Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries

A catalogue of Western manuscripts and papyri at Cambridge University Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and selected Cambridge colleges

Cambridge, University Library, MS Kk.5.25

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12208

Contents

Introduction: This manuscript, produced in the late 15th century, contains the Lexicon of Pseudo-Zonaras, whose actual authorship is unknown, but which was traditionally attributed to the 12th-century Byzantine historian John Zonaras . Words to be defined are sorted into sections according to their first two letters, which are divided into subsections for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns, verbs and adverbs, but the entries are not alphabetically sorted beyond the first two letters. Some are glossed merely by giving a more common synonym, while others are accompanied by substantial paragraphs of discussion. At the end of the manuscript, the lexicon itself is followed by a number of entries which had been omitted from the text for some reason, and which are present in their normal alphabetical location in other manuscripts of this text. These are followed by a number of brief additional lexicographical lists, including glosses of unusual vocabulary from the Pauline Epistles, Hesiod and the Odyssey, words for the noises made by different animals, Egyptian names for the months, and brief excerpts from the poetry of the 12th-century writer Michael Psellos which gloss unusual words. These belong to a range of supplementary texts which appear in other manuscripts of this work in various combinations and orders. The manuscript was copied in two different portions by two scribes, one of whom is responsible for the first seven quires, containing most of the words beginning with alpha, the other for the remainder of the text. The paper used by the two scribes was different, bearing different watermarks. Though the chronological evidence of the watermarks indicates that they worked within at most a few decades of each other, it is clear that the early portion of the manuscript was not copied as part of the original plan of production, but rather to replace original quires which had either already been lost, deliberately removed or rejected for inclusion. Its scribe, Hand A, clearly worked to provide what was lacking from a text already produced by Hand B, the copyist of the greater part of the manuscript, since on the last page of Hand A's work (f. 56v), the words are written larger so as to fill the available space neatly with the limited amount of remaining text required to connect with the beginning of Hand B's work. That this was not a planned division of labour is implied by the improbability of Hand A being assigned the lexicon entries for almost but not quite all of the words beginning with alpha, and confirmed by the fact that the transition between the two scribes comes in the middle of an entry and the middle of a sentence. Further confirmation comes from the quire signatures, since whereas Hand A's work fills seven quires, Hand B's begins with a quire numbered six, indicating that in the original state of the manuscript the portion of the text now provided by Hand A filled only five quires. A possible explanation for this replacement of the original early part of the text within such a short span of time can be found in the layout of the text. Hand A's work is arranged in two columns, with each lexicon entry beginning a new line. The same is true of the vast majority of Hand B's work. However, the first three pages copied by Hand B (ff. 57r-58r) are presented in a single column, in which the entries follow on from one another in continuous blocks of text. Supposing that the text before this point was copied in the same way, this would account for its being accommodated in five quires rather than taking up seven. The change to the new layout was presumably made because starting each entry on a new line made it much easier to find a desired entry, especially as they are not sorted into alphabetical order beyond the first two letters. In this regard, it would seem reasonable that an owner of the manuscript, whether the original patron or someone who acquired it later, would want to have the early part of the lexicon in the same, more convenient layout, and would therefore employ another scribe to replace the quires written wholly in continuous text. They evidently did not, however, think it worth the additional expense of replacing a whole quire where only the first three pages, from a total of sixteen, were written in continuous text. It appears that the brief supplementary texts following the main lexicon, though the work of the original scribe, were not part of the original production plan. This is suggested by the fact that the new quire which accommodates nearly all of this material uses a different paper from the rest of Hand B's work, with another watermark. However, the fact that Hand B was responsible, rather than a new copyist being involved, as with the replacement quires, suggests that this expansion took place soon after the completion of the original programme of work. Both scribes used the Hodegon-style script which was a characteristic type of formal, scribal handwriting in the last centuries of Byzantium, but worked after the empire's downfall. The painted headpiece that opens the manuscript, which forms an integral part of the same programme of work as Hand A's text, is not in a Byzantine style but a Western one. This suggests that Hand A, though seemingly a Greek-speaker trained in traditional Byzantine calligraphy, was a migrant working in western Europe, probably in Italy, which remained the main home of Greek studies in the West, and of Greek migrant communities there, during the 15th century. Despite the development of printing in Greek during this period, manuscripts continued to be professionally copied for scholarly Italian patrons and for wealthier refugees from the East. The chronological proximity of the two programmes of work suggests that the same may be true of the original copying of the manuscript by Hand B, but this is less certain.

