xMMs.Hi1. Pharsalia., 1465

Item

Identifier: 9

Staff Only
No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

Marcus Annaeus Lucanus's Pharsalia, also known as De Bello Civili. A complete text of the poem in 10 books, the first three of which are minutely annotated in the margins and between the lines. The manuscript opens with a summary of the poem in rhyming hexameter verses and concludes with a useful colophon: "Hoc opus scriptum fuit p me Tomam domini baldinocti de baldinoctis Anno dni Mcccclxv mensis ianuarii." [This book was written by me Tomas (scribe?) of the Nobleman Baldinocti de Baldinoctis in the year of 1465 in the month of January.] The last page holds a remedy in Italian for warts. (See the transcription and translation for the wart remedy below.)

Dates

Creation: 1465

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

Author: Marcus Annaeus Lucanus. Scribe: Baldinotti, Tommaso, 1451-1511.

Extent

From the Collection: 18.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

Latin

Italian

Additional Description

Related Materials

Related materials can be found in Research Materials Box 1.

Physical Description

295 x 210 mm binding, 285 x 202 mm text. Paper codex. Physical Description: Parchment end pages. Collation: Quire 1: 1 bifolio, parchment, repurposed from another mansucript. Quire 2: 5 bifolios, folio 1 bottom margin cut off. Quire 3: 5 bifolios. Quire 4: 5 bifolios. Quire 5: 5 bifolios. Quire 6: 5 bifolios. Quire 7: 5 bifolios. Quire 8: 5 bifolios. Quire 9: 5 bifolios. Quire 10: 5 bifolios. Quire 11: 5 bifolios. Quire 12: 5 bifolios. Quire 13: 5 bifolios. Quire 14: 5 bifolios. Quire 15: 3 bifolios. Quire 16: 1 bifolio, parchment, repurposed from another manuscript. Foliation: In pencil (recent), upper right corner of recto, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, 91, 101, 111, 121, 131. Ruling: Visible ruling of margins, text frame and text lines, light black ink. hand: One, 15th century Italian humanist script. Initials and Capitals: Some beautifully decorated capitals done in Florence style: gold letters on blue background with white dots spotted in the blue and white tree branches with brown, green and red backgrounds interwoven in the middle of the letters. Most indicate the beginning of a new section of the poem. Images: There is a small image on the verso of a folio (29v) at the beginning of the book that holds a map of sorts with evidence of land and sea and the word "Hespia." A few pages later (36r), there is a diagram of Europa and Affrica with the four directional orientations noted. Marginal Notation Notes: At the end of the text, there is a remedy for warts in Italian. See transcription and translation below. Marginal Notation, Commentary: The margins both right and left of the text block are used for commentary. For the first three books both margins contain writing. The left margin is about 60 mm wide, the right 40 mm. Various manicules appear at various points. The commentary has been edited and published: Samuel J. Huskey, "Fragments of an Anonymous Medieval Commentary in a Manuscript of Lucan's 'De bello civili," International Journal of Medieval and Humanistic Studies 46 (2001): 91–110. Marginal Notation, Emendations: All marginalia aside from two small emendations and one manicule appear in the first three books of the poem.