Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 2603
Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12107
Lucianus and Synesius
Contents
Physical Description
20th-century foliation
1 + 2-410 | 411-457 + 458-459
Written in pencil in the upper right-hand corner of the rectos.
Collation
The manuscript is a composite comprising two parts, plus fragments from another manuscript used as endleaves at the front and rear. The first part (Quires 1-52) appears to comprise almost entirely quires of eight leaves, with occasional irregularities: the age and tightness of the binding means that the stitching at the centre of quires is not always visible, the quire signatures that mark the beginning and end of the quires have often been cropped, and old repairs to the leaves further obstruct analysis of their structure. The second part (Quires 53-58) also comprises quires of eight leaves.
- Quires 1-48 (ff. 2-33)
- Quire 5seven (ff. 33-40: one leaf not present in the second half of a quire of eight leaves; unclear if leaf missing or cancelled)
- Quires 6-198 (ff. 41-152)
- Quire 208+1 (ff. 153-161; ?8th leaf inserted after f. 160?)
- Quire 218 (ff. 162-169)
- Quire 222 (ff. 170-171)
- Quires 23-258 (ff. 172-195)
- Quire 268-1 (ff. 196-202; 1st leaf, probably blank, excised before f. 196)
- Quire 278 (ff. 203-211)
- Quire 28seven (ff. 211-217)
- Quires 29-318 (ff. 218-241)
- Quire 32nine (ff. 242-250; ?a quire of eight leaves, 9th leaf inserted after f. 249?)
- Quire 33nine (ff. 251-259; ?a quire of eight leaves with an extra leaf inserted in the second half of the quire?)
- Quire 348 (ff. 260-267; ff. 262 and 263 adhered together)
- Quires 35-368 (ff. 268-283)
- Quire 37seven (ff. 284-290; one leaf not present in the second half of a quire of eight leaves; unclear if leaf missing or cancelled)
- Quires 38-528 (ff. 291-410)
- |
- Quires 53-578 (ff. 411-450)
- Quire 588-1 (ff. 451-457; 8th leaf after f. 457 ?missing)
Binding
14th-/15th-century binding.
Laid burnished paper textblock. Manuscript lettering on the tail edge.
Six sewing stations including two kettle stitches, the other four prepared with v-notches. Sewing is an unsupported loop-stitch with a Z-twist sewing thread.
The headband is mostly missing, with small remnants towards the left board. The tailband is completely missing apart from remnants on the boards. Greek-style compound endbands extending on approximatively one quarter of the wooden board width. Woven endbands over additional thin cord cores (4 in total) creating a chevron pattern with red and cream threads.
The spine lining consists of two layers of plain textile, extending onto the outside of the boards up to one third of their width. Remnants of sewing threads across the spine width towards the head and tail might suggest a sewing attachment of the two textile layers.
There are no pastedowns. Both endleaves are made of parchment manuscript waste; the left endleaf is a bifolio with a stub toward the board, the right endleaf is a full bifolio with a red seal on the second flyleaf towards the tail edge. The endleaves were sewn at the same time as the textblock.
Two wooden boards with vertical grain attached with bridling. The threads enter the boards through the outer face. The attachment is concealed on the inner boards by small pieces of wood adhered over the bridling stations. The textblock is flush with the boards, which are shaped at the spine edge only to create a gentle curve to the spine. All three edges have v-shaped grooves.
Full covering of dark brown tanned skin with extensive losses on the spine. Mitred corners at the turn-ins, with patches of leather close to the endbands. The corners at the right board do not match. The head and tail turn-ins on the right board were patched up to compensate for a shortage of leather, the new pieces being neatly sewn along the edges. The leather was also cut out were the straps were located, the tail strap holes only being covered with a new patch of leather.
Four sets of three holes with leather remnants are visible on the inside of the right board, one set at the head and tail, two sets at the foredge. There are two metallic pins on the foredge of the left board corresponding to the straps location. Two holes at the head and tail edges of the same board are also visible, which likely held two pins.
Three pieces of heart shaped furniture, one on the left board, two on the right board. Metallic remnants visible in the inner sides of both boards at the corners, centre of the spine and foredges and through the middle of the boards show evidence that there was seven pieces of furniture on each board. Four modern paper labels with the classmark and title of the book are adhered on the spine.
264 × 198 × 115 mm.
f. 459v: a fragment of red wax seal on the lower margin, partly lost in trimming, with a small Greek cross and some letters of the legend still readable: ‘+ | ΑΝΤΟNI⟨ΟΥ⟩ | ΤΡΙΦΙΛΙ | 1713’, accompanied by the inscription ‘απο του δεονισιου (sic) νουμερο 7’.
The same seal is preserved on Cambridge, University Library, MS Nn.3.15 , Part Ia, f. 2r (with inscription: ‘απο του δεονισιου (sic) νουμερο 8’), and Cambridge, University Library, MS Nn.3.3 , f. 1r. The same seal can be found on Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit, BPG 74 G , f. 1*r, and traces of its impression can also be found on London, British Library, Add. MS 5153A , f. 5v.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
The manuscript used to belong to the Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos: on f. 2r is a note of the monastery's ownership (‘κτῆμα μονῆς τοῦ κυρίου Διονυσίου’). The same note is found in CUL MS Ff.4.47, f. 23v , CUL Nn.3.15.2, f. 2:4r and CUL MS Nn.3.16, f. 1:3v.
