Marcianus graecus Z 490 (= 864) – Mc

Previous descriptions: Mioni (1985, 297–9).

Reproductions: –

Family: y

Siglum: Mc

Shelfmark: Marcianus graecus Z 490

Date: 1330–1350

Format: paper, 280×210 mm, 147 ff.

Material: the paper is in good condition; unfortunately, some folios have been cut, so in several places some marginalia are partly lost.    

Watermarks: arbalist, from beginning up to the end, it is very similar to Mošin-Traljić 212 (Paris 1338, Genua 1340), Briquet 703 (Bologna 1334–1336, Palermo 1335, Pisa 1337, Murano 1339, Florence 1341, Venice 1342, Angoulème 1346, Treviso 1349), and Piccard Werkzeug und Waffen XI 2026 (Treviso 1340).

Scribes: A: ff. 1r–67r, l. 15, 104r–147v; B: ff. 67r, l. 15–101v.

Annotations: in the upper margin on f. 1r BessarionBessarion (RGK I 41 = II 61 = III 77) wrote liber de grammatica 65; on f. 147v an unknown hand wrote hic liber est [[±32]] pro aliis libris perfertur Theocrito Pindaro Hesiodo et Sophocle in uno volumine in papyro et altero et [±4].

1 (ff. 1r–38v) Thomas Magister, Ecloga nominum et verborum Atticorum. Incipit: ὡς προστέθειται ὃ τῆς πόλεως ἀπείρατόν ἐστι (11.18). Explicit: οἷον ὢ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀθλιότητος, ἠ θαυμαστικόν· οἷον ὢ τοῦ ξένου μετάλλου (409.6). Edited in Ritschl (1832).

f. 39: blank.

2 (ff. 40r–65v) Iohannes Glycys, De syntaxi. Title: περὶ συντάξεως τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πατριάρχου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Ἰωάννου τοῦ Γλύκεος. Incipit: τοῦ λόγου χρῆσις εὕρηται μὲν ἢ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Explicit: δικαίως ἂν αὐτοῖς καὶ εἴη καὶ νομίζοιτο. Edited in Jahn (1849).

3 (ff. 65v–66v) De spiritibus. Title: περὶ πνευμάτων κατὰ στοιχεῖον. Incipit πρὸ τοῦ λεξικοῦ τῶν πνευμάτων σημειωτέον ταῦτα, explicit κἂν μὴ γέγραπται. See Egenolff (1888, 17–22, 32).

4 (ff. 66v–70v) <Georgius Choeroboscus, De spiritibus>. Title: λεξικὸν περὶ πνευμάτων ἐκλεγὲν ἐκ τῶν περὶ πνευμάτων Τρύφωνος, Χοιροβοσκοῦ, Θεοδωρίτου καὶ ἑτέρων καὶ ἀντιγράφοις διαφόροις ἀντιβληθὲν καὶ ὀρθωθέν. Incipit ἀρχὴ τοῦ α· τὸ α πρὸ ἑαυτοῦ ψιλοῦται ἀεί (188, 10). Explicit: τὸ ἀρνητικὸν ψιλοῦται (215.8). Edited in Valckenaer (1822).

5 (ff. 70v–71r) [Ammonius], De impropriis. Title: Ἀμμωνίου περὶ ἀκυρολογίας. Incipit ἀκυρολογία ἐστὶ λέξεων. Explicit: παρὰ τὸ οὐτᾶσθαι (12.5). Edited in Nickau (1966, 137–59).

(ff. 71r–79v) [Ammonius], De adfinium vocabulorum differentia. Title: Ἀμμωνίου περὶ ὁμοίων καὶ διαφόρων λέξεων. Incipit: ἀβέβηλα καὶ βέβηλα διαφέρουσιν (2). Explicit: ἐν ἀγορᾷ διατρῖψαι (524). Edited in Nickau (1966) (manuscript M).

6 (ff. 79v–101v) Excerpts from Pollux, Onomasticon, preceded by an index of the chapters (79v–80r); incipit δικάζων ὁ κληρωθείς (8.8). Explicit θάμνοι φωλεοί ἕλη ὀργάδες (5.9). The collection is incomplete, since the last excerpt is the one περὶ θήρας (ρλα = 131), but after that in the index 19 more are listed in the index (up to ρν = 150), but do not appear in the other section; moreover, the last excerpt on hunting is likely mutilated at the end. On this collection of excerpts, see Cavarzeran (2022).

ff. 102–3: blank.

7 (ff. 104r–122v) Cornutus. De natura deorum. Title: περὶ οὐρανοῦ. Incipit: οὐρανὸς περιέχει κύκλῳ τὴν γῆν. Explicit: καθ’ ἣν ἁρμόττει συμμετρίαν διδασκομένων. Edited in Torres (2018) (manuscript E).

8 (ff. 122v–132r) Palaephatus, De incredibilibus. No title. Incipit: τάδε περὶ τῶν ἀπίστων συγγέγραφα. Explicit: ἐκ τούτων οὖν ὁ μῦθος. Edited in Festa (1902).

9 (ff. 132r–147v) Harpocration, Lexicum in decem oratores Atticos. Title: Ἁρποκρατίων. Incipit: ἄβαρις κύριον. Explicit: πάλιν πρὸς τὸν διαμαρτυρήσαντα (δ 129). Edited in Keaney (1991) (manuscript L).

The manuscript is a miscellany of grammatical and lexicographical works compiled in Constantinople or Thessalonica in the first half of the 14th century (see Ucciardello 2011, 256).    The volume was then owned by BessarionBessarion, who in 1468, after some negotiations with Paolo Morosini, donated his entire library to the Republic of Venice, which eventually made it the core collection of the future Biblioteca Marciana (or Bibliotheca sancti Marci); on this topic see Labowski (1979, 3–38); M. Zorzi (1987).