Marcianus graecus Z 486 (= 882) – M

Previous descriptions: Mioni (1985, 293–5).

Reproductions: –

Family: π

Siglum: M

Shelfmark: Marcianus graecus Z 486

Date: first half of the 15th century.

Format: paper, 344 ff.

Material: paper in an excellent state of preservation.

Binding: not original.

Watermarks: tower, ff. 4–5, 12–13, 72–73, 76–77, 100–101, 163–166, 172–173, 228–229, 275–278, 320–321, 340–341 Briquet 15864 (1415–1436) or Piccard Turm II 504 (1420–1); star, ff. 84–86, 92–93, 102 similar to Briquet 6027 (1457).

Scribes: a single scribe wrote the entire manuscript.

Annotations: on f. 1v Bessarion wrote a table of contents in Greek, followed by an ownership note κτῆμα Βησσαρίονος καρδινάλεως τοῦ τῶν Τούσκλων; he also wrote in Latin locus 88. regulae grammaticales diversae et optumae. liber b(essarionis) Car. Tusculani.

1 (ff. 2r–71v) Manuel Moschopulus, Vocum Atticarum collectio. Title: ὀνομάτων Ἀττικῶν συλλογὴ ἐκλεγεῖσα ἀπὸ τῆς Τεχνολογίας τῶν Εἰκόνων τοῦ Φιλοστράτου, ἣν ἐξέδοτο ὁ σοφώτατος κύριος Μανουὴλ ὁ Μοσχόπουλος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν βιβλίων τῶν ποιητῶν. Still edited in Τῶν ὀνομάτων Ἀττικῶν ξυλλογὴ ἐκλεγεῖσα ἀπὸ τῆς τεχνολογίας τῶν Εἰκόνων τοῦ Φιλοστράτου, ἣν ἐξέδοτο ὁ σοφώτατος κύριος Μανουὴλ ὁ Μοσχόπουλος συναχθεῖσα ἀπὸ τῶν βιβλίων τῶν ποιητῶν. Dictionarium Graecum, cum interpretatione latina, omnium quae hactenus impressa sunt copiosissimum. Venetiis in aedibus Aldi et Andreae Asulani soceri. 1524, 135r–164r.

2 (ff. 72r–77v) Manuel Moschopulus, De nominibus. Title: τοῦ αὐτοῦ κυροῦ Μανουὴλ ἀναγκαῖα τινὰ καὶ ἀξιοσημείωτα. Incipit: τῶν ὀνομάτων τινὰ μὲν δηλοῦσι πάθος. Explicit: ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵημι τὸ πέμπω προπερισπῶνται οἷον ἀφιᾶσιν. Still unedited.

3 (ff. 77v–80v) A short text about metres. Title: περὶ μέτρων. Incipit: ἰστέον ὅτι πάντες οἱ πόδες εἰσὶν κη (close to schol. P. Capitula ad praefationem scholiorum ad Pindari carmina d–f, vol. 3 pp. 308–10 Drachmann). Explicit: ὡς μακρὰν καὶ βραχεῖαν δέξασθαι.

f. 81: blank.

4 (ff. 82r–155r) Thomas Magister, Ecloga vocum atticarum. Title: ὀνοματων ἀττικων ἐκλογὴ οἷς οἱ δοκιμώτατοι χρῶνται τῶν παλαιῶν καί τινες αὐτῶν παρασημειώσεις καὶ διαφοραὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα τῷ σοφωτάτῳ καὶ τιμιωτάτῳ μοναχῷ πονηθεῖσα κυρῷ Θεοδούλῳ τῷ Μαγίστρῳ. Edited in Ritschl (1832).

5 (ff. 155v–168r) Moeris, Lexicon. Title: εὐμοίριδος ἀττικιστοῦ λέξεις ἀττικῶν καὶ ἑλλήνων κατὰ στοιχεῖον. Edited in Hansen (1998); manuscript M.

6 (ff. 168r–171v), <Maximus Planudes, Atticismi>. Title: Ἀττικισμοὶ τῶν λογίων. Incipit: ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, μνημονεύω τοῦ δεῖνος. Explicit: προσώκειλεν ἡ ναῦς λέγουσιν. Edited in d’Ansse de Villoison (1781 vol. 2, 79–85); a new edition of this text is being prepared by Andrea Cuomo and Grigory Vorobyev.

7 (ff. 171v–177v) Phrynichus, Ecloga. Title: Φρυνίχου ἐκλογὴ ἀττικῶν ῥημάτων καὶ ὀνομάτων. Edited in Fischer (1974); manuscript Q.