Antonios Triphillis, who was an educated Greek of the diaspora active in the first half of 18th century, may have been a dealer with access to Mt Athos monasteries or a collector, whose books were sold abroad. The note on f. 459v, ‘απο του δεονισιου (sic) νουμερο 7’ with the date 18 July 1739, was in all likelihood added by Triphillis along with his seal. Similar inscriptions, by the same hand, can be found in CUL MS Nn.3.3, f. 1r (νουμερο 11) and CUL Nn.3.15.2, f. 1:2r (νουμερο 8), which both also have the seal impression.
The manuscript belonged to the collection of the physician Richard Mead (1673-1754) .
The manuscript later entered the library of Anthony Askew (1722-1774) , physician and book collector.
After Askew's death, his manuscripts were sold by G. Leigh and J. Sotheby as part of the auction of his library in 1785. See McKendrick (2020)
Purchased from Bernard Quaritch, April 1882, for £7 10s (Rustat Benefaction) (see Library Syndicate Minutes: UA ULIB 1/2/4, p. 55)
Part 1 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 2603, ff. 1, 458-459 ]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Includes a documents relating to property in the environs of Salonika.
Physical Description
Condition
Layout
230 Text in a single column, written on one side only.
Additions
History
Part 2 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 2603, ff. 2-410]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Nos 85, 19, 20, 21-25, 31, 26, 77, 79, 35, 78, 80, 9, 4, 6, 1-3, 5, 11, 71, 54, 71 (a few words only), 73, 52, 61, 53, 33, 60, 16, 7, 32, 8, 15, 10, 64, 70, 18, 27-30, 49, 36, 65, 17, 48, 62, 77 (xvi), 37, 81, 40, 41, 38, 13-14, 66 (numbered as in Nilén 1906)
Physical Description
Collation
- Quires 1-48 (ff. 2-33)
- Quire 5seven (ff. 33-40: one leaf not present in the second half of a quire of eight leaves; unclear if leaf missing or cancelled)
- Quires 6-198 (ff. 41-152)
- Quire 208+1 (ff. 153-161; ?8th leaf inserted after f. 160?)
- Quire 218 (ff. 162-169)
- Quire 222 (ff. 170-171)
- Quires 23-258 (ff. 172-195)
- Quire 268-1 (ff. 196-202; 1st leaf, probably blank, excised before f. 196)
- Quire 278 (ff. 203-211)
- Quire 28seven (ff. 211-217)
- Quires 29-318 (ff. 218-241)
- Quire 32nine (ff. 242-250; ?a quire of eight leaves, 9th leaf inserted after f. 249?)
- Quire 33nine (ff. 251-259; ?a quire of eight leaves with an extra leaf inserted in the second half of the quire?)
- Quire 348 (ff. 260-267; ff. 262 and 263 adhered together)
- Quires 35-368 (ff. 268-283)
- Quire 37seven (ff. 284-290; one leaf not present in the second half of a quire of eight leaves; unclear if leaf missing or cancelled)
- Quires 38-528 (ff. 291-410)
Occasional quire signatures on the verso of the last leaf of a quire and the recto of the first leaf of the next.
Condition
Layout
180 × 120 mm. Single columns, 25-32 lines to the page.
History
Additional Information
Bibliography
-
Lucianus: prolegomena Lucianus Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana, (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubneri, 1906)
Part 3 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Add. 2603, ff. 411-457]
Contents
Language(s): Greek
Letters 1-3, 5, 4, 6-31, 35-43, 57-58, 44-45, 32-34, 46-56, 59-65, 67, 66, 68-110, part of 153, 111-115, 117, 116, 118-146
Text ends imperfectly
Physical Description
Collation
- Quires 53-578 (ff. 411-450)
- Quire 588-1 (ff. 451-457; 8th leaf after f. 457 ?missing)
Quire signatures on the verso of the last leaf of the quire.
Condition
Layout
190-200 × 110 mm. Single columns, 28-33 lines to the page.
Hand(s)
Two hands.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Availability
Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card. For information on eligibility and admissions procedures, see Joining the Library). For further enquiries, and to confirm the availability of the manuscript, please contact the Special Collections Reading Room.
Bibliography
-
Hand-list of the additional Greek manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge
Scriptorium. Revue internationale des études relatives aux manuscrits, Easterling, Patricia E. (16, 2, 302-323, 1962)
Inventario dei manoscritti delle Epistole di Sinesio Atti dell’Accademia Pontaniana, Garzya, A. (22, 1-35, 1973)
Anthony Askew's "Liber amicorum" Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society, Stubbings, Frank (6, 5, 306-321, 1976, 2015-02-20T13:28:34Z, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41155377)
From Britain to Byzantium: the study of Greek manuscripts Through the looking glass:
Byzantium through British eyes. Papers from the twenty-ninth Spring Symposium
of Byzantine Studies, London, March 1995 Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies
publications, Easterling, Patricia E. (Aldershot, 107-120, Ashgate, 2000)
Funding of Cataloguing
The Polonsky Foundation
Digital Images
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
