliated in Latin letters, in pencil, recto, upper right; pp. 1-200 are paginated in Arabic numerals, in black ink, recto, upper right and verso, lower left.

Collation

The manuscript consists of 14 quires, of which one is a binion and the rest are quaternia.

  • Quires 1-78 ff. a-h, pp. 1-96
  • Quire 84 pp. 97-104
  • Quires 9-148 pp. 105-200

There are quire signatures in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right. They survive on Quires 3-8, 10-13.

Condition

In good condition. Mild damp or water staining along the upper edge and fore-edge of the leaves; little or no staining along the lower edge of the leaves until p. 87, but becoming increasingly pronounced thereafter and up to p. 102. In some places the staining extends into the text block, but has not caused the ink to run or affected the legibility of the writing: see pp. 69-103. Small repairs to the corners or edges of some leaves (f. a, pp. 19-20, 103-108, 137-138. The outer sides of the first and last leaves of several quires are noticeably grimy in comparison to the leaves within the quire, suggesting that they remained unbound for some period.

Layout

ff. b recto-h verso, 1-27, pp. 33-200 A single column of 11-13 lines, ruled in hardpoint. 140-150 × 95-105 mm.

pp. 28-29 A single column of 14-16 lines, ruled in hardpoint. 140-150 × 90-110 mm.

pp. 30-31 A single column of 17-19 lines, ruled in hardpoint. 150-165 × 80-105 mm.

pp. 104-105 Ruling of the surrounding leaves adapted for different use by the ruling in hardpoint of two further vertical bounding lines down the middle of the page, forming thereby two columns with a central margin. 43-48 lines. 205 × 130 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. a recto-h verso and pp. 1-27, 33-91, 93-103, 107-200 were copied by Hand A in mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in black ink, with moderate variation in letter size and some flourishing of tails into the margin. There are deletions by expunctuation.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is adscript or absent. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters and abbreviations.

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

Headings are in the same style in red ink.

pp. 28-31 were copied by Hand B in Greek on pp. 28-29 and Latin on pp. 30-31, the Greek in mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in black ink, with moderate variation in letter size.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is adscript. There is decorative use of the double dot.

The modern nu and sigma telikon are present.

Punctuation used includes the lower and middle points and lower comma.

pp. 104-105 were copied by Hand C in Latin.

Decoration

Initials drawn in outline in red ink: three-line initial at the beginning of the text, one- or two-line initials thereafter (ff. a-h, pp. 1-27.

Initials drawn in and filled with red ink, in same style, either one- or two-lines in size (pp. 33-200), with a single two-line initial drawn in outline only (p. 107).

Additions

The former classmark O.14.40 has been written on the left pastedown and cancelled; the present classmark was also written here. The present classmark and the former classmarks C.40 and No. 71 were written by a single hand on f. a recto, along with the number 25.

List of contents in Latin added by an 18th-/19th-century hand (f. a verso).

A note by the hand of Peter Paul Dobree (1782-1825) , fellow of Trinity College 1806-1825, listing the reference numbers assigned to Aesop's fables in the printed edition of John Hudson, Mython Aisopeion Synagoge Fabularum Æsopicarum collectio, quotquot Græce reperiuntur. Accedit interpretatio Latina (Oxoniæ: E Typographeo Clarendoniano, 1718), in the order in which they appear in this volume.. The tales themselves have been numbered sequentially and the numbers do not correspond with those written by Dobree (f. a verso) .

Binding

18th-century full leather binding over couched-laminate boards, with plain pastedowns. There is decorative blind tooling and a Cambridge panel on both boards. The classmark appears on patches on the spine.

211 × 150 × 19 mm.

Accompanying Material

The left and right pastedowns are made from printed book waste from the title-page of John Quick, Synodicon in Gallia reformata, or, The acts, decisions, decrees, and canons of those famous national councils of the Reformed churches in France (London: Printed for T. Parkhurst and J. Robinson, 1692), 2 vols.

History

Origin: The manuscript was probably written in the first quarter of the 16th century, as indicated by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.

Provenance and Acquisition

Donated by the antiquary Roger Gale (1672-1744) , in 1738.

Additional Information

Record Sources

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, 3, Cambridge University Press, 1902) Giovanni Tzetzes e Michele Haplucheir Byzantion, Mercati, Silvio G. (18, 197-206, 1946) Michaelis Hapluchiris uersus cum excerptis Byzantion, Leone, Pietro Luigi (39, 251-83, 1969) Philostrateia: ereunes stē cheirographē paradosē tōn Philostrateiōn Epistolōn Philostratea, Raios, Dēmētrēs K. (Iōannina, Panepistēmio Ioanninōn, 1992) Aesopi fabulae Hermolao Barbaro seniore interprete, Cocco, Cristina (Florence, SISMEL edizioni del Galluzzo, 2007) Filologia e società nella carriera di un maestro greco fra Quattro e Cinquecento: Giorgio Ermonimo di Sparta Filologia e società. Episodi e contesti lungo la storia Ambrosiana Graecolatina, Martinelli Tempesta, Stefano (Milan, 177-282, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, 2020)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library

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