Introduction:
This miscellaneous manuscript dates to the late 14th or early 15th century, and contains
several texts from
antiquity to the Palaeologan era. These concern different subjects, such as history,
ethics, medicine, and astrology, and are
often incomplete. The manuscript begins with the Contra Apionem or On the Antiquity
of the Jews (late 1st century CE), which contains an apology on Judaism and a demonstration of
the antiquity of Jews
people that challenges the antiquity claimed by the Greeks, and gives an insight into
the anti-Semitism of the first century
CE. Along with Josephus, this Miscellany of Greek texts contains works by Synesius of Cyrene (c. 373-414), the
Byzantine poet George of Pisidia (7th century), John Mauropus (11th century), Theodore
Prodromos (c. 1100-1165/70), some texts
from the Corpus Hippocraticum, Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-395), Porphyry of Tyre (c. 335-395), and an
astrological anonymous treatise, mainly on forecasts.
The manuscript is also one of the few copies of a rare astronomic treatise on lunar
theory, commonly titled Epinoema, of Byzantine scholar Demetrius Triclinius (14th century), better known for studying
the metric
structure of the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. This treatise is
of major interest because it testifies to
the scholar's interests were not strictly literary but encompassed scientific matters.
Unfortunately, this copy is incomplete.
The treatise describes twelve lunar phases, related to the signs of the zodiac, and
mainly the black figures in the moon (and
this is the section in the manuscript) (see Wasserstein 1967, pp. 154-155). The complete
text survives in
München, Bayerische
Staatsbibliothek, Cod. graec. 482
,
Vatican City, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, Barg. gr. 16
, Escorial, Real Biblioteca, Esc. Φ. I. 10 (Andrés 188), Escorial, Real Biblioteca, Esc. Φ. I. 10 (Andrés 188), Modena, Biblioteca Estense universitaria, MS α. W. 3. 17 (Puntoni 215),
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, grec 2381
.
The texts were copied by four hands, some of them very similar to each other, on
two columns only at ff. 21r-36r.
Dr Matteo Di Franco
Language(s): Greek
1. ff. 1r-21r
Flavius Josephus,
Against Apion (I-II, 133)
Contra Apionem
Rubric:
f. 1r
Βλαβίου[sic] Ἰωσήπου περὶ ἀρχαιότητος Ἰουδαίων· ἐξ ἱστοριῶν συγκείμενος ἀντιρρητικὸς λόγος πρῶτος
κατὰ Ἑλλήνων
Incipit:
f. 1r Ἱκανῶς μὲν ὑπολαμβάνω καὶ διὰ τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀρχαιολογίαν συγγραφῆς
