Gonville and Caius College : Greek medical texts

Gonville and Caius College

This manuscript is a composite of multiple short parts, variously produced in the second half of the 15th and first three quarters of the 16th century, whose content consists chiefly of Greek medical texts, but also includes a commentary on the Odyssey by the ancient Greek scholar Didymus Chalcenterus, who worked in Rome in the time of Augustus, a brief text on the orations of Demosthenes by the 4th-century CE writer Libanios, and a short section of the 6th-century De aedificiis of Procopius of Caesarea, on the buildings constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian I.The longest of the medical works is a text on urine by the leading Byzantine medical writer Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios, whose biography is uncertain but who apparently worked in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This text is credited with an unusual degree of originality and breadth in its use of sources from outside the Greek tradition, which became the definitive work on its subject and remained so for several centuries. There are a number of other short works, some of which are by the great ancient physicians Hippocrates and Galen, while others are anonymous.The manuscript is made up of ten distinct physical components, written on different types of paper by as many as nine different copyists, many of which at least were clearly produced in different contexts, as their watermarks indicate that their production was spread across a range from the middle of the 15th to the middle of the 16th century. Two of these hands have been identified with known Greek scribes who both worked in north-eastern Italy: one Nikolaos, who is known to have worked in Venice and Padua at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, and Konstantinos Mesobotes, found in Venice, Padua and Bologna during the first half of the 16th.While most of the texts here appear in only one physical component of the manuscript, that of Ioannes Aktouarios spans two, the beginning appearing in the section copied by Nikolaos (<a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(77);return false;'>ff. 35r-66v</a>) and the second in the following section, copied by Mesobotes (<a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(141);return false;'>ff. 67r-141r</a>). However, despite the fact that these scribes worked in the same region during overlapping periods, it is clear that these sections were not produced as part of a single project, nor was one produced to complete the other, since there is a large overlap between the portions of the text they contain. The watermarks also indicate that the latter portion was produced a considerable time after the former. These therefore appear to be simply fragments of two original manuscripts produced in unrelated contexts and bound together. This section by Mesobotes also contains other medical texts, while a later component of the manuscript, containing the work of Procopius, is also in his hand (<a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(357);return false;'>ff. 176r-185r</a>). Gamillscheg and Harlfinger state (Repetorium der Griechischen Kopisten 800-1600, I, 224) that another section (<a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(9);return false;'>ff. 1r-4v</a>, containing the text of Libanios) was also the work of Mesobotes, but the script does not appear very close to other examples of his work, and the likely dating of the watermarks is earlier than his known period of activity.At some point not long after the completion of the latest portions, the components of these manuscripts were acquired by John Caius (1510-1573), the English physician and second founder of Gonville and Caius College. He evidently either acquired them as one entity or had them bound together, since a note in his hand survives recording his donation of the manuscript to the college (<a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(8);return false;'>f. [iii] verso</a>). This is one of a number of Greek manuscripts of wholly or partially medical content acquired by Caius from Italy.Dr Christopher Wright

Page: 35r

Greek medical texts (Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 76/43)

This manuscript is a composite of multiple short parts, variously produced in the second half of the 15th and first three quarters of the 16th century, whose content consists chiefly of Greek medical texts, but also includes a commentary on the Odyssey by the ancient Greek scholar Didymus Chalcenterus, who worked in Rome in the time of Augustus, a brief text on the orations of Demosthenes by the 4th-century CE writer Libanios, and a short section of the 6th-century De aedificiis of Procopius of Caesarea, on the buildings constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian I.

The longest of the medical works is a text on urine by the leading Byzantine medical writer Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios, whose biography is uncertain but who apparently worked in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This text is credited with an unusual degree of originality and breadth in its use of sources from outside the Greek tradition, which became the definitive work on its subject and remained so for several centuries. There are a number of other short works, some of which are by the great ancient physicians Hippocrates and Galen, while others are anonymous.

The manuscript is made up of ten distinct physical components, written on different types of paper by as many as nine different copyists, many of which at least were clearly produced in different contexts, as their watermarks indicate that their production was spread across a range from the middle of the 15th to the middle of the 16th century. Two of these hands have been identified with known Greek scribes who both worked in north-eastern Italy: one Nikolaos, who is known to have worked in Venice and Padua at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, and Konstantinos Mesobotes, found in Venice, Padua and Bologna during the first half of the 16th.

While most of the texts here appear in only one physical component of the manuscript, that of Ioannes Aktouarios spans two, the beginning appearing in the section copied by Nikolaos (ff. 35r-66v) and the second in the following section, copied by Mesobotes (ff. 67r-141r). However, despite the fact that these scribes worked in the same region during overlapping periods, it is clear that these sections were not produced as part of a single project, nor was one produced to complete the other, since there is a large overlap between the portions of the text they contain. The watermarks also indicate that the latter portion was produced a considerable time after the former. These therefore appear to be simply fragments of two original manuscripts produced in unrelated contexts and bound together. This section by Mesobotes also contains other medical texts, while a later component of the manuscript, containing the work of Procopius, is also in his hand (ff. 176r-185r). Gamillscheg and Harlfinger state (Repetorium der Griechischen Kopisten 800-1600, I, 224) that another section (ff. 1r-4v, containing the text of Libanios) was also the work of Mesobotes, but the script does not appear very close to other examples of his work, and the likely dating of the watermarks is earlier than his known period of activity.