Language(s): Greek

Physical Description

Form: codex
Extent: Codex: iii + 267 + iii leaves. 300 × 190 mm.
Foliation: The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [i-iii] + 1-10, 12-268 + [iv-vi], in pencil, in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right. Folio number 11 has been assigned to a leaf no longer present in the volume (as per historic foliation practices at Cambridge University Library). However, no account has been taken of the lost folio preceding f. 253.

Collation

Part I consists of 7 quires, Part II of 27: 18, 28-1, 3-78. 8-118, 128+1, 138, 146, 15-208, 218-1, 22-318, 328-1, 338, 348-1.

Binding

Rebound in December 1964 by Douglas Cockerell and Son in Grantchester, according to a note on the left pastedown. Brown quarter leather and patterned paper covering over millboards, with plain pastedowns. The classmark and the attributed author's name and title, ‘Zonarae Lexikon’ are tooled in gold on the spine. A label from a previous binding with the title tooled in gold is pasted inside the left-hand board.

318 × 230 × 75 mm.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by John Moore (b. 1646, d. 1714), bishop of Ely : number 984 in the handwritten supplementary list of Moore's manuscripts, now MS Oo.7.50(2), compiled by Thomas Tanner after the publication of Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ (1697).

Presented to the University Library in 1715 by George I .

Part 1 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Kk.5.25, ff. 1-56]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

1. ff. 1r-56v
Pseudo-Zonaras, Lexicon Συναγωγὴ Λέξεων
Incipit: f. 1r Ααπτος[sic]· ὁ άπροσπέλαστος· παρὰ τὸ ἅπτω ἅπτος καὶ ἄαπτος
Explicit: f. 56v Ἀχρειόγελως ἄνθρωπος,||

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Scissors ( 64 × 30 mm. ) central in the outer half of the folio, similar to Briquet 3677. This example is dated to 1475-1498.

Collation

This part of the manuscript consists of 7 quires, all quaternia.

  • Quire 18 ff. 1-8
  • Quire 28-1 ff. 9-16 The third folio has been lost, with loss of text.
  • Quires 3-78 ff. 17-56

There are original quire signatures in Greek numerals, in dark brown ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right or lower centre. Signatures are absent from Quires 5-7, and appear never to have been marked.

There is a modern sequence of signatures in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right.

Condition

All folios are attached to paper stubs, and the first few folios (ff. 1-9) suffered losses to tears on the gutter edge. There are tears and abrasions from the edges of some folios, the larger of which have been repaired with paper patches. Some of these patched folios have adhered to those adjacent. There is extensive water staining to the head and fore-edge, sometimes leading to minor loss of text. There are also occasional minor water stains in the gutter, and small stains, patches of dirt and ink-blots elsewhere.

Layout

Two columns of 44 lines. Written space 218 × 145 mm. f. 34r-34v has 51 lines of text. The last word, part of a word or few words preceding a punctuation mark are sometimes added below the last line of a recto folio, rather than placing them beyond the turn of the page.

Hand(s)

ff. 1r-56v have been copied by Hand A, in a Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script, with variable slant, in dark brown ink, with significant variation in letter size and flamboyant flourishing of tails into the margin. Headings are in the same script, in pale red ink. There is deletion by expunctuation.

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. The double grave accent is present.

The modern eta, sigma telikon and loop epsilon are present. There are inclusions of letters within omicron. There is an unusual abbreviation of παρά, in which the mark superscribed above pi resembles an epsilon-tau rather than the more usual tilted epsilon (e.g. f. 37r, col. b, line 3).

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

Decoration

The beginning of the text (f. 1r) is preceded by a rectangular headpiece containing a lion's head and vegetative ornament, in red, green, blue, purple, yellow and white paint, in a Renaissance style.

Simple vignettes in red ink precede most sections.

The text begins with a major initial outlined in red, with translucent blue paint infill (f. 1r).

Minor initials in red ink, with simple ornament, mark the beginning of some sections (e.g. ff. 19r, 56v). Initials in red ink, of normal size or slightly expanded, mark the beginning of each entry. Some have been supplied or overwritten by another hand in bright red ink.

Some sections, rather than a vignette, instead have a simple line-filler in red ink accompanying the heading.

Additions

A heading indicating content has been added by a later hand at the top of f. 1r: ‘Παλαιῶν πάνυ λέξεων’. The text being divided into sections by the first and second letter of the words contained in them, the third letter of each word is marked in red ink in the margin. Some have been supplied or wholly or partially overwritten by another hand in bright red ink. There are occasional marginal annotations in Greek by various hands.

There is a note on f. 12r in English, in pencil, regarding the lost folio, by Henry Bradshaw (1831-1886) , University Librarian 1867-1886.

