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.2.12

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 11971

Contents

Introduction: This manuscript is a composite made up of small parts copied at a variety of dates from the 13th to the 16th centuries. It contains a variety of Greek grammatical, rhetorical and philosophical texts. The oldest part, copied in the late 13th or early 14th century, contains three orations by the 4th-century rhetorician Libanios. The date and the use of eastern paper indicate that it was produced in the Greek-speaking world. Another portion, from the mid-15th century, contains another oration of Libanios and a short lexical text. A third part contains a fragment of a text by Andromachos of Crete, physician to the Emperor Nero (37-68 CE). This was copied by the Italian scribe Bartolomeo Zanetti, a native of Brescia who worked in Venice, Florence and Rome, in the first half of the 16th century. The longest part, also from the 16th century and probably also produced in Italy, contains a series of brief texts and excerpts, some anonymous, others from the works of the 1st century BCE historian and teacher of rhetoric Dionysios of Halikarnassos and the 4th century CE philosopher Maximos Byzantios. The manuscript, or at least the older parts of it, was owned by the Venetian humanist Cardinal Domenico Grimani (1460-1523). It later came into the hands of the scholar Isaac Casaubon (1559-1614), and then those of Thomas Gale (c. 1635-1702), whose son Roger Gale (1672-1744) donated it to Trinity College along with the rest of his collection. A previous binding for the manuscript reused a fragment of a 16th-century French document as a wrapper. Dr Christopher Wright

Language(s): Greek and Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Extent: Codex: iii + 2 + 52 + iii leaves.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [a-c] + I-II + 1-52 + [d-f], in pencil, in Roman numerals, recto, upper right, and Arabic numerals, recto, in the lower half of the right-hand margin.
Foliation: ff. 1-14 have an older foliation in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right. Some numbers have been corrected. On ff. 15-17 a new foliation sequence in this position runs 3-5; ff. 18-20 are unfoliated in this position. Another new sequence in this position appears on ff. 21-52, running 1-32.

Binding

20th-century binding with marbled paper covering over pasteboards, with a white parchment spine and plain pastedowns. The classmark appears on the spine on patches.

236 × 186 × 25 mm.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by Cardinal Domenico Grimani (1460-1523) .

Owned by the classical scholar Isaac Casaubon (1559-1614) .

Owned by the antiquary Thomas Gale (c. 1635-1702) , Fellow of Trinity and Dean of York. It appears in the 1697 catalogue of Gale's collection contained in Trinity College MS O.5.38 (p. 165).

Donated to Trinity College by Thomas's son, the antiquary Roger Gale (1672-1744) , in 1738.

Part 1 [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.2.12, ff. i-ii]

Contents

1. ff. i verso-ii recto
Fragment of a deed
Language(s): French

Signed ‘Mellas’ and ‘P. Douffe’ (?), with what appear to be notarial signs.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment
Extent: 220 × 165 mm.

Condition

The inner sides of the two parchment leaves are grimy around all four edges, suggesting that these may have been formed the outer side of the binding, before they were separated from the rest of the contents and rebound as endleaves at the front of the manuscript. The two upper corners are heavily creased.

Layout

A single column of text, more than 16 lines (rest lost due to reuse and trimming), unruled.

Hand(s)

ff. i verso-ii recto were written in a French secretary script.

Additions

A Greek note has been addded on f. ii recto.

Binding

Multiple pricking holes along the gutter of this bifolium indicates that it was used as a wrapper for some or all of the contents of this composite manuscript. It likely remained in place as the wrapper at least until the manuscript came to Trinity College: f. II verso bears a rectangular stain corresponding to the size and shape of the college bookplate.

History

Origin: This document was probably written in the 16th century in ; France.