At some point not long after the completion of the latest portions, the components of these manuscripts were acquired by John Caius (1510-1573), the English physician and second founder of Gonville and Caius College. He evidently either acquired them as one entity or had them bound together, since a note in his hand survives recording his donation of the manuscript to the college (f. [iii] verso). This is one of a number of Greek manuscripts of wholly or partially medical content acquired by Caius from Italy.

Dr Christopher Wright

Information about this document

Physical Location: Gonville and Caius College, Lower Library
Classmark: Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 76/43
Alternative Identifier(s): Diktyon 11865
Subject(s): Medicine, Medieval; Byzantine Empire--History--527-1081; Poetry, Ancient; Rhetoric, Ancient
Language(s): Greek
Donor(s): Caius, John, 1510-1573
Extent: Codex i + 2 + 206 + 1
Collation: Part I consists of one quire, Part II of three, Part III of four, Part IV of eight, Part V of one, Part VI of two and Parts VII-X of one each: 1⁴, 2-4¹⁰, 5-9⁸, 10-15¹⁰, 16⁶, 17¹⁴, 18-20¹⁰, 21⁶, 22⁸, 23⁸The foliation indicates that quires comprising a total of twenty folios have been lost between Quires 20 and 21 (i.e. between ff. 185 and 206.
Format: Codex
Condition: There is significant pest damage to the outer folios (ff. [ii]-16, 180-[iv]). The edges of parts of the manuscript have suffered wear and tear, some of which has been repaired with Japanese paper. ff. 206-211 have been folded in half in the past, creating a crease which has become a tear across f. 206. This was repaired with a paper patch, which has had replacement text written across it. Purple mould stains are present in the lower margin of ff. 1r-4v, 23r-34v. There is water staining, extensive in places, ink blots and areas of dirt.
Binding:
19th-century full leather binding over wooden boards attached with laced-in strips, overlaid with reused leather covering material from an earlier binding, decorated with blind tooling. The classmarks 76 and 43 are marked on patches of different date on the spine.
Binding height: 325 mm, width: 228 mm, depth: 51 mm.
The headband has been lost and the tailband is almost completely detached.
Foliation:
The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [i] + [ii-iii] + 1-87, 89-185, 206-227 + [iv] in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right. The number 19 in this sequence has been struck through and replaced with 20, and 20 likewise replaced with 19; a note on f. 20r (in the amended sequence), explains the reordering of the folios. Until f. 66r the folio numbers are placed close to the corner of the written area, while on ff. 43r-65r there are surviving remnants of another, presumably earlier foliation, placed near the corner of the folio and partly or wholly lost to cropping. On f. 67r a number in this position has survived in full but been struck through, while the same number is written closer to the corner of the folio; on f. 68r the number in the corner of the folio has been struck through, while the same number appears close to the corner of the written area. From f. 69r onwards the sequence near the corner of the folio survives in full.
The folios of Quires 17-19 (ff. 142-175) are all foliated in a sequence covering these quires only and beginning from 1, in Arabic numerals, in black ink, recto, lower right.
Additions:
On f. [iii] verso are notes of content and two notes regarding the donation of the manuscript by John Caius: "Iohannes Caius dono dedit" and "Collegio suo de Goneville et Caius in Cantabrigia, Ioannes Caius dono dedit". The beginning of a similar note has been written on f. [i] recto: "Iohannes Caius meque d".
There are a series of notes on f. [iv] verso, apparently handwriting practice, including the repetition of the name William Harrington and references to Gonville and Caius College.
Acquisition: Given to Gonville and Caius College by John Caius (1510-1573).
Funding: The Polonsky Foundation
Author(s) of the Record: Christopher Wright
Bibliography:
Homer, The Odyssey of Homer, ed. Henry Hayman (London: Nutt, 1866).
Schenkl, Heinrich, Bibliotheca Patrum Latinorum Britannica (Wien: In commission bei C. Gerold's sohn, 1891).
Diels, Hermann, Die Handschriften der antiken Ärzte. I. Teil: Hippokrates und Galenos (Berlin: Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1905).
Libanius, Libanii opera / recensuit Richardus Foerster. Vol. VIII, Progymnasmata ; Argumenta orationum demosthenicarum. contributor: Richard Foerster, Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana (Lipsiae: Teubner, 1915).
Ludwich, Arthur and Hartmut Erbse, Scholia in Homeri Odysseae : A 1-309 (Hildesheim: Olms, 1966).
Gamillscheg, Ernst and Dieter Harlfinger, "Specimen eines Repertoriums der griechischen Kopisten", Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik 27 293-322 (1978).
Grierson, Philip, "John Caius' Library", in John Venn (ed.), Biographical history of Gonville and Caius College, 1349-1897: containing a list of all known members of the college from the foundation to the present time, with biographical notes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978) 7 509-525.
Gamillscheg, Ernst and Dieter Harlfinger, Repertorium der griechischen Kopisten, 800-1600, Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Byzantinistik 3 (Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1981) I. Grossbritannien.
Nutton, Vivian, John Caius and the manuscripts of Galen, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society. Supplementary volumes 13 (Cambridge: Philological Society, 1987).
Pontani, Filippomaria, Sguardi su Ulisse : la tradizione esegetica greca all'Odissea 1. ed. (Rome: Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2005).
Hippocrates, Hippokrates, Über die Natur des Kindes (De genitura und De natura pueri) / herausgegeben, ins Deutsche und Italienische übersetzt und textkritisch kommentiert von Franco Giorgianni. editor: Franco Giorgianni, Serta Graeca Bd. 23 (Wiesbaden: L. Reichert, 2006).
Touwaide, Alain, "Byzantine medical manuscripts: towards a new catalogue, with a specimen for an annotated checklist of manuscripts based on an index of Diels' catalogue", Byzantion: Revue internationale des Études Byzantines 79 453-595 (2009).
Touwaide, Alain, A census of Greek medical manuscripts: from Byzantium to the Renaissance, Medicine in the medieval Mediterranean 6 (London: Routledge, 2016).
Martinelli Tempesta, Stefano, "Alcune riflessioni sulla produzione scritta di Costantino Mesobote da codici Ambrosiani", in C. Brockmann, D. Deckers, Dieter Harlfinger and S. Valente (eds), Griechisch-byzantinische Handschriftenforschung. Traditionen, Entwicklungen, neue Wege (Berlin - Munich - Boston: De Gruyter, 2020) 215-231.
Touwaide, Alain, Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels’ Catalogue: Tome 5: The Manuscripts and their Texts (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2020).
Touwaide, Alain, Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels’ Catalogue: Tome 2: Corpus Hippocraticum (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2020).
Touwaide, Alain, Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels’ Catalogue: Tome 1: Diels' Catalogue with Indices (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2021).

