Western Medieval Manuscripts : Demosthenes

Western Medieval Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> This manuscript, which is datable to the late 16th century, contains <i> Demosthenes</i>' oration <i> De falsa legatione</i>; the text is incomplete and accompanied by a marginal Latin commentary. Since a few passages of the commentary are in English, it can be assumed that it was the work of an English scholar.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> At the beginning of the manuscript, there is a series of epigrams and brief verses in Greek, Latin, and French by various scholars and intellectuals of the 16th century, mostly from the Genevan Calvinist circle: the Greek-Italian classical scholar Franciscus Portus (1511-1581), his son Aemilius, the French printer Henri II Estienne (1531-1598), the French theologian Theodore Beza (1519-1605) and others. Various of these compositions were written in commemoration of John Calvin (1509-1564).</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> Dr Erika Elia</p>