Part 2 [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.2.12, ff. 1-6]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

2. f. 1r-1v, line 13
Libanios, Orationes 1-64

Oration 14 (Pro Aristophane)

Defective at the beginning: begins ed. Foerster section 61

Incipit: || f. 1r οὐδὲ συνετάραξε Διὸς γαμηλίου θεσμὸν· οὐδ’ ἐξ ὧν ἄλλους ἠδίκει τὰς ἡδονὰς ἐπλήρωσεν
Explicit: f. 1v σκόπει δὲ αὐτὸς εἰ μηδέν σοι βλάβος τὸ δοκεῖν οὐκ εὖ φρονεῖν, ὃν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιῇ

TLG 2200.004

3. f. 1v, line 13-f. 5v, line 7
Libanios, Orationes 1-64

Oration 19 (Ad Theodosium imperatorem de seditione Antiochena)

Rubric: f. 1v Πρὸς Θεοδόσιον βασίλεα περὶ τῆς στάσεως
Incipit: f. 1v Ἠτύχηκε ἡμῖν ἡ πόλις ὦ βασιλεῦ· τοιούτων ἐν αὐτῆ πρὸς τὸν ἐραστὴν τὸν ἑαυτῆς γεγενημένων
Explicit: f. 5v χρηστὴν ἀγγελίαν φέροντα τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ πολίταις ἀπόπεμψον

TLG 2200.004

4. f. 5v, line 8-f. 6v
Libanios, Orationes 1-64

Oration 20 (Ad Theodosium post reconciliationem)

Defective at the end: ends ed. Foerster, section 18

Rubric: f. 5v Πρὸς Θεοδόσιον ἐπὶ ταῖς διαλλαγαῖς
Incipit: f. 5v Ὃ μὲν πολλάκις προεῖπον ὡς οὔτ’ἔσται τῆ πόλει δεινὸν οὐδὲν ἕτερον
Explicit: f. 6v ὁ δὲ τὸν ἐγγυτέρω διακρούσμενος θάνατον ἤγετο στένων

TLG 2200.004

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 1-6 Eastern paper
Extent: 220-230 × 165-175 mm.

Collation

A ternion:

  • Quire 16 ff. 1-6

Condition

The leaves have been badly damaged along all four edges, and the paper stabilised and repaired extensively with Japanese tissue paper.

Layout

ff. 1r-6v A single column of 31 lines. 205 × 135 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-6v were copied by Hand B in Fettaugen-style mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, with significant variation in letter size, in black ink.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra . Accents are sometimes joined to letters, breathings and abbreviations.

The modern nu and sigma telikon are present.

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

Decoration

Texts begin with simple minor initials in red ink.

Transitions between texts are marked by line-fillers in red ink.

History

Origin: This part was probably copied in the second half of the 13th or 14th century, as suggested by the style of script and use of eastern paper.

Part 3 [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.2.12, ff. 7-12]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

5. ff. 7r-11v
Lexicon

Excerpt: begins with gamma, ends with epsilon

Incipit: || f. 7r Γάμα τὸ στοιχεῖον πόθεν γίνεται· παρὰ τὸ ἀμᾶν τὴν γὴν
Explicit: f. 11v ὁμοίως τῆ εὐθεῖα· οἷον ἴαν καὶ μίαν||
6. f. 12r
Libanios, Orationes 1-64

Oration 6

Defective at the end: ends ed. Foerster, section 2

Incipit: f. 12r οὐ ῥάδιον ἐντυχεῖν ὦ ἄνδρες ἀνθρώπων μὴ λοιδοροῦντι
Explicit: f. 12r οὐδὲ ἡγεῖσθαι στρατιπαίδων[sic] ||

TLG 2200.004

f. 12v is blank

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 7-12 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Crown ( 58 × 31 mm. ) roughly in the centre of the folio, similar to Briquet 4730. This example is dated to 1437-1439.
Extent: 230 × 175 mm.

Collation

A ternion:

  • Quire 26 (ff. 7-12)

No quire signatures visible

Condition

The leaves have suffered water damage along the upper edge and extending up to a third of the way down the leaves, with discolouration of the paper and some blurring of the lines of text closest to the upper edge and of scholia in the margins. The continuation of similar patterns of staining in the following section of the manuscript indicates that these two parts were bound together at the time that they were damaged in this way, but not with the other contents of the manuscript.

Layout

ff. 7r-12v A single column of 31-49 lines. 205-210 × 145 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. 7r-12r were copied by Hand C in mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in brown ink, with moderate variation in letter size.

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

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

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

Additions

On 12v there are pen trials and three sketches of heads in profile.

History

Origin: This part was probably copied in the second quarter of the 15th century, as suggested by the watermark. This is consistent with the style of script.