Section shown in images 77 to 140

Classmark: Part III
Title: De urinis
Author(s): Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios
Date of Creation: last quarter of the 15th century
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of 4 quires, all quaternia.
- Quires 5-8⁸ ff. 35-66
There are quire signatures in Greek numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, in a sequence covering only this part, so beginning from Quire 5. They survive on Quires 6-8 (βʹ-δʹ).There are quire signatures in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.
Material: ff. 35-66 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Crossbow ( Watermark height: 45 mm, width: 45 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Gravell 5662. This example is dated to 1476.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 35r-66v were copied by Nikolaos (RGK I 330, II 447) (Hand C), in upright mixed minuscule script, in black ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent or occasionally subscript. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters.
The modern eta, modern nu, sigma telikon and loop epsilon are present.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower and middle commas and full stop.
Layout: ff. 35r-66v A single column of 34 lines. Written height: 222 mm, width: 125 mm.
Decoration: Space has been left for initials at the start of chapters, but these have not been added.
Additions:
Later hands have added occasional headings and annotations in Greek.
Marginal chapter numbers in Latin have been added to some but not all chapters.
There are a notes in Latin on ff. 41v and 66v regarding the relationship of the portion of the text in this copy to that in the following Part IV of the manuscript.
Origin: This part was copied by Nikolaos (RGK I 330, II 447), probably in the last quarter of the 15th century, as suggested by the watermarks and his period of activity. It was probably copied in Venice or Padua, where Nikolaos is known to have worked.

Section shown in images 77 to 77

Title: Chapter list
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 35r Ἀκτουαρίου περὶ διαφορᾶς οὔρων
Incipit: f. 35r Τάδε ἔνεστιν, ἐν τῶ περὶ διαφορᾶς οὔρων λόγω
Explicit: f. 35r καὶ ἀταξίας ἑκάστου τούτων

Section shown in images 77 to 140

Title: De urinis
Author(s): Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios
Note(s): Defective at the end: ends at Book 4, chapter 11, section 4; TLG 3188.002
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 35rΠάλαι μὲν ἴσως, φιλοτιμίας ἔργον τιθέμενος
Explicit: f. 66v πάνυ μὲν γὰρ αὗται χλωραὶ· βραχείαι δέ τινος

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Part I: Argumenta orationum Demosthenicarum (image 9, page 1r) Part II: Commentary on the Odyssey (image 17, page 5r) Commentary on the Odyssey (image 17, page 5r) Contents list to the remainder of the manuscript (image 76, page 34v) Part III: De urinis (image 77, page 35r) Chapter list (image 77, page 35r) De urinis (image 77, page 35r) Part IV: De urinis (image 141, page 67r) De urinis (image 141, page 67r) De generatione et semine (image 282, page 138v) Medical text (image 282, page 138v) De natura hominis (image 285, page 140r) Part V: De differentiis febrium libri II (image 289, page 142r) Part VI: De differentiis febrium libri II (image 317, page 156r) Part VII: De aedificiis (image 357, page 176r) Part VIII: De ulceribus (image 377, page 206r) Part IX: De officina medici (image 391, page 213r) Part X: De semine, de natura pueri, de morbis IV (image 405, page 220r)

