Cicero, speeches and philosophical texts; Macrobius, Commentarii in Ciceronis Somnium Scipionis; etc. Southern Germany, late 10th or early 11th century

Title

Cicero, speeches and philosophical texts; Macrobius, Commentarii in Ciceronis Somnium Scipionis; etc. Southern Germany, late 10th or early 11th century

Shelfmark

MS. D'Orville 77

Place of origin

Germany, South

Date

10th century, late, or 11th century, early

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment, of different types (quires 1–3, 8–13, 15; quires 4–7; quires 14, 16–17; quire 18; quires 19–20), of variable quality, poor in quire 18.

Physical extent

i + 114 + i leaves (i, 1–115)

Hands

MSS. D'Orville 77 and 95 were written by four main scribes in caroline minuscule: A, B, see above and MS. D'Orville 95 quires 16–17; C, MS. Orville 95, quire 18; D, MS. D'Orville 95, quires 19–20. MS. D'Orville 77 fol. 57r1–4, 12–20 are by an assistant of scribe B.

Decoration

Good interlace initials, fols. 1v, 53r, 56v; smaller initials in red, fols. 21r, 56r.

Macrobian mappa mundi, fol. 100r.

Diagrams of musical instruments.

Binding

Standard D'Orville binding of smooth brown leather, mid-18th century.

Former chained binding (MS. D'Orville 77, fols. 96v-97r, rust stains from a chain).

Acquisition

Acquired by the Bodleian in 1804. Previous shelfmark Auct. X. 1. 3. 18.

Provenance

Formerly one volume with MS. D'Orville 95 (note the contents list on MS. D'Orville 77, fol. 1r, and similarities in script, decoration and format); still one volume in 1746 (see below).

Exact origin and medieval provenance not known: textual affiliations with Munich, BSB Clm 6369 possibly from Friesing.

Isaac Verburg of Amsterdam (1680–1745): together with MS. O'Orville 95 this was Oratores et Rhetores in Quarto no. 486 in the auction-catalogue of his books, Amsterdam, 1746 (Bibliotheca Verburgiana ..., p. 68)

Jacques Phillippe D'Orville of Amsterdam (1690–1751); bought at Verburg's sale: see the catalogue of D'Orville's collection by C. J. Strackhoven (18th century, second half), MS. D'Orville 302, fols. 20r, 21r. Separated from the present MS. D'Orville 77 by the time of that catalogue.

Jean D'Orville, b. 1734, his son, by descent

Jean D'Orville, son of Jean, by descent

Sold to the Rev. John Cleaver Banks (1765/6–1845): purchased from him by the Bodleian.

Title

Orations of Cicero

Shelfmark

MS. D'Orville 77

Summary

Comprises:

(fol. 1v). 'Ciceronis [oratio] de Marcello.'

(fol. 7). Ciceronis oratio '... pro Q. Ligario.'

(fol. 13v). Ciceronis oratio '... pro Deiotaro.'

(fol. 21). 'M. Tullii [Ciceronis] de Amicitia.'

(fol. 34v). 'M. T. Ciceronis', 'M. T. de sent[ent]iis Catonis de Senectute incipit.'

(fol. 48). '... Oratio Ciceronis in Sallustium.'

(fol. 51). '... Oratio Sallusti contra Ciceronem.'

(fol. 53). Ciceronis 'Somnium Scipionis.'

(fol. 56v). '... Commentum' Macrobii in Ciceronis Somnium Scipionis, with a mappa mundi on fol. 100: at end 'Macrobii Ambrosii V.C. Commenta ex Cicerone in Somnium Scipionis expliciunt.'

(fol. 111v). The spurious 'Epistola sancti Iheronimi de carminibus' or de diversis generibus musicorum, with illustrations.

Followed (fol. 114) by two short musical pieces:

(1) beg. 'Ad omnem autem sonum'

(2) 'Ambrosii Macrobii de simphoniis musicae', an extract from the Commentary on the Somnium Scipionis.

There are some scholia throughout the volume. The MS. perhaps once contained 'Yginus de ymaginibus cæli', see fol. 1.

Date

written in the 11th cent.

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, with illuminated capitals

Physical extent

115 Leaves