Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge Libraries: Cambridge, University Library, MS Nn.3.8

Diktyon no.: Diktyon 12242

Introduction: The manuscript contains three treatises attributed to Euclid: Catoptrics, which now is considered spurious, on the mathematical theory of mirrors, Phaenomena on spherical astronomy, and Optics on the geometry of vision. It was copied by the Greek scribe Konstantinos Mesobotes, who was active in the first half of the 16th in Italy, in Padua, Venice and Bologna. The texts derive from MS München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod. Graec. 361a , ( Heiberg 1895, p.xxvii; Heiberg-Menge 1916, p. xxix) which was owned by Cardinal Domenico Grimani (see A. Diller, H.D. Saffrey, L.G. Westerink, Bibliotheca Graeca Manuscripta Cardinalis Dominici Grimani (1461-1523), Venice 2003, no. 391 p. 165) and was brought with his collection to the monastery of S. Antonio di Castello in Venice after his death (1523). The work of the scribe on the manuscript seems incomplete: rubrics were not added (now and then later hands added some missing initials, see e.g. f. 22r). The quires are now in disorder: since the scribe numbered them correctly, this must have happened later, probably when the manuscript was rebound. Dr Erika Elia

Language(s): Greek

1. ff. 1r-15r

⟨ Catoptrics⟩ ⟨ Catoptrica⟩

Incipit: f. 1r [⟨Ὑ⟩]ποκείσθω ὄψιν εἶναι εὐθεῖαν ἧς τὰ μέσα πάντα τοῖς ἄκροις ἐπιπροσθεῖ

Explicit: f. 15r l. 17 ὥστε ἐνταῦθα στυππίον[sic] τεθὲν, ἐξαφθήσεται

At f. 1r the text is accompanied by scholia (TLG 5022.005), written by the main scribe: first scholion inc. ἢ πάλιν ἑτέρου τινὸς σώματος ( I.L. Heiberg [ed.], Euclidis opera omnia, 7, Leipzig 1895, 347); last scholion inc. Τοῦ ε καταληφθέντος οὐκέτι ὁρᾶται τὸ ὁρώμενον (ed. Heiberg 1895, 348)

The text, traditionally attributed to Euclid , is considered spurious

There are no rubrics; the text is accompanied by diagrams

TLG 1799.011

2. ff. 15r-32v, 41r-56v, 33r-35r

Euclid, Phaenomena (recensio b)

Incipit: f. 15r l. 18 [⟨ Ἐ⟩]πειδὴ ὁρᾶται τὰ ἀπλανῆ ἄστρα

Explicit: f. 35r l. 16 ἤπερ ἡ λοιπὴ τὸ φανερὸν καὶ ἡ τυχοῦσα τῆς τυχούσης.

Final rubric: f. 35r Τέλος τῶν φαινομένων

Due to the misplacement of two quires (quire ‘ε΄’ ff. 41r-48v and quire ‘ϛ΄’ ff. 49r-56v) the order of the text is incorrect: the correct sequence is: ff. 15r l. 18-32v, 41r-56v, 33r-35r l. 16

The text is accompanied by scholia, written by the main scribe: first scholion at f. 15v inc. οἷον τοῦ Ὠρίωνος ( J.L. Heiberg, H. Menge [eds.], Euclidis opera omnia, 8, Leipzig 1916, 134-156 [TLG 5022.006]: 134); last scholion at f. 34v inc. χρή εἰδέναι ὅτι ἢν βουλόμεθα[sic] δεῖξαι ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ (ed. Heiberg-Menge 1916, 151)

For the 14th proposition, the codex contains an alternative version (Menge 1916, Appendix 3, pp. 114-132, TLG 1799.014)

There are no rubrics; the final rubric was added by another hand; there are no diagrams accompanying the text

TLG 1799.013 + 1799.014

3. ff. 35r-40v, 57r-80r

Euclid, Optics (revision by Theon of Alexandria) Opticorum recensio Theonis

Incipit: f. 35r l. 17 Ἀποδεικνὺς τὰ κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν παραμυθίας

Explicit: f. 80r καθάπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κύκλοις.

Due to the misplacement of two quires (quire ‘ε΄’ ff. 41r-48v and quire ‘ϛ΄’ ff. 49r-56v) the order of the text is incorrect: the correct sequence is: ff. 35r l. 17-40v, 57r-80r

There are no rubrics; the text is accompanied by diagrams

TLG 1799.010

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Western paper, folded in quarto. Watermarks: ff. 1-32, 41-48 Flower with five petals, small ( 20 × 13 mm. ) in the external corners of the leaf, comparable to Briquet Fleur 6464 (which is bigger), an Italian watermark dated 1499 and 1504, and to Sosower Fleur 1 (which is also bigger), dated 1501 (Messina). ff. 33-40, 49-80 Crossbow in a circle ( ca. 34 × ca. 43 mm. ) in the gutter comparable to Harlfinger Arbalète 43 (with differences), which is dated 1501 (Venice). [i]-[iii], [iv]-[vι] Western paper, folded in quarto, no watermarks.

Extent: Codex: iii + 80 + iii leaves. 240 × 170 mm.

Foliation: Modern foliation, in pencil, in the top right hand corner, recto, of the leaves; at both the beginning and the end of the manuscript there are three unnumbered endleaves: [i]-[iii] + 1-80 + [iv]-[vi].