Information about this document

Physical Location: Gonville and Caius College, Lower Library
Classmark: Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 76/43
Alternative Identifier(s): Diktyon 11865
Subject(s): Medicine, Medieval; Byzantine Empire--History--527-1081; Poetry, Ancient; Rhetoric, Ancient
Language(s): Greek
Donor(s): Caius, John, 1510-1573
Extent: Codex i + 2 + 206 + 1
Collation: Part I consists of one quire, Part II of three, Part III of four, Part IV of eight, Part V of one, Part VI of two and Parts VII-X of one each: 1⁴, 2-4¹⁰, 5-9⁸, 10-15¹⁰, 16⁶, 17¹⁴, 18-20¹⁰, 21⁶, 22⁸, 23⁸The foliation indicates that quires comprising a total of twenty folios have been lost between Quires 20 and 21 (i.e. between ff. 185 and 206.
Format: Codex
Condition: There is significant pest damage to the outer folios (ff. [ii]-16, 180-[iv]). The edges of parts of the manuscript have suffered wear and tear, some of which has been repaired with Japanese paper. ff. 206-211 have been folded in half in the past, creating a crease which has become a tear across f. 206. This was repaired with a paper patch, which has had replacement text written across it. Purple mould stains are present in the lower margin of ff. 1r-4v, 23r-34v. There is water staining, extensive in places, ink blots and areas of dirt.
Binding:
19th-century full leather binding over wooden boards attached with laced-in strips, overlaid with reused leather covering material from an earlier binding, decorated with blind tooling. The classmarks 76 and 43 are marked on patches of different date on the spine.
Binding height: 325 mm, width: 228 mm, depth: 51 mm.
The headband has been lost and the tailband is almost completely detached.
Foliation:
The manuscript is foliated with the numbers [i] + [ii-iii] + 1-87, 89-185, 206-227 + [iv] in Arabic numerals, recto, upper right. The number 19 in this sequence has been struck through and replaced with 20, and 20 likewise replaced with 19; a note on f. 20r (in the amended sequence), explains the reordering of the folios. Until f. 66r the folio numbers are placed close to the corner of the written area, while on ff. 43r-65r there are surviving remnants of another, presumably earlier foliation, placed near the corner of the folio and partly or wholly lost to cropping. On f. 67r a number in this position has survived in full but been struck through, while the same number is written closer to the corner of the folio; on f. 68r the number in the corner of the folio has been struck through, while the same number appears close to the corner of the written area. From f. 69r onwards the sequence near the corner of the folio survives in full.
The folios of Quires 17-19 (ff. 142-175) are all foliated in a sequence covering these quires only and beginning from 1, in Arabic numerals, in black ink, recto, lower right.
Additions:
On f. [iii] verso are notes of content and two notes regarding the donation of the manuscript by John Caius: "Iohannes Caius dono dedit" and "Collegio suo de Goneville et Caius in Cantabrigia, Ioannes Caius dono dedit". The beginning of a similar note has been written on f. [i] recto: "Iohannes Caius meque d".
There are a series of notes on f. [iv] verso, apparently handwriting practice, including the repetition of the name William Harrington and references to Gonville and Caius College.
Acquisition: Given to Gonville and Caius College by John Caius (1510-1573).
Funding: The Polonsky Foundation
Author(s) of the Record: Christopher Wright
Bibliography:
Homer, The Odyssey of Homer, ed. Henry Hayman (London: Nutt, 1866).
Schenkl, Heinrich, Bibliotheca Patrum Latinorum Britannica (Wien: In commission bei C. Gerold's sohn, 1891).
Diels, Hermann, Die Handschriften der antiken Ärzte. I. Teil: Hippokrates und Galenos (Berlin: Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1905).
Libanius, Libanii opera / recensuit Richardus Foerster. Vol. VIII, Progymnasmata ; Argumenta orationum demosthenicarum. contributor: Richard Foerster, Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana (Lipsiae: Teubner, 1915).
Ludwich, Arthur and Hartmut Erbse, Scholia in Homeri Odysseae : A 1-309 (Hildesheim: Olms, 1966).
Gamillscheg, Ernst and Dieter Harlfinger, "Specimen eines Repertoriums der griechischen Kopisten", Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik 27 293-322 (1978).
Grierson, Philip, "John Caius' Library", in John Venn (ed.), Biographical history of Gonville and Caius College, 1349-1897: containing a list of all known members of the college from the foundation to the present time, with biographical notes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978) 7 509-525.
Gamillscheg, Ernst and Dieter Harlfinger, Repertorium der griechischen Kopisten, 800-1600, Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Byzantinistik 3 (Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1981) I. Grossbritannien.
Nutton, Vivian, John Caius and the manuscripts of Galen, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society. Supplementary volumes 13 (Cambridge: Philological Society, 1987).
Pontani, Filippomaria, Sguardi su Ulisse : la tradizione esegetica greca all'Odissea 1. ed. (Rome: Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2005).
Hippocrates, Hippokrates, Über die Natur des Kindes (De genitura und De natura pueri) / herausgegeben, ins Deutsche und Italienische übersetzt und textkritisch kommentiert von Franco Giorgianni. editor: Franco Giorgianni, Serta Graeca Bd. 23 (Wiesbaden: L. Reichert, 2006).
Touwaide, Alain, "Byzantine medical manuscripts: towards a new catalogue, with a specimen for an annotated checklist of manuscripts based on an index of Diels' catalogue", Byzantion: Revue internationale des Études Byzantines 79 453-595 (2009).
Touwaide, Alain, A census of Greek medical manuscripts: from Byzantium to the Renaissance, Medicine in the medieval Mediterranean 6 (London: Routledge, 2016).
Martinelli Tempesta, Stefano, "Alcune riflessioni sulla produzione scritta di Costantino Mesobote da codici Ambrosiani", in C. Brockmann, D. Deckers, Dieter Harlfinger and S. Valente (eds), Griechisch-byzantinische Handschriftenforschung. Traditionen, Entwicklungen, neue Wege (Berlin - Munich - Boston: De Gruyter, 2020) 215-231.
Touwaide, Alain, Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels’ Catalogue: Tome 5: The Manuscripts and their Texts (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2020).
Touwaide, Alain, Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels’ Catalogue: Tome 2: Corpus Hippocraticum (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2020).
Touwaide, Alain, Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels’ Catalogue: Tome 1: Diels' Catalogue with Indices (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2021).