Explicit:
f. 21r τὰ δὲ γνώριμα πᾶσιν Ἀπίων παρήγαγε||
Book 1: 1r-17r, Book 2: 17r-21r
TLG 0526.003
2.1. ff. 21r, col. a - 22v, col. b
Synesius of Cyrene,
Catastasis II
Rubric:
f. 21r, col. a Συνεσίου Κυρηναίου κατάστασις ρηθεῖσα[sic] ἐπὶ τῆ μεγίστη τῶν βαρβάρων
ἐφόδω, ἡγεμονεύοντος Γενναδίου, καὶ δουκὸς ὄντος Ἰνωκεντίου[sic]
Incipit:
f. 21r, col. a Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅ τι καὶ χρὴ λέγειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς
συμφορῶν
Explicit:
f. 22v, col. b εἴης κράτιστος ἐν λόγοις καὶ πράγμασιν, ὧ πᾶσα Θαλέλαιε παιδεία
πρέπει
PG 66, 1565-1573
CPG 5638
TLG 2006.009
2.2. ff. 22v, col. b - 26r, col. b
Synesius of Cyrene,
Epistle 41 (ed. Garzya 2000)
Rubric:
f. 22v, col. b τοῦ αὐτοῦ κατὰ Ἀνδρονίκου· καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας
Incipit:
f. 22v, col. b Αἱ κακοποιοὶ δυνάμεις ἐν κόσμω, συντελοῦσι μὲν τῆ χρεία τῆς
προνοίας
Explicit:
f. 26r, col. b Νυνὶ δὲ οἷς τὸ συνέδριον μετῆλθε τὴν Ἀνδρονίκου μανίαν ἀκούσατε
PG 66, 1384-1400
CPG 5640
TLG 2006.012
2.3. ff. 26r, col. b - 27r, col. a
Synesius of Cyrene,
Epistle 42 (ed. Garzya 2000; defective at the end)
Rubric:
f. 26r, col. b ἡ κατὰ Ἀνδρονίκου ἐπιστολή
Incipit:
f. 26r, col. b Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν Βερονικέα τὸν κακῆ Πενταπόλεως μοίρα
Explicit:
f. 27r, col. a ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡ Πτολεμαΐδος ἐκκλησία· τάδε πρὸς τὰς ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς ἑαυτῆς
ἀδελφὰς διατάττεται||
PG 66, 1400-1401
CPG 5640
TLG 2006.012
3. ff. 27r, col. b - 29r, col. b
George of Pisidia,
De vanitate vitae
Rubric:
f. 27r, col. b Τοῦ Πισσίδου Γεωργίου εἰς τὸν μάταιον βίον
Incipit:
f. 27r, col. b Ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὰς πύλας ὁ τῆς ὅνου πρὶν διανοίξας τὸ
στόμα
Explicit:
f. 29r, col. b μέσον δὲ τοῦτον εὑρεθῆ πεφυρμένον· ὄχημα λαμπρὸν ἐκ Θ(εο)ῦ
πεπηγμένον
PG 92, 1581-1600
CPG 7835
4. f. 29r, col. b
John Mauropous,
Tetrastich
Rubric:
f. 29r, col. b Τοῦ κυροῦ Θεοδώρου τοῦ Πτωχουπροδρόμου
Incipit:
f. 29r, col. b Χειμὼν τὸ λυποῦν· σὰρξ τὸ πάσχον ἐνθάδε
Explicit:
f. 29r, col. b πρὸς τὰ στέφη βλέποντες οὐ πρὸς τοὺς πόνους
Ascribed to
Theodore Prodromos
in the manuscript; to
Manuel Philes
by
Ε. Miller 1855, Manuelis
Philae Carmina, vol. 1, p. 438 (no. CCXLI); to
John Mauropous
by L. Sternbach 1897, Methodii patriarchae et Ignatii patriarchae carmina inedita. Appendix
critica, in
Eos 4, p. 150-164 at 156-157; to
John Geometres
by I. Sajdak 1929, Spicilegium Geometreum, in Eos 32, p.