Part 4 [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.2.12, ff. 13-20]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

7. ff. 13r-19r
Andromachos of Crete (the Elder), Fragment
Rubric: f. 13r Ἀνδρομάχου
Incipit: f. 13r Κλύθι πολυθρονίου βριαρὸν σθένος ἀντιδότοιο
Explicit: f. 19r ἱλάσεται τὴν σὴν αἰὲν ἀνωδυνίην

TLG 0280.001

ff. 19v-20v are blank

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 13-20 Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermark: Arrows ( c. 65 × 38 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 6289 and Sosower Fleche 19. These examples are dated to 1511 and 1542.
Extent: 225-230 × 165-170 mm.

Collation

A quaternion:

  • Quire 38 (ff. 13-20)

Condition

The leaves have suffered water damage along the upper edge and extending up to a third of the way down the leaves, with discolouration of the paper. The continuation of similar patterns of staining from the previous section of the manuscript indicates that these two parts were bound together at the time that they were damaged in this way, but not with the other contents of the manuscript.

Layout

ff. 13r-19r A single column of 14 lines 165-170 × 100-115 mm. Frame and line ruling in hardpoint.

Hand(s)

ff. 13r-19r were copied by Bartolomeo Zanetti (Hand D) (RGK I 31) in mixed minuscule script, slanting sharply to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size.

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

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

Punctuation used includes the lower and middle points, lower commas and full stop.

Decoration

The text begins with a simple minor initial in red ink.

Additions

On f. 13r are notes on the text in Latin by later hands.

History

Origin: This part was copied in Italy by Bartolomeo Zanetti (1486/7-c. 1547) in the first half of the 16th century, as indicated by the watermark and the scribe's period and region of activity.

Part 1 [Cambridge, Trinity College, MS O.2.12, ff. 21-52]

Contents

Language(s): Greek and Latin

8. ff. 21r-31v, line 4
Dionysios of Halikarnassos, Ars rhetorica

Excerpt: chapters 10-11

Rubric: f. 21r Τοῦ αὐτοῦ Διονυσίου: περὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς μελέταις πλημελημένων
Incipit: f. 21r Τὰ δὲ πλημελούμενα[sic] ἐν ταῖς μελέταις, οἱ μὲν, ἠθῶν ἀμοίρους
Explicit: f. 31v οὗτος ὁ περὶ τῆς τῶν λόγων ἐξετάσεως λόγος

TLG 0081.016

9. f. 31v, line 5-f. 34r, line 22
Dionysios of Halikarnassos, De imitatione

Fragments 31,1,1-31,5,7

Incipit: f. 31v Ὅτι δεῖ τῆς τῶν ἀρχαίων ἐντυγχάνειν συγγράμμασιν
Explicit: f. 34r βελτίων ἡ φράσις τῆ μίψει γίνεται

TLG 0081.014

10. f. 34r, line 23-f. 38v, line 7
Dionysios of Halikarnassos, De Thucydidis idiomatibus (epistula ad Ammaeum)
Rubric: f. 34r Διονυσίου Ἀλικαρνασέως[sic] περὶ τῶν Θουκυδίδου ἰδιωμάτων: Διονύσιος Ἀμμαίω τῶ φιλτάτω χαίρειν
Incipit: f. 34r Ἐγὼ μὲν ὑπελάμβανον ἀρκούντως δεδηλωμέναι τὸν Θουκυδίδου χαρακτῆρα
Explicit: f. 38v καθ'ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς κοινῆς ἐξητασμένα πραγματείας ὡς ἐπεζήτης

TLG 0081.011

11. f. 38v, line 8-f. 47r, line 1
Maximos Byzantios, On unresolved antitheses Περὶ τῶν ἀλύτων ἀντιθέσεων
Rubric: f. 38v Μαξίμου περὶ ἀλύτων ἀντιθέσεων
Incipit: f. 38v Αἱ ἄλυτοι ἀντιθέσεις ὅτι μὲν οὐκ ἐπιδείχονται λύσιν
Explicit: f. 47r τοὺς λόγους ἐποίησε τούτους λέγειν διὰ τῆς ἐπιλογικῆς ἀντιθέσεως