Section shown in images 9 to 16

Classmark: Part I
Title: Argumenta orationum Demosthenicarum
Author(s): Libanios (c. 314-c. 393)
Date of Creation: third quarter of the 15th century
Note(s): Excerpt: ends with the hypothesis to Oration 11; TLG 2200.007
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of 1 quire, a binion.
- Quire 1⁴ ff. 1-4
There is a quire signature in Arabic numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of the quire, recto, lower right (1).
Material: ff. 1-4 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Mountains ( Watermark height: 69 mm, width: 38 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, comparable but not identical to Piccard online 153226. This example is dated to 1461.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 1r-4v were copied by Hand A, in upright mixed minuscule script, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size. There are deletions by expunctuation.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters and breathings.
The letter iota is often linked to the following letter, the connecting line rising at an acute angle from the foot of the elongated iota.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma and full stop.
Headings are written in the same style in red ink.
Layout: 1r-4v A single column of 34 lines. Written height: 250 mm, width: 125 mm.
Decoration: Sections begin with minor initials in red ink, of which some more minor ones appear within the line rather than at the beginning.
The beginning of the text on f. 1r is preceded by a simple thin band of ornament in red ink.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the third quarter of the 15th century, as suggested by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 1rΛίβανιου(!) σοφιστοῦ ἀνθυπάτον συγγραφὸν τίνων τε Δημοσθένης γονέων ἐτύχεν ὁπώς τε ῥήτωρ ἐγεγόνει, καί τινα βίον μετήρχετο καὶ διαγογὴν ὅς(!)και(!) τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων εὑρῆται οὐ γραφόμενος τὰς φορμὰς
Incipit: f. 1r Ἐπειδὴ κράτιστε ἀνθυπάτων Μώντιε(!)κατὸν(!) Ὁμηρικὸν Ἀστεροπαῖον περιδέξιος
Explicit: f. 4v ἀλλὰ θαρσύνει πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον εὐκαθαίρεται λέγων τὸν Μακεδόνα

Section shown in images 17 to 76

Title: Part II
Date of Creation: late 15th century
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of 3 quires, all quinia.
- Quires 2-4¹⁰ ff. 5-34
There are quire signatures in Arabic numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, continuing the previous sequence.They survive on all quires (2-4).
Material: ff. 5-26, 29-30 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Eagle ( Watermark height: 54 mm, width: 45 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Piccard online 42597. This example is dated to 1498. ff. 27-28, 31-32 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Eagle ( Watermark height: 59 mm, width: 45 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to CCF ZO1244. This example is dated to 1484.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 5r-29v were copied by Hand B, in mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size. The curves of letters and abbreviations are often filled with red ink.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters, breathings and abbreviations.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, question mark and full stop.
Headings and annotations are written in the same style in red ink.
Layout: ff. 5r-29v A single column of 39 lines. Written height: 229 mm, width: 130 mm.
Decoration: The beginning of the text on f. 5r is preceded by a rectangular headpiece in red ink, with translucent yellow wash infill.
The text on f. 5r begins with a major initial in red ink, with translucent yellow wash infill.
Sections beginning on ff. 11v-14r begin with ornamented minor initials in red ink.
Sections beginning on ff. 11v-14r are preceded by simple bands of ornament in red ink.
Space has been left for initials and decorative bands at the start of sections beginning on ff. 18r-24v, but these have not been added.
Additions: As part of the original production of the manuscript, the scribe has added marginal annotations in red ink, as well as corrections in brown ink.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the late 15th century, as suggested by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.

Section shown in images 17 to 66

Title: Commentary on the Odyssey
Author(s): Didymus Chalcenterus
Filiations:
Pontani identifies this text in this manuscript as a copy of that in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Canon gr. 79.
Note(s): Defective at the end (incomplete); Ed. G. Dindorf, Scholia graeca in Homeri Odysseam (Oxford 1855); ff. 30r-34r are blank
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 5r Ὀδυσσεία
Incipit: f. 5r Θεῶν ἀγορὰ γίνεται, περὶ τοῦ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα εἰς Ἰθάκην πεμφθῆναι
Explicit: f. 29v ἀγάλματα τῶν ψυχῶν, ἄλλην ἄλλοις ἐπίτηδηιότητα(!)