191-198
TLG 2718.001
5. f. 29r, col. b
Theodore Prodromos,
Tetrastich on Matthew (no. 194a, ed. Papagiannis 1997)
Incipit:
f. 29r, col. b Φῆς οὐκ ἔχειν ποῦ τὴν κάραν Χ(ριστ)έ κλίνειν
Explicit:
f. 29r, col. b οὐκ ἂν κλιθή[sic] που· καὶ γὰρ ἀκλινεστάτη
PG 133, 1181
TLG 2721.06
6. ff. 29r, col. b - 36r
George of Pisidia,
Hexaemeron (defective at the end: lines 1-1404, ed. Hercher 1866)
Rubric:
f. 29r, col. b Πισίδοιο Γεωργίοιο σοφίης δέλτος· διακόνοιο θεοῖω μεγίστης ἐκκλεσίας·
ἐξαήμερος ἠδ' Ἡρακλειὰς ἀπὸ ἰάμβων. τοῦ αὐτοῦ λογιωτάτου διακόνου τῆς μεγάλης τοῦ
Θ(εο)ῦ ἐκκλεσίας Γεωργί(ου)
τοῦ Πισσίδου, εἰς τὴν κοσμουργία· τὸ προοίμιον πρὸς Σέργιον π(ατ)ριάρχ(ην)
Incipit:
f. 29r, col. b Ὦ παντὸς ἔργου καὶ θεηγόρου λόγου· καὶ γλῶσσα καὶ νοῦς καὶ τροφὴ καὶ
καρδία
Explicit:
f. 36r ἢ ξηρότης ἔνυγρον ἁρπάσοι μάχην. οὐ κυρίως οὖν ἐστὶν ἡ μάχη μάχη||
Two folios are missing between f. 35v and 36r: f. 35v, col. b ends at ἐκ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν
δημιουργεῖ τὴν φύσιν· καὶ (line 1030), f. 36r starts at ὁ τοῦ Μάνεντος ἐμμανὴς λόγος λυττᾶ
(line 1379)
PG 92, 1425-1542
CPG 7834
TLG 2701.009
7.1. ff. 36v-38v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Epistle 17 Hippocrates to Damagetus (defective at the beginning; ed. Littré vol. ix)
Incipit: ||
f. 36v
⟨‹Ἐ›⟩γὼ δὲ· ὑμεῖς μὲν ἔφην ὦ Ἀβδηρῖται αὐτόθι μένετε ἐγγυτέρω δ’ αὐτὸς καὶ
λόγων καὶ σωμάτων τἀνδρὸς γεννηθεὶς
Explicit:
f. 38v Ταῦτ’ ἔχω σοι περὶ Δημοκρίτεω Δαμάγητε φράζειν γηθόσυνα πάνυ. ἔρρωσο
Paragraph titles, variant readings and reference to editio Basiliensis 1538 noted on margins by two
hands
TLG 0627.055
7.2. f. 38v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Epistle 18 Democritus to Hippocrates (defective at the end; ed. Littré vol. ix)
Incipit:
f. 38v Ἐπῆλθες ἡμῖν ὡς μεμηνόσιν ὦ Ἱππόκρατες ἐλλέβορον δώσων, πεισθεὶς ἀνοήτοις
ἀνδράσι
Explicit:
f. 38v καὶ πότερον ἄρχοι τὸ πάθος. ἢ μεσάζοι ἢ λήγοι· καὶ διαφορὴν καὶ ὥρην καὶ ἡλικίην
παρατηροῦντα ἰητρεύειν||
TLG 0627.055
7.3. ff. 39r-40v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Regimen iv or Dreams (defective at the end)
De diaeta IV
De insomniis
Rubric:
f. 39r Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ἐνυπνίων
Incipit:
f. 39r Περὶ δὲ τῶν τεκμηρίων τῶν ἐν τοῖσιν ὕπνοισι ὅστις ὀρθῶς γιγνώσκει, μεγάλην ἔχοντα
δύναμιν εὑρήσει πρὸς ἅπαντα
Explicit:
f. 40v διαβάσιες καὶ ὁπλῖται πολέμιοι. τέρατα ἀλλόμορφα, νοῦσον σημαίνει ἢ
μανίην||
TLG 0627.031
7.4. f. 40v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Excerpt from Nature of Man (11,6)
De natura hominis
Rubric:
f. 40v περὶ φλεβοτομίας
Incipit:
f. 40v Τὰς φλεβοτομίας δεῖ ποιεῖσθαι κατὰ τουτέους τοὺς λόγους
Explicit:
f. 40v τὸ ἔθνος μεταστήσαις ἂν ὥστε μηκέτι ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ χωρίον ξυλλέγεσθαι