TLG 2025.002

12. f. 47r, line 2-f. 48v, line 2
Prolegomena in librum Περὶ στάσεων

Excerpt: ed. Rabe, pp. 221-223

Rubric: f. 47r Μαξίμου περὶ ἀλύτων ἀντιθέσεων
Incipit: f. 47r Ἴδιον στοχασμοῦ τὸ ἀνεύθυνον εἶναι τὸ πραττόμενον· σημεῖον δὲ τίνος γενέσθαι ὑπευθύνου
Explicit: f. 48v οὐδενὸς ἀπ'αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων

TLG 2025.002

13. f. 48v, line 2-f. 49v, line 5
On the distinction between objection and antithesis
Rubric: f. 48v Τίνι διαφέρει ἀντίληψις τῶν ἀντιθετικῶν
Incipit: f. 48v Ὅτι ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἀντιθετικαῖς, ὁμολογούμενον ἀδίκημα ἐκ τῆς περιστάσεως
Explicit: f. 49v ἐν δὲ τῆ μεταστάσει ἐφέτερον τὴν μωρίαν μεθίστησιν
14. f. 49v, line 5-f. 50v
On the distinction between sympathy in word and in thought
Rubric: f. 49v Τίνι διαφέρει συγγνώμη πρὸς ῥητὸν καὶ διάνοιαν
Incipit: f. 49v Ὅτι ἐν ἐκείνη μὲν, ἄκων ὁ ἀπολογούμενος ἥμαρτεν
Explicit: f. 50v καὶ χρήζομεν τοῦ πατρὸς, ἢ τοῦ δεσπότου προτέρου
15. f. 51r-51v
Glossary of grammatical terms
Incipit: f. 51r Επιστολή ἐστι ὁμιλίοι ἐγγράμματος
Explicit: f. 51v ἐλυκτική
16. f. 52r-52v
Contents list
Language(s): Latin and Greek

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 21-52 Western paper, folded in octavo. Watermark: Circles ( 100 × 33 mm. ) on the upper edge of the folio near the gutter, similar to Briquet 3165. This example is dated to 1329-1339.
Extent: 210 × 130-150 mm.

Collation

This part consists of four quires, all quaternia:

  • Quires 4-78 ff. 21-52

There are quire signatures in on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower centre.

Condition

The leaves have suffered water damage along the three outer edges, causing discolouration which sometimes impinges upon the text. Some edges and corners of the leaves have been repaired.

Layout

ff. 21r-52v A single column of 24-28 lines. 150-165 × 100-115 mm.

Hand(s)

ff. 21r-50v were copied by Hand E in upright mixed minuscule script, in brown ink, with moderate variation in letter size and some flourishing of tails into the margin.

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

The modern nu and sigma telikon are present.

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

f. 51r-51v were copied by Hand F in mixed minuscule script, in brown ink, with variable slant, with moderate variation in letter size.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round.

The modern eta and modern nu are present.

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

f. 52r-52v were copied by Hand G in Latin and Greek mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in brown ink.

History

Origin: This part was probably copied in the first half of the 14th century, as suggested by the watermark. This is consistent with the style of script.

Additional Information

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) Casaubon’s Greek Manuscripts Bodleian Quarterly Record, Craster, E. (5, 97-100, 1926) Repertorium der griechischen Kopisten, 800-1600 Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Byzantinistik, Gamillscheg, ErnstHarlfinger, Dieter (Wien, I. Grossbritannien, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1981) Bibliotheca graeca manuscripta cardinalis Dominici Grimani (1461-1523) Collana di studi (Biblioteca nazionale marciana), Diller, A.Saffrey, H. D.Westerink, L. G. (Mariano del Friuli (Gorizia), Edizioni della Laguna, 2003) Galien. Tome I, Introduction générale; Sur l'ordre de ses propres livres; Sur ses propres livres; Que l'excellent médecin est aussi philosophie Collection des Universités de France. série grecque, Boudon-Millot, Véronique (Paris, Belles Lettres, 2007) A List of the Greek MSS of Domenico Grimani Scriptorium, Jackson, Donald F. (164-169, 2008) Un testimone trascurato della Seconda lettera ad Ammeo di Dionigi di Alicarnasso Νέα Ῥώμη. Rivista di Studi Bizantinistici, Palla, A. (13, 33-44, figg. 1-2, 2016) Le commerce transalpin du copiste-libraire vénitien Andréas Darmarios entre 1582 et 1585 Revue d'Histoire des Textes, Calvié, L. (15, 89-168, 2020)

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The Polonsky Foundation

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