Section shown in images 76 to 76

Title: Contents list to the remainder of the manuscript

Section shown in images 77 to 140

Classmark: Part III
Title: De urinis
Author(s): Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios
Date of Creation: last quarter of the 15th century
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of 4 quires, all quaternia.
- Quires 5-8⁸ ff. 35-66
There are quire signatures in Greek numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, in a sequence covering only this part, so beginning from Quire 5. They survive on Quires 6-8 (βʹ-δʹ).There are quire signatures in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.
Material: ff. 35-66 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Crossbow ( Watermark height: 45 mm, width: 45 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Gravell 5662. This example is dated to 1476.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 35r-66v were copied by Nikolaos (RGK I 330, II 447) (Hand C), in upright mixed minuscule script, in black ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent or occasionally subscript. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters.
The modern eta, modern nu, sigma telikon and loop epsilon are present.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower and middle commas and full stop.
Layout: ff. 35r-66v A single column of 34 lines. Written height: 222 mm, width: 125 mm.
Decoration: Space has been left for initials at the start of chapters, but these have not been added.
Additions:
Later hands have added occasional headings and annotations in Greek.
Marginal chapter numbers in Latin have been added to some but not all chapters.
There are a notes in Latin on ff. 41v and 66v regarding the relationship of the portion of the text in this copy to that in the following Part IV of the manuscript.
Origin: This part was copied by Nikolaos (RGK I 330, II 447), probably in the last quarter of the 15th century, as suggested by the watermarks and his period of activity. It was probably copied in Venice or Padua, where Nikolaos is known to have worked.

Section shown in images 77 to 77

Title: Chapter list
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 35r Ἀκτουαρίου περὶ διαφορᾶς οὔρων
Incipit: f. 35r Τάδε ἔνεστιν, ἐν τῶ περὶ διαφορᾶς οὔρων λόγω
Explicit: f. 35r καὶ ἀταξίας ἑκάστου τούτων

Section shown in images 77 to 140

Title: De urinis
Author(s): Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios
Note(s): Defective at the end: ends at Book 4, chapter 11, section 4; TLG 3188.002
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 35rΠάλαι μὲν ἴσως, φιλοτιμίας ἔργον τιθέμενος
Explicit: f. 66v πάνυ μὲν γὰρ αὗται χλωραὶ· βραχείαι δέ τινος

Section shown in images 141 to 287

Title: Part IV
Date of Creation: second quarter of the 16th century
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of 8 quires, of which one is a ternion, one a quaternion and the rest are quinia.
- Quire 9⁸ ff. 67-74
- Quires 10-15¹⁰ ff. 75-135
- Quire 16⁶ ff. 136-141
There are quire signatures in Greek numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, in a sequence covering only this part, but beginning from Quire 5 with the number 2. They survive on all quires (βʹ-θʹ).There are quire signatures in Arabic numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.There are leaf signatures in Roman numerals, in black ink, on the first folio of each bifolio except the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right.
Material: ff. 67-141 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hat ( Watermark height: 68 mm, width: 50 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Piccard online 32123. This example is dated to 1536.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 67r-141r were copied by Konstantinos Mesobotes (RGK I 224, II 315, III 363) (Hand D), in mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in black ink, with moderate variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters and abbreviations.
The modern eta, modern nu, sigma telikon and loop epsilon are present.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower and middle commas and full stop.
Layout: ff. 67r-141r A single column of 34-35 lines. Written height: 246 mm, width: 140 mm.
Decoration: Simple minor initials have been placed at the beginning of texts and sections. The scribe has placed guide letters in black indicating which initials should be added; the initials have usually been written directly over these, sometimes alongside.
Additions:
Later hands have added annotations in Greek and Latin. One of these hands has added the word "Τέλος" marking the end of a text and a heading for the following text on f. 138v.
There are notes on the first folio of each quire indicating its extent.
Origin: This part was copied by Konstantinos Mesobotes, probably in the second quarter of the 16th century, as suggested by the watermarks and the scribe's period of activity. It was probably produced in Padua, Venice or Bologna, where Mesobotes is known to have worked.

Section shown in images 141 to 282

Title: De urinis
Author(s): Ioannes Zacharias Aktouarios
Note(s): Defective at the beginning: begins at Book 1, chapter 14, section 6; TLG 3188.002
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 67r καὶ τοιοῦτος μὲν ἂν εἴη ὅ τε τοῦ λείου τε καὶ γλίσχρου καὶ τραχέος λόγος
Explicit: f. 138v αὐτῶν δέ(!) τῶν λόγων, ἀκριβής τις ἐπίσκεψις

Section shown in images 282 to 284

Title: De generatione et semine
Note(s): This copy continues beyond the end of the edited text; TLG 0721.004
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 138v Νόμη μὲν παντὸς κρατύνει· ἡ δέ(!)γονή(!) τοῦ ἀνδρός(!)
Explicit: f. 139v τό τε ὑαλοειδές· το κρυσταλοειδές καί τό ὑδατοειδές

Section shown in images 282 to 284

Title: Medical text
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 139v Εἰσὶ δὲ προτριάδες δʹ· μὲν δύο πρόχειροι
Explicit: f. 140r ὁ μὲν ἔξωθεν νευρώδεις· ὁ δ'ἔνδοθεν σαρκώδεις

Section shown in images 285 to 287

Title: De natura hominis
Note(s): TLG 0721.006; f. 141v is blank
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 140r Κόσμος οὗτος συνέστηκεν ἐκ τεσσάρων στοιχείων, ἐκ θερμοῦ ψυχροῦ, ξηροῦ καὶ ὑγροῦ
Explicit: f. 141r ἐν τῆ τετάρτη, τὸ φλέγμα ἕως ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ μεχρὶ γήρως