Collation

The manuscript consists of 10 quaternions with six endleaves

3 paper endleaves, ff. [i]-[iii]
Quires 1-10⁸ ff. 1-80(α^ον-ι^ον )
3 paper endleaves, ff. [iv]-[vi]

Quire signatures in Greek numerals by the scribe, on the first folio recto of each quire, in the lower margin, right, from α^ον (1, f. 1r) to ι^ον (10, f. 73r). Only the first and the last ones have the abbreviation for the ordinal number. The 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th leaf of each quaternion are numbered in latin numerals (‘ii, iii, iiii’). Due to the misplacement of two quires, the sequence of the signatures, and of the quires, is now as follows:

α^ον-δʹ
ζ΄
εʹ-ϛʹ
η΄-ι^ον

Condition

The manuscript is in good condition. Humidity and water stains are found throughout the volume, particularly in the upper margin of the leaves, near the gutter (see ff. 57-80). There are orange and brown stains throughout (see e.g. ff. [i] verso, 72v, [vi] recto).

Layout

A single column of 21 lines. 145 × 80 mm.

Hand(s)

Hand A: the text was copied by Konstantinos Mesobotes (Κωνσταντῖνος Μεσοβώτης, 16th c., first half, RGK I, 224; on the scribe see also RGK II, 315; RGK III, 363) in a minuscule script, vertical, of small size, with baroque features; it is the cursive variant of Mesobotes' script (for the identification of two variants in his script see Martinelli Tempesta 2020).

The text is written in brown ink.

The scribe also wrote some scholia in the margins.

Hand a: another, contemporary hand, with a script similar to Mesobotes', wrote a few additions and corrections to the first text, in a light brown ink, see e.g. see ff. 18v-19r, 20v-21r.

Hand b: another hand wrote a few notes in the margins throughout the first text, see ff. 18r, 30r. It is a minuscule script, vertical, datable probably in the 16th c. The ink is light brown.

Hand c: a later hand added a final rubric on f. 35r.

Decoration

The texts of Catoptrics (ff. 1r-15r) and Optics (ff. 35r-40v, 57r-80r are accompanied by diagrams in brown ink by the scribe.

Additions

On f. [i] verso is written, in black ink, the current shelfmark, ‘Nn-3-8’; in the centre of the leaf, in pencil, there is a letter, ‘ E’, a note by a librarian denoting the manuscript's size classification.

On f. [ii] recto a later hand wrote the contents of the manuscript, ‘ Euclidis Catoptrica Phaenome Optica’, in black ink.

Binding

Full leather binding over couched-laminate boards. Gold tooled frame on both boards. Gold tooling on both boards' edges. The spine bears extensive decorative gold tooling with flowers and the title ‘ Euclidis Catoptrica MS.’ The shelfmark is written on damaged leather labels. Marbled paper has been pasted on the pastedowns and on ff. [i] recto and [vi] verso.

245 × 175 × 23 mm.

History

Origin:

The manuscript was written by the Greek scribe Konstantinos Mesobotes, active in Italy in the first half of the 16th century. The texts in the manuscript derive from MS München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod. Graec. 361a, which was owned by Cardinal Domenico Grimani (1460-1523) (see A. Diller, H.D. Saffrey, L.G. Westerink, Bibliotheca Graeca Manuscripta Cardinalis Dominici Grimani [1461-1523], Venice 2003, nr. 391 p. 165), whose manuscript collection was brought to S. Antonio di Castello monastery in Venice, after his death (1523), becoming accessible for numerous scribes, who produced copies of them. Therefore, CUL MS Nn.3.8 was probably copied in Venice in the second quarter of the 16th century; Konstantinos Mesobotes was active in Venice around 1533 (see RGK I, 224).

Provenance and Acquisition

The codex was later owned by the physician and book collector Anthony Askew (1722-1774).

After Askew's death, the manuscript was sold in the auction of his library, organized by Leigh and Sotheby, in March 1785 (lot 618), and bought by Richard Farmer for Cambridge University Library. On the left pastedown is pasted the bookplate of Cambridge University Library.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description (2019) draws partly on A catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge, vol. 4, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1861, p. 478.

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, 4: Ll-Oo, Cambridge University Press, 1861)

Euclidis Opera omnia Bibliotheca scriptorum graecorum et romanorum Teubneriana. [Scriptores graeci], (Lipsiae, 7, in aedibus BGTeubneri, 1895)

Euclidis opera omnia Bibliotheca scriptorum graecorum et romanorum Teubneriana. [Scriptores graeci], (Lipsiae, 8, B.G. Teubneri, 1916)

Specimen eines Repertoriums der griechischen Kopisten. Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik, Gamillscheg, ErnstHarlfinger, Dieter (27, 293-322, 1978)

Repertorium der griechischen Kopisten, 800-1600. I. Grossbritannien Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Byzantinistik, Gamillscheg, ErnstHarlfinger, Dieter (Wien, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1981)

Alcune riflessioni sulla produzione scritta di Costantino Mesobote da codici Ambrosiani Griechisch-byzantinische Handschriftenforschung. Traditionen, Entwicklungen, neue Wege, Martinelli Tempesta, S. (Berlin - Munich - Boston, 215-231, De Gruyter, 2020)

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 Nn.3.8

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