History

Origin: The watermark indicates that this part of the manuscript was produced in the late 15th century or early 16th century, probably between about 1465 and 1510, which is consistent with the characteristics of the script. It was probably produced subsequent to the production of the second part to replace lost or rejected quires, since that part begins in mid-sentence and its quire signatures indicate that there were originally two fewer quires than there are at present, while the expansion of the text of f. 56v indicates that it was produced to be joined to that existing part at the present incomplete starting-point of its text. The style of the headpiece suggests that it was produced in western Europe, probably in ; Italy.

Part 2 [Cambridge, University Library, MS Kk.5.25, ff. 57-268]

Contents

Language(s): Greek

1. ff. 57r-261v, col. a
Pseudo-Zonaras, Lexicon (continued) Συναγώγη Λεξέων (continued)
Incipit: f. 57r ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀχρήστοις καὶ μὴ σπουδαίοις
Explicit: f. 261v ὠψωνηκότες· ὠψωνήσαντες δὲ, μικρόν
2. f. 261v, col. b-f. 267v
Appendices to the Lexicon
2.1. f. 261v, col. b-f. 263r, col. a, line 27
Addenda to the Lexicon
Rubric: f. 261v Περὶ τῶν ει διφθόγγων
Incipit: f. 261v Εἵλως, ὁ δοῦλος· καὶ κλίνεται εἵλωτος
Explicit: f. 263r καὶ ἄλλο τε ἄλλως ἔχων
2.2. f. 261v, col. b-f. 263r, col. b, line 1
Lines from the poems of Michael Psellos giving glosses of words Psellus, Michael
Rubric: f. 261v Στίχοι τοῦ Ψελλοῦ πολιτικοῦ ἑρμηνεύοντες, λέξεις
Incipit: f. 261v Εὔϊος, ὁ Διονύσιος· ἔφεδρος, ὁ κυβεύων
Explicit: f. 263r ἐπίσιον, τὸ αἴδοῖον· θαλάμας δὲ τὰ κοίλα
2.3. f. 263r, col. b, lines 2-33
Terms for sounds made by animals (De vocibus animalium)
Rubric: f. 263r Αἱ φωναὶ τῶν ζώων
Incipit: f. 263r Ἐπὶ κύκνου, ἄδειν
Explicit: f. 263r Ἐπὶ ἀμαξῶν, τετριγέναι
2.4. f. 263r, col. b, line 34-f. 266r, col. a, line 16
Glosses of words from St Paul's Epistles
Rubric: f. 263r Λέξεις τῆς πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐπιστολῆς
Incipit: f. 263r Ἀπαύγασμα· ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης
Explicit: f. 266r Εὐστοιχεῖ, ἅπτεταιϊ· γειτνιᾶ, συστοιχεῖ τῆ νῦν Ἱερουσαλήμ
2.5. f. 266r, col. a, line 17-f. 266v, col. a, line 31
Miscellaneous glosses, beginning with the words ἀντίρρησις and ἀνασκευὴ
Rubric: f. 266r Ἀντίρρη⟨σ⟩ις καὶ ἀνασκευὴ
Incipit: f. 266r Ἀντίρρησις· καὶ ἀνασκευὴ, διαφέρει
Explicit: f. 266v εἰδ'ὑψιπετὲς, θάμνος· εἰδὲ τέλειον εἴη, δένδρον
2.6. f. 266v, col. a, line 32-f. 267r, col. a, line 18
Glosses of Homeric words from the Odyssey
Rubric: f. 266v Λέξεις ὁμηρικαὶ ἐκ τῆς Ὀδυσσείας βίβλου
Incipit: f. 266v Πτολιέθρον, πόλισμα· ἐπιτροίης ἱερὸν πτολιέθρον ἔπερσις
Explicit: f. 267r Ἐπελήκεον, ἐβόων· κοῦροι δ'ἐπετελήκεον ἄλλοι
2.7. f. 267r, col. a, line 19-col. b, line 38
Glosses of words from the works of Hesiod Hesiod
Rubric: f. 267r Λέξεις ἐκ τῆς Ἡσιόδου βίβλου
Incipit: f. 267r Ἄφατοι, οἱ ἄδοξοι· ἄφατοί τε φατοί τε
Explicit: f. 267v αἱ δὲ εἰδοὶ, ἀπὸ τῆς ιεʹ
2.8. f. 267r, col. b, lines 39-41
Note on five types of sound

