Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries: Cambridge, University Library, MS Dd.3.86.9

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12151

Introduction: This manuscript was formerly part of a miscellaneous composite volume (MS Dd.3.86) formed of eleven parts, containing texts in English, Latin and Greek (it is described as such in the Cambridge University Library manuscripts catalogue of 1856, as section 9 of the manuscript). It is now bound separately as MS Dd.3.86.9. It contains the Liber geeponicus , a work attributed traditionally to the 1st c. CE mathematician Heron, and comprising a collection of extracts from his works, such as Geometrica and Stereometrica. Dd.3.86.9 was written in the 17th century by a western scribe. In the margins of the manuscript are notes in Latin by the scribe, referring to its exemplar; it was erroneously identified in the catalogue (A catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1856), vol. 1, pp. 197-199) as Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, gr. 2438. H. Beckh instead identifies the exemplar of Dd.3.86.9 as London, British Library, Harley MS 5604 (15th-16th century) (see H. Beckh, De Geoponicorum codicibus manuscriptis (Erlangae, 1886), p. 41). Indeed, in the Harley manuscript (f. 20v), the Geoponica starts immediately after the Liber geeponicus, exactly with the same title and the same passage (prooimion is omitted) as in the Cambridge manuscript (f. [28a]r). Moreover, in Dd.3.86.9 the scribe copied marginal annotations which can be found in Harley MS 5604. Dr. Erika Elia

Language(s): Greek

ff. 1r-[28a]r

Liber geeponicus

Rubric: f. 1r Ἥρωνος γεηπονικὸν βιβλίον

Incipit: f. 1r Τίνες αἱ γενικαὶ τῶν σχημάτων διαφοραί

Explicit: f. [28a]r l. 15 εἰ δὲ πρόσφατος[sic] ἐτέθη, ἔχει ὁ στερεὸς ποὺς

The text is commonly attributed to Heron , however the attribution is doubtful

In the manuscript, the treatise, which was published as one single text (F. Hultsch, Heronis Alexandrini geometricorum et stereometricorum reliquiae (Berlin, 1864), pp. 208-234), is divided into four parts, as follows:

ff. 1r-4r Ἥρωνος γεηπονικὸν βιβλίον
ff. 5r-16r Ἥρωνος εἰσαγωγαὶ τῶν γεωμετρουμένων
ff. 17r-24r Ἥρωνος μετρικά
ff. 25r-[28a]r Ευκλείδου[sic] Ευθυμετρικά[sic]

; three are attributed to Heron, the last to Euclid

TLG 0559.016

On f. [28a]r, after the end of the text, the scribe copied from his exemplar the first lines of the following text, the Geoponica (TLG 4080.001, ed. H. Beckh, Geoponica (Leipzig, 1895)): ‘ Τὰ διαφόροις τῶν παλαιῶν περί τε γεωργίας καὶ ἐπιμελείας φυτῶν’: he adds therefore in Latin ‘ et sic quae sequuntur ad finem manuscripti sunt γεωπονικά Constantino Caesari vulgo attributa’; another hand added: ‘ omissa praefatione, quae precaedit librum γεωπονικῶν’

f. [28a]v is blank

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: ff. 1-[28a] Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Two columns surmounted by grapes, between the columns letters ‘A | RO’ ( 55 × 40 mm. ) in the centre of the leaf, very similar to Gravell ( D.W. Mosser, E. W. Sullivan II, with L. Hatfield and D.H. Radcliffe, The Thomas L. Gravell Watermark Archive, 1996-. [2020-02-21],www.gravell.org , Column COL.025.1 (527) which is dated to 1660.

Extent: Codex: iii + 29 + iii leaves., 307 × 200 mm.

Foliation:

Modern foliation in ink, in Arabic numerals, from 1 to 28, in the top left hand corner, recto. The last leaf ( f. [28a]) has lost its left upper corner, therefore it is currently unnumbered. The foliation is: [i]-[iii] + 1-28, [28a] + [iv]-[vi].

In the lower right edge of the recto of the leaves there are remains of a numbering in modern pencil involving Arabic numbers and Greek letters.

Collation

The manuscript consists of 2 quaternions, a quinion and a binion which lacks its last leaf (without loss of text). At the beginning and at the end of the manuscript there are three later endleaves.

3 later paper endleaves ff. [i]-[iii] (20^th century)
Quires 1-2⁸ ff. 1-16
Quire 3¹⁰ ff. 17-26
Quire 4^4-1 ff. 27-[28a]
3 later paper endleaves ff. [iv]-[vi] (20^th century)

Condition

The manuscript is in fair condition. There are water and humidity stains, particularly on the first and last leaves. Tears on the last leaf have been repaired by means of paper strips.

Layout

ff. 1r-16r A single column of 38 lines. ca. 255 × 150 mm. The text is written only on the recto of the leaves. Bounding lines and a vertical line (left) are traced in pencil.

ff. 17r-[28a]r A single column of 37-38 lines. ca. 255-255 × 150 mm. The text is written only on the recto of the leaves. Bounding lines, left vertical line (left) and text lines are traced in pencil.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-[28a]r Hand A: all the texts have been written by the same hand, a minuscule script slightly slanting to the right, by a western hand, datable to the 17th century.

The text is written in brown ink, as well as titles and initials.

Decoration

The text on ff. 6r-14r is accompanied by diagrams and drawings executed by the scribe.

Additions

In the margins there are passim notes by the scribe in Latin, explaining the nature of the variants or corrections he was noting in the margins. Annotations in Latin are also present at the end of each part of the text, introducing the following part.

On f. [28a]r ll. 16-19 there is an annotation by the scribe in Greek and Latin, indicating the text which followed in his exemplar, Cassianus Bassus' Geoponica; the beginning of the text is transcribed by him.

On the left pastedown is written the present shelfmark.

Binding

Modern western binding made in the CUL in 1921 (see note on the left pastedown). Bookcloth cover over millboards. Gold tooling on the left cover with title ‘Tractatus M.S.S.’, and leather labels with classmark.

On the lower edge there is the attributed author name and classmark, ‘Hero Dd.3.86.9’

315 × 207 × 12 mm.

History

Origin: The script and the watermark suggest that the manuscript was written in the 17th century.

Provenance and Acquisition

On the left pastedown is glued the bookplate engraved by John Pine for the Royal Library donation (1737). There is not however further evidence supporting the hypothesis that this manuscript was presented to the Library by King George I, or of it having previously been in John Moore's collection.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description (2020) draws partly on A catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1856), vol. 1, pp. 197-199.

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

A catalogue of the manuscripts preserved in the library of the University of Cambridge, (Cambridge, 1: Dd, Cambridge University Press, 1856)

De Geoponicorum Codicibus Manuscriptis, Beckh, H. (Erlangen, 1866)

Geoponica: sive, Cassiani Bassi scholastici De re rustica eclogae [Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana], (Lipsiae, In aedibus BGTeubneri, 1895)

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, University Library, MS Dd.3.86.9

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