TLG 0627.019
7.5. f. 40v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Excerpts from Nature of Man (15)
De natura hominis
Rubric:
f. 40v περὶ πυρετῶν
Incipit:
f. 40v Οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν πυρετῶν γίνονται ἀπὸ χολῆς· εἴδεα δὲ σφέων ἐστὶ τέσσαρα
Explicit:
f. 40v εὖ χρὴ εἰδέναι μὴ χρόνιον ἐσόμενον τὸν πυρετὸν, ἢν μὴ ἄλλο τι κακουργῆται ὁ
ἄνθρωπος
TLG 0627.019
7.6. ff. 40v-41v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Excerpts from Regimen in Health
De diaeta salubri
Rubric:
f. 40v περὶ διαίτης
Incipit:
f. 40v Τοὺς ἰδιώτας ὧδε χρὴ διαιτᾶσθαι· τοῦ μὲν χειμῶνος ἐσθίειν ὡς πλεῖστα
Explicit:
f. 41v ταῦτα δὲ ποιέειν, ὅκως οἵ τε σπασμοὶ ἧσσον ἐπιλάβωσι, καὶ μείζονα γένηται καὶ
εὐχροώτερα
TLG 0627.020
7.7. ff. 41v-43v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Excerpts from Affections
De affectionibus
Incipit:
f. 41v Ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ νοσέοντα ἀφίκη, ἐπανερωτᾶν χρὴ ἃ πάσχει· καὶ ἐξ ὅτου· καὶ ποσταῖος· καὶ
τὴν κοιλίην εἰ διαχωρέειν
Explicit:
f. 43v τὴν διαχώρησιν διὰ τοῦτο ταχείην παρέχε
TLG 0627.025
7.8. ff. 43v-44v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Excerpts from Regimen
De diaeta
Rubric:
f. 43v περὶ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ
Incipit:
f. 43v τὸν μὲν ἐνιαυτὸν εἰς τέσσαρα μέρη διαιρέουσιν. ἅπερ μάλιστα γινώσκουσιν οἱ
πολλοὶ
Explicit:
f. 44v καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους πλὴν εἴ τι μικρὸν ἡδονῆς παρέχειν εἵνεκα
Variant readings noted on margins
TLG 0627.031
7.9. ff. 44v-45r
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Excerpts from Diseases 1
De morbis I
Incipit:
f. 44v Πυρετὸς δὲ ἀπὸ τῶνδε γίνεται· ὁκόταν χολὴ ἢ φλέγμα θερμανθῆ
Explicit:
f. 45r ἡ παραφρόνησις γίνεται ὅσω περ ἡ χολὴ τοῦ φλέγματος ἀσθενεστέρη ἐστίν
TLG 0627.023
7.10. ff. 45r-46v
Hippocrates and Corpus Hippocraticum,
Regimen II, 60 and 40-52
De diaeta II
Incipit:
f. 45r Ὕδωρ πόμα θερμὸν, ἰσχναίνει· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ψυχρόν
Explicit:
f. 46v ὑγραίνει δὲ, ὅτι τρόφιμον ὑπάγει δὲ ὅτι γλυκὺ
Variant readings and reference to editio
Basiliensis 1538 noted on margins by two hands
TLG 0627.031
8. ff. 47r-77v
Gregory of Nyssa,
De opificio hominis
Rubric:
f. 47r Τῶ ἀδελφῶ δούλω θ(εο)ῦ Πέτρω ἐπισκοπω· Γρηγόριος ἐπίσκοπος Νύσης, ἐν
κ(υρί)ω χαίρειν. τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις π(ατρὸ)ς ἡμῶν Γρηγρίου τοῦ Νύσης, λόγος αος
Incipit:
f. 47r Εἰ ταῖς διὰ τῶν χρημάτων τιμαῖς ἔδει γεραίρειν τοὺς κατ’ ἀρετὴν
διαφέροντας
Explicit:
f. 77v ὅτι ποιήσωμεν ἄν(θρωπ)ον κατ’ εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν· ὧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς
αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν
Chapter titles in red; on ff. 47v-48r list of chapter titles, numbered by a later
reader
PG 44, 124-256
CPG 3154
TLG 2017.079
9. ff. 77v-79r
Demetrius Triclinius,
De nigro in luna (ed. Wasserstein 1967, lines 61-180)
Epinoema
Rubric:
f. 77v Περὶ τοῦ ἐν τῆ (σελήνη), ὁρωμένου μέλανος· ὡραῖον τοῦτο τοῖς ἀστρονόμοις
ὑπάρχει
Incipit:
f. 77v Ἐπειδὴ τὴν (σελήνην) μεταξύ φασι τοῦ τ' αἰθέρος κεῖσθαι
Explicit:
f. 79r εἰ δέ τις ἔχει βέλτιον φθέγξασθαι, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἂν σχοίη συντιθεμένους
10. ff. 79r-89r
Οn the sky, and the signs of Zodiac and planets in it
Rubric:
f. 79r Περὶ οὐ(ρα)νοῦ· καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῶ ζωδίων τὲ καὶ πλανήτων
Incipit:
f. 79r Οὐρανός ἐστιν, ἡ ἀνωτάτω κυκλοφορικὴ κόσμου παντὸς ἐπιφανία
Explicit:
f. 89r συνανατέλλει προκύων ὅλος· λαγὼς· ὕδρου κεφαλὴ· κυνὸς ἐμπρόσθιοι πόδες
Final rubric:
f. 89r ἀπὸ τῶν γραφέντων λύποσι τὰ ἕτερα τῶν ζωδίων
cf.
Maass 1898, Commentariorum in Aratum reliquiae
, p. LXVII-LXIX
11. ff. 89r-99r
On forecasts of the months (beginning from the Orphic fragmentum astrologicum)
Rubric:
f. 89r Περὶ καταρχῶν ἐκ τῶν δωδεκατρόπου Ὀρφέως κατὰ ζώδιον
Incipit:
f. 89r Τῶν τροπικῶν ζωδίων ὡροσκοπούντων
Explicit:
f. 99r τῆς (σελήνης) ἐναντίας ἁπάσας οὔσας
cf.
Kern 1922, Orphicorum Fragmenta
, fr. 288
cf. TLG 0579.007 and 4362.003
13. ff. 100r-102r
On the connection of the moon to the planets
Rubric:
f. 100r Περὶ συναφῆς τῆς (σελήνης) πρὸς τοὺς πλάνιτας[sic]
Incipit:
f. 100r Ἡ (σελήνη) ἀποστάσα τοῦ (ἡλίου)
Explicit:
f. 102r πλεῖν δὲ ἀσύμφορον· καὶ ὁ δεσμευθεὶς ταχέως λυθήσεται
Form: codex
Support:
ff. 1-102v Western paper, folded in quarto.
Watermarks:
basilisk (
60 × 40 mm.
) middle of the folio comparable to Briquet 2677
. The majority of those examples are dated to the early 15th century.
Head of animal in profile (goat?) (
45 × 35 mm.
) middle of the folio.
Two circles
one on top of the other crossed by a line ending in a Latin cross (
80 × 23 mm.
) middle of the folio comparable to Briquet 3163
. The majority of those examples are dated to the late 14th century.
Unicorn head (
60 × 50 mm.
) middle of the folio comparable to Briquet 15797
. The majority of those examples are dated to the late 14th century.
Extent:
Codex:
ii + 102 + 1 + iii leaves.,
297 × 218 mm.
Foliation: [i-ii] + 1-99, [99a], 100-102 + 103 + 104-106. Foliated in brown ink in Arabic numerals
in the
upper right-hand corner, recto, by an early reader and corrected in pencil from f. 79r
onwards. Quire 11 and 12 were inverted but the early foliation in ink was consistent
with the text: ff. 87-94 placed before
ff. 79-86. The correct order of quires was restored (see f. [i] recto) and
numbers struck out. The early reader also left some indications on reading order on
ff. 78v, 86v and 94v.