Section shown in images 289 to 316

Classmark: Part V
Title: De differentiis febrium libri II
Author(s): Galen
Date of Creation: first third of the 16th century
Note(s): Book 1; TLG 0057.045
Extent: Leaf height: 304 mm, width: 210 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of one quire, of fourteen folios.
- Quire 17¹⁴ ff. 142-155
There is a quire signature in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of the quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.
Material: ff. 142, 155, 166-175 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hand ( Watermark height: 61 mm, width: 19 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to PFES 372. This example is dated to 1514-1517. ff. 143-154 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hand ( Watermark height: 55 mm, width: 17 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to PFES 372. This example is dated to 1514-1517.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 142r-155v were copied by Hand E, in mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in brown ink, with minimal variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings appear only at the end of lines. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters and abbreviations.
The modern nu and sigma telikon are present.
Punctuation used includes the middle point, lower comma and full stop.
Layout: ff. 142r-155v A single column of 33-40 lines. Written height: 246 mm, width: 120-175 mm.
Additions:
A later hand has added notes regarding content in Greek and Latin on ff. 142r, 143r and 155v.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the first third of the 16th century, as suggested by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 143r Αἱ διαφοραὶ τῶν πυρετῶν, αἱ μὲν οἰκειόταται καὶ κυριόταται
Explicit: f. 142v ἐπὶ χυμοῦς(!) ἀναπτομένων πυρετῶν ἁπάσας ἐροῦμεν τας(!)διαφορας(!)
Final Rubric: f. 142v Γαληνοῦ περὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν ἐπὶ χυμοῦς σηπομένων ἀναπτομένων πυρετῶν

Section shown in images 317 to 355

Classmark: Part VI
Title: De differentiis febrium libri II
Author(s): Galen
Date of Creation: first three quarters of the 16th century
Note(s): Books 1-2; Defective at the beginning: begins ed. Kühn, vol. 7, p. 326; TLG 0057.045; f. 175v is blank
Extent: Leaf height: 304 mm, width: 210 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of two quires, both quinia.
- Quire 18-19¹⁰ ff. 156-175
There are quire signatures in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of each quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.
Material: ff. 157, 164 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hand ( Watermark height: 95 mm, width: 33 mm. ) in the centre of the folio. ff. 156, 158-163, 165 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hand ( Watermark height: 85 mm, width: 30 mm. ) in the centre of the folio.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 156r-175r were copied by Hand F, in mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in brown ink, with little variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations are not used. Breathings are round and mute iota is subscript. Use of the double dot is functional only.
The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon are present.
Punctuation used includes the lower and upper points, lower and middle commas, question mark and full stop.
Layout: ff. 156r-175v A single column of 33 lines. Written height: 228 mm, width: 135 mm.
Additions:
A later hand has added a note regarding content in Greek on f. 157v.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the first three quarters of the 16th century, as suggested by the style of script and its acquisition by John Caius.
Excerpts:
Incipit: f. 156r ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐχρήσαντο καταπλάσμασιν
Explicit: f. 174r ἢ πεφθῶσιν, ἢ τὸ συναμφότερον παθῶσιν
Final Rubric: f. 174rΤελος(!) περὶ διαφορας(!) πυρετῶν

Section shown in images 357 to 376

Classmark: Part VII
Title: De aedificiis
Author(s): Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500-c. 562)
Date of Creation: second quarter of the 16th century
Note(s): Book 1; TLG 0057.045
Extent: Leaf height: 297 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of one quire, a quinion.
- Quire 20¹⁰ ff. 176-185
There is a quire signature in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of the quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.There are leaf signatures in Roman numerals, in brown ink on the first folio of each bifolio of this quire, recto, lower right.
Material: ff. 176-185 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Anchor ( Watermark height: 43 mm, width: 39 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Piccard online 118766. This example is dated to 1520.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 176r-185r were copied by Konstantinos Mesobotes (RGK I 224, II 315, III 363) (Hand D), in mixed minuscule script with variable slant, in brown ink, with moderate variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is decorative use of the double dot and accentuation of all nomina sacra. Accents are sometimes joined to letters, breathings and nomina sacra strokes. Horizontal strokes appear above proper names.
The modern eta, modern nu and sigma telikon are present. Chi is formed with a pronounced upward curve at the end of the lower right-hand stroke.
Punctuation used includes the lower, middle and upper points, lower and middle commas and full stop.
Headings are written in the same style in red ink.
Layout: ff. 176r-185v A single column of 29 lines. Written height: 208 mm, width: 110 mm.
Decoration: The text begins with an ornamented minor initial in red ink. A similar, smaller initial appears at the beginning of the main body of the book, and small, unadorned initials at the beginning of sections, within lines as well as at the beginning.
Additions:
As part of the original production of this part, marginal section numbers to part of the text have been in red ink, and the scribe has placed small guide letters in brown ink further out into the margin to indicate which should appear where. There are marginal ση(μείωσαι) marks highlighting notable passages.
There are occasional brief annotations in Greek by a later hand.
A note in Latin on f. 185v records that this is the end of the description of the present building.
There is a note on the first folio of the quire indicating its extent.
Origin: This part was copied by Konstantinos Mesobotes, probably in the second quarter of the 16th century, as suggested by the watermarks and the scribe's period of activity. It was probably produced in Padua, Venice or Bologna, where Mesobotes is known to have worked.
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 176r Προκοπίου ῥήτορος λόγος
Incipit: f. 176r Οὐκ ἀρετῆς ἐπίδειξιν ποιεῖσθαι ἐθέλων
Explicit: f. 185r ἐπὶ καιροῦ γενησομένους καταλυτήρια