8 (ff. 177v–180r) Extracts from [Herodianus], <Philetaerus>. Title: Ἡροδιανοῦ. Edited in Dain 1954, 75–82); manuscript M. See also Ucciardello (2021, 71).

9    (ff. 180r–186r)    Manuel Moschopulus, <Erotemata>. Title: τοῦ σοφωτάτου κυροῦ Μανουὴλ τοῦ Μοσχοπούλου. Incipit: ἄγαμαι, ἠγάμην, ἀγάσομαι. Explicit: ψῆφος ἡ ἀπόφασις οὐχὶ κρίσις. Still edited in Grammaticae artis graecae methodus Manuele Moschopulo auctore. Eiusdem artis Theodori Gazae lib. II. Basileae. ex officina Ioan. Vualder. 1540. See also Rollo (2019, 246).

10    (ff. 186r–248v) Maximus Planudes, Dialogus de grammatica. Title: τοῦ σοφωτάτου καὶ λογιωτάτου κυροῦ Μαξίμου τοῦ Πλανούδη τοῦ ἐν μοναχοῖς τιμιωτάτου διάλογος περὶ γραμματικῆς ἄγαν ὠφελιμώτατος, οὗ πρόσωπα παλαίτινος καὶ νεόφρων. προηγεῖται δὲ ὁ νεόφρων. Edited in Bachmann (1828 vol. 2, 1–101).

11 (ff. 248v–262r) Maximus Planudes, De syntaxi. Title: τοῦ αὐτοῦ κυροῦ    Μαξίμου τοῦ Πλανούδη περὶ συντάξεως. Edited in Bachmann (1828 vol. 2, 105–66).

12 (ff. 262v–264v) Manuel Moschopulus, De passionibus dictionum. Title: περὶ παθημάτων τῶν λέξεων τοῦ κυροῦ Μανουὴλ τοῦ Μοσοχοπούλου. Edited in Schaefer (1811, 675–81).

13 (ff. 265r–310r) Georgius Lacapenus, Epimerismi in epistulas. In alphabetical order. Title: ἀρχὴ σὺν τῷ θεῷ τῆς γραμματικῆς κυροῦ Γεωργίου τοῦ Λεκαπηνοῦ. Incipit: ἀσχολία λέγετι ἡ πολλὴ περί τι σπουδή. Explicit: ὡς καὶ δέδοικα μὴ πολιορκήσουσιν αὐτήν. See Lindstam (1924).

ff. 310v–312v: blank.

14 (ff. 313r–341r) Collection of proverbs from several collections (i.e. Zenobius, Diogenianus, and Gregorius Cyprius), in alphabetical order, with explanations. Title: παροιμίαι δημώδεις κατὰ στοιχεῖον. Incipit: ἀβυδηνὸν ἐπιφόρημα· ἐπὶ τῶν ἀηδῶν τάττεται. Explicit: τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔργοις εὐεργετούντων. See Leutsch, Schneidewin (1839–1851, vol. 1) and Bühler (1987, 151–3). This text was copied from Oxon.Bodl. Auct. T.2.17Oxon. Bodl. Auct. T.2.17 (see Bühler 1987, 146–51).

15 (f. 341r–v) Collection of proverbs from various authors about the impossible things. Title: ἀπὸ τῶν παροιμιῶν τοῦ Πλουτάρχου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρχαίων σοφῶν ἐκλογή· ὅσα ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων εἴρηται. Incipit: κατὰ πετρῶν σπείρεις. Explicit: δικτύῳ ὕδωρ κομίζεις. Edited in Leutsch, Schneidewin (1839–1851 vol. 1, 343–6).

16 (f. 341v) Animals’ calls. Title: φωναὶ ζώων πεποιημέναι. Incipit: ἐπὶ κύκνου ᾄδειν. Explicit: ἐπὶ ὄφεων συρίσδειν ἢ συρίζειν. See Bancalari (1893), but the text in this manuscript is quite different and not considered by him.

f. 342–344: blank.

This manuscript is a miscellany of grammatical and lexicographical works, with a section on paroemiography at the end. The copyist is unknown and the place where it was written cannot be determined. In any case, it belonged to BessarionBessarion’s library, since, according to Labowsky (1979, 177), it is mentioned in the inventory of 1468 as number 480: ‘Item regulae grammaticales diversae et optimae, in papyro, id est Moschopuli et Magistri et aliorum plurium’ (it should be noted, however, that the manuscript is on paper and not on parchment). This manuscript was donated by Bessarion, together with his entire library, to the Republic of Venice and is now part of the main collection of the Biblioteca Marciana (see Labowski 1979, 3–38; Zorzi 1987).