Τίνες εἰσὶν αἱ πέντε φωναί· γένος· εἶδος· διαφορά· ἴδιον· συμβεβηκός

2.9. f. 267r, col. b, line 42-f. 267v, col. a, line 26
Note on the ancient Roman system of months
Incipit: f. 267r Τὸν μῆνα οἱ παλαιοὶ, εἰς τρία διήρουν
Explicit: f. 267v αἱ δὲ εἰδοὶ, ἀπὸ τῆς ιεʹ
2.10. f. 267v, col. a, lines 27-40
Names of the months in Egyptian and Greek
Rubric: f. 267v Ὄνόματα μηνῶν κατ'Αἰγυπτίους καὶ Ῥωμαίους
Incipit: f. 267v Τυβί, Ἰαννουάριος
Explicit: f. 267v Χοιάχ, Δεκέμβριος

f. 268r-268v is blank, apart from a brief later note and some pen-trials on f. 268r.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: ff. 57-261 Western paper, folded in folio, with 5 chainlines per leaf. Watermark Bull's head ( 140 × 40 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Briquet 15367. This example is dated to 1478. ff. 262-268 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark Anchor ( 45 × 42 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Briquet 455. This example is dated to 1477-1479.

Collation

This part of the manuscript consists of 27 quires, of which one is a ternion and the rest are quaternia.

  • Quires 8-118 ff. 57-88
  • Quire 128+1 ff. 89-97 The lost folio from Quire 21 has been erroneously inserted between the second and third folios.
  • Quire 138 ff. 98-105
  • Quire 146 ff. 106-111
  • Quires 15-208 ff. 112-159
  • Quire 218-1 ff. 160-166 The seventh folio has been lost, and erroneously placed in Quire 12.
  • Quires 22-318 ff. 167-246
  • Quire 328-1 ff. 247-253 The seventh folio has been lost, with loss of text.
  • Quire 338 ff. 254-261
  • Quire 348-1 ff. 262-268 The last folio has been cancelled, without loss of text.

There are original quire signatures in Greek numerals, in grey-brown ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right or lower centre. The numbers are too small by two, beginning with the number 6 on Quire 8, presumably because the original preceding part of the manuscript took up only five quires rather than the present seven. Signatures survive on all quires (ϛʹ-λβʹ).

There is a modern sequence of signatures in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, giving the correct sequence for the present state of the manuscript.

Condition

All folios are attached to paper stubs. There are tears and abrasions from the edges of some folios, the larger of which have been repaired with paper patches. Some of these patched folios have adhered to those adjacent. There is water staining to the head and fore-edge within the early portion of this part sometimes leading to minor loss of text. There are also occasional minor water stains in the gutter, and small stains, patches of dirt and ink-blots elsewhere.

Layout

ff. 57r-58r A single column of 43 lines. 218 × 140 mm. The lexicon entries on these folios are written in continuous text, whereas elsewhere each entry begins a new line.

ff. 58v-267v Two columns of 43 lines. 218 × 140 mm.

Hand(s)

This part was copied by Hand B, in a Hodegon-style mixed minuscule script, upright or slanting slightly to the right, in grey-brown ink, with moderate variation in letter size and slight flourishing of tails into the margin. Headings are in the same script, in pale red ink. There are deletions by erasure.

Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is usually absent, but occasionally present in a transitional position, below the letter but to the right (e.g. f. 142r, col. b, lines 29-31). There is decorative use of the double dot. The double grave accent is present.

The loop epsilon is present, and there are inclusions of letters within omicron.

The same unusual abbreviation of παρά appears as in Hand A.

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

Decoration

Simple vignettes in red ink precede most sections.

Initials in red ink, of normal size or slightly expanded, mark the beginning of each entry. Some have been supplied or overwritten by another hand in bright red ink.

Some sections, rather than a vignette, instead have a simple line-filler in red ink, in the same style, accompanying the heading.

Additions

The text being divided into sections by the first and second letter of the words contained in them, the third letter of each word is marked in red ink in the margin. Some have been supplied or wholly or partially overwritten by another hand in bright red ink. There are occasional marginal annotations by various hands, in Greek or Greek and Latin, and a note on f. 268r (‘Χρῆ τὸν ἕκαστον ἀεὶ λαμπρᾶς ἀρετῆς κράτος ἴσχειν’), along with some pen-trials by a different hand.

History

Origin: The watermarks indicate that the manuscript was produced in the late 15th century, probably between 1470 and 1490, which is consistent with the characteristics of the script.

Additional Information

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, 3, Cambridge University Press, 1858) Iohannis Zonarae lexicon: ex tribus codicibus manuscriptis, (Amsterdam, A. M. Hakkert, 1967)

Funding of Cataloguing

The Polonsky Foundation

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Cambridge Digital Library

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