Section shown in images 377 to 388

Classmark: Part VIII
Title: De ulceribus
Author(s): Hippocrates
Date of Creation: late 15th or first half of the 16th century
Note(s): TLG 0627.028
Extent: Leaf height: 292-296 mm, width: 195-210 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of one quire, a ternion.
- Quire 21⁶ ff. 206-211
There are leaf signatures in Latin letters on the first folio of each bifolio, recto, lower right.
Material: ff. 206-211 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Coat of arms (ship) ( Watermark height: 36 mm, width: 25 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, comparable but not identical to Piccard online 160014-160019. These examples are dated to 1494-1527.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 206r-211v were copied by Hand G, in mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in brown ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is subscript. There is decorative use of the double dot . Accents are sometimes joined to letters.
The modern eta, modern nu and loop epsilon are present.
Punctuation used includes the middle points, lower comma and full stop.
Layout: ff. 206r-211v A single column of 29 lines. Written height: 240-282 mm, width: 140-170 mm.
Decoration: Space has been left for an initial letter at the beginning of the text on f. 206r, but this was never added.
Additions: On f. 206r some corrections have been added and replacement text written on a strip of paper repairing damage by a later hand.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the late 15th or first half of the 16th century, as suggested by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 206r Περὶ ἑλκῶν Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ἑλκῶν
Incipit: f. 206r Ἑλκέα ξύμπαντα οὐ χρὴ τέγγειν πλὴν οἴνω
Explicit: f. 211v ἐστηκότι ὀρθῶ ἢν δύνηται ἑστάναι
Final Rubric: f. 211v Τέλος Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ἑλκῶν

Section shown in images 391 to 403

Classmark: Part IX
Title: De officina medici
Author(s): Hippocrates
Date of Creation: early 16th century
Note(s): TLG 0627.008; ff. 212r-212v and 219v are blank
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of one quire, a quaternion.
- Quire 22⁸ ff. 212-219
There is a quire signature in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of the quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.
Material: ff. 212, 219 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hand ( Watermark height: 80 mm, width: 26 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, comparable but not identical to WIES IBE 5211.05, IBE 3550.02. These examples are dated to 1495. ff. 213-218 Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Hand ( Watermark height: 87 mm, width: 23 mm. ) in the centre of the folio, similar to Piccard online 155776. This example is dated to 1517.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 213r-219r were copied by Hand H, in mixed minuscule script, slanting to the right, in black ink, with moderate variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is absent. There is occasional decorative use of the double dot. Accents are sometimes joined to letters.
The modern eta and modern nu.
Punctuation used includes the lower and middle points, lower comma and full stop.
Layout: ff. 213r-219r A single column of 20-22 lines. Written height: 203-222 mm, width: 120-140 mm.
Additions: There are frequent marginal annotations in Greek and Latin.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the early 16th century, as suggested by the watermarks. This is consistent with the style of script.
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 213r Ἱπποκράτους κατ'ἰητρίον
Incipit: f. 213r Ἢ ὅμοια ἐξ ἀρχῆς. ἀπὸ τῶν μεγίστων ἀπὸ τῶν ῥηίστων
Explicit: f. 219r ὡς μήτε διαναγκάζηται μήτε ἐνσείηται, ὀστέων φύσις δακτύλων μὲν ἁπλὰ καὶ ὀστέα καὶ ἄρθρα
Rubric: f. 219r Τέλος

Section shown in images 405 to 420

Classmark: Part X
Title: De semine, de natura pueri, de morbis IV
Author(s): Hippocrates
Date of Creation: first three quarters of the 16th century
Note(s): Excerpt: sections 22-31; TLG 0627.024
Extent: Leaf height: 312 mm, width: 220 mm.
Collation:
This part consists of one quire, a quaternion.
- Quire 23⁸ ff. 220-227
There is a quire signature in Arabic numerals, in pencil, on the first folio of the quire, recto, lower right, continuing the sequence covering the whole manuscript.
Material: ff. 220r-227v Western paper, folded in folio. Watermark: Flower ( Watermark height: 17 mm, width: 15 mm. ) in the centre of the folio.
Format: Codex
Script:
ff. 220r-227v were copied by Hand I, in mixed minuscule script, slanting slightly to the right, in black ink, with modest variation in letter size.
Superscript word endings and syllabic abbreviations appear throughout the line. Breathings are round and mute iota is subscript. There is occasional decorative use of the double dot.
The modern eta, modern nu and loop epsilon.
Punctuation used includes the middle and upper points, lower comma and full stop.
Layout: ff. 220r-227v A single column of 23 lines. Written height: 198 mm, width: 115 mm.
Additions: There are frequent marginal annotations in Greek and Latin, including a note of content and replacement of text lost to damage on f. 220r.
Origin: This part was probably copied in the first three quarters of the 16th century, as suggested by the style of script and its acquisition by John Caius.
Excerpts:
Rubric: f. 220r Ιπποκρατους περι τροφης παιδιων
Incipit: f. 220r Η τροφὴ καὶ ἡ αὔξησις τῶν παιδίων γίνεται
Explicit: f. 227v οὗτος ὁ λόγος ὧδε εἰρημένος ἅπας, τέλος ἔχει