Collation
The manuscript consists of 13 quaternions, in quire 5 two folios are missing:
- Quires 1-48
ff. 1r-32v
- Quire 58-2
ff. 33r-38v
- Quire 6-138
ff. 39r-102v
There are two series of quire signatures, both in red ink in the lower inner corner
of the first
folio, recto and last folio, verso of the quire (the latter sometime missing) and
in pencil: the first series numbers
quires 1-6 from αʹ (f. 8v) to ϛʹ (f. 39r): on f. 33r a quire signature in pencil is present along with the red one, on f. 39r only a ϛ in pencil is present; the second series numbers quires 7-13 from A
(f. 47r) to Ζ (f. 95r). ε of second series is
struck out on f. 87r.
Condition
The corners of the book block are worn and rounded. Some leaves have also been torn
and repaired with paper patches
at the time of the binding. Humidity and water stains are repeatedly found throughout
the volume. There are occasional worm
holes.
Layout
ff. 1r-20v: written space
210 × 147 mm.
Main text in a single column, between 29 and 36 lines per page.
ff. 21r-36r: written space
215 × 145 mm.
Main text in two columns, between 31 and 35 lines per column.
Hand(s)
The manuscript is written by four hands: A ff. 1r-36r, 38v l.
18 - 39r l. 2; B ff. 36v-38v l. 17; C ff. 39r l. 3
- 46v; D ff. 47r-102r.
Hand A: in one or two columns, mixed minuscule vertical or slightly slanted to the
right, with
modest variation in letter size.
Syllabic abbreviations and superscript word endings usually appear only at the end
of lines, but occasionally elsewhere.
Breathings are curved and not joined to accents; mute iota is not present.
The handwriting is characterized by the beta both in bilobate or small heart-shape, alexandrinian
my, modern ny, and sigma used mostly in its lunate
shape.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper point, lower comma and full stop.
Hand B: mixed minuscule vertical or slightly slanted to the right, with modest variation
in
letter size but more evident than Hand A. The letters are almost always isolated and
the execution appears less orderly
than hand A. Omega is "en petit pain" shape.
Hand C: mixed minuscule vertical or slightly slanted to the right, with variation
in letter
size. Similar to the B hand. The dieresis is used consistently on ypsilon and iota, even with a circumflex accent.
Hand D: mixed minuscule vertical or slightly slanted to the right, with evident variation
in
letter size. It follows the same model as the A hand, but with more small majuscule
letters. Omega
is often closed with the shape of the infinity symbol.
Decoration
Headpiece on f. 47r.
Thick red-ink major initials throughout the manuscript, e.g. ff. 1r,
21r.
Minor initials written in a thin red-ink uncial throughout the manuscript, e.g. f.
2r.
Additions
A note on f. [i] recto on previously misplaced folios: ‘ff. 87-94 have been
placed before ff. 79-86. The binder is requested to correct this, following the foliation
in pencil after f. 78’
Indications on ff. 78v, 86v and 94v on the reading order.
Several notes scattered throughout the manuscript. An invocation on f. 102v: ἐλέησον με ὁ
θ(εὸ)ς.
Binding
Rebound by Douglas Cockerell and Son (Letchworth) in August 1963; the title (‘Josephus
& c.’ and the classmark are tooled on the spine. The classmark and the title (‘Josephus
M. S.’) of the 18th
century binding are glued on the inside of the front
cover.
309 × 238 × 39 mm.
Origin: The style of scripts and the watermarks suggest that the manuscript was written in
the late 14th or early 15th century.
Provenance and Acquisition
John Moore (1646-1714)
, bishop of Ely:
no. 973 (right pastedown) in the handwritten supplementary list of Moore's manuscripts,
now MS Oo.7.50(2), compiled by
Thomas Tanner (1674-1735)
after the publication of Bernard,
Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ (c. 1697).
Presented to the University Library in 1715 by
George I (1660-1727)
:
donation bookplate engraved by
John Pine (1690-1756)
in 1736
on the left pastedown.
