Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries: Cambridge, Trinity College, MS R.9.15

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12039

Introduction: This manuscript, produced in the second half of the 14th century, contains a Greek grammatical textbook, belonging to the genre known as Erotemata (Questions), structured as a dialogue of questions and answers. Such texts had begun to appear by the 11th century, and many were produced in the centuries that followed. The text contained in this manuscript, the beginning and end of which are missing, has not yet been identified with any known composition. It has been identified as the grammar of Manuel Moschopoulos in M.R. James's catalogue, and as that of Theodoros Prodromos in Zagklas's list of manuscripts containing this work, but neither identification is correct (N. Zagklas, A Byzantine Grammar Treatise Attributed to Theodoros Prodromos, Graeco-Latina Brunensia 16 (2011), pp. 77-86). The text was apparently drawn in part from the anonymous Erotemata Guelferbytana , found in manuscripts dating from the 13th century onwards, since much of its text is identical. However, large portions of it differ, indicating that it was also in part an original composition or a compilation drawing also on other sources. Dr Christopher Wright

Language(s): Greek

ff. 1r-181v

Grammar

Defective at the beginning and end.

Incipit: || f. 1r ας ἀρσενικὰ βαρύτονα· εἴτε ὀνόματα εἴτε μετοχαὶ ἐκτείνονται

Explicit: f. 181v τὸ τῆς ἀξίνης ξύλον· ἢ τοιούτου τινὸς καὶ ἕτερα: Διὰ δὲ τοῦ

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: ff. 1-164, 167-70 Western paper, folded in quarto, with 6 chainlines per leaf. Watermark: Fruit ( c. 75 × 55 mm. ) in the guttersimilar to WZMA 3114. This example is dated to 1350-1390. ff. 165-166, 171-181 Western paper, folded in quarto, without identifiable chainlines. Watermark: Bull's head ( c. 95 × 52 mm. ) in the gutter, similar to Briquet 14150. This example is dated to 1364-1398.

Extent: Codex: i + 181 + i leaves. 222 × 145 mm.

Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [i] + 1-181 + [ii], in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right.

Collation

The manuscript consists of 23 quires, all quaternia. The first quire has been lost.

Quire 1^8-3 ff. 1-5 The first three folios have been lost, with loss of text.
Quires 2-4⁸ ff. 6-29
Quire 5^8-1 ff. 30-36 The sixth folio has been lost, with loss of text.
Quires 6-22⁸ ff. 37-172
Quire 23^10-1 ff. 173-181 The last folio has been lost, with loss of text.

There are original quire signatures in Greek numerals, in brown ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, upper centre, and the last folio of each quire, verso, lower centre. They survive on all quires except Quire 1 (γʹ-κδʹ).

Condition

There are tears to the edges of some folios (notably f. 51) and holes torn in a few (ff. 45-46, 68 and 163) (the hole in f. 46 predates the copying of the text). There are numerous small wormholes throughout, with some larger ones in the last few folios. At the lower end of the gutter in the first few folios (ff. 1r-16v) there is staining from both water and mould, and there is water damage causing softening to the lower outer corner of the later folios (ff. 166-181). Elsewhere there is mild water staining and some areas of dirt.

Layout

A single column of 27 lines. 155 × 93 mm.

Hand(s)

The manuscript was copied by Hand A, in a mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size. There are deletions by strikethrough.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. Use of the double dot is functional only.

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

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

Headings and other rubric are in the same style in red ink.

Decoration

Crude headpieces with interlace ornament, in brown ink and red and green paint, mark the beginning of some sections of the text. These include a pyle on f. 21r and rectangular headpieces on ff. 26r, 29r, 46rand 64v.

Minor initials in red ink, sometimes with very simple ornament, mark the beginning of many subsections and sentences.

Additions

As part of the original production of the manuscript, marginal section numbers and other occasional indications of adjacent content have been provided, along with occasional ση(μείωσαι) marks to highlight notable passages.

There are occasional corrections and marginal annotations in Greek by other hands (e.g. ff. 24v, 45v-46r).

A note of content in Latin has been added on f. 1r: ‘Graecae Linguae Institutio’.

Binding

19th-century quarter leather binding, with brown paper covering over couched-laminate boards and plain pastedowns. There is zig-zag blind tooling on the edges, and decorative blind tooling on the spine. The title ‘Graecae linguae institutio’ is tooled in gold on a red label on the spine and the classmark appears on patches. The fore-edges have been painted black.

225 × 157 × 50 mm.

History

Origin: The combination of watermarks suggests that the manuscript was produced in the second half of the 14th century. This is consistent with the characteristics of the 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, Cambridge: a descriptive catalogue, James, M.R. (Cambridge, 2, Cambridge University Press, 1900)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

Digital Images

Cambridge Digital Library

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

Cambridge, Trinity College, MS R.9.15

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