A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges

MS. Canon. Class. Lat. 131

Summary Catalogue no.: 18712

Physical Description

Composite: fols. 2–84b || fols. 85–156
Extent: 155 (sic) leaves

History

Provenance and Acquisition

The combined volume bears (fol. 1) the autograph ex libris of Cardinal Bessarion: τοῦ Ξενοφῶντος ἀπομνημονεύματος τοῦ Σωκράτους, καὶ Αὐρηλίου Βίκτωρος ἱστορίαι κατ᾽ ἐπιτομὴν, κτῆμα Βησσαρίωνος καρδινάλις τοῦ τῶν Τουσκιλλήνων.

No. 239 in the list of Bessarion's books given to San Marco, Venice, in 1468 (see H. Omont, Revue des bibliothèques, iv (1894), 178).

Matteo Luigi Canonici, 1727–1805

Giuseppe Canonici , -1807

Purchased by the Bodleian in 1817

MS. Canon. Class. Lat. 131 – Part 1

Contents

1. (fols. 2–84b)
Xenophon, Memorabilia (tr. Bessarion )

With dedicatory letter.

Final rubric: Xenophontis de actis et dictis Socratis memoratu dignis liber quartus et ultimus finit; pro reverendissimo in Christo, patre et domino domino Cardinali de Columna. Mo.cccco. liiio.
Language(s): Latin (Bessarion's inscription in Greek)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Paper. For the watermark cf. Briquet no. 3668, Rome, etc.
Extent: 83 + i leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 227 × 145 mm.

Layout

1 col., 30 lines, written space 130 × 80 mm.

Decoration

Spaces left for initials.

History

Origin: 1453 ; Italian, Rome (?)

MS. Canon. Class. Lat. 131 – Part 2 (fols. 85-156)

Contents

1. (fols. 85r–123v)
Origo gentis Romanae.
Language(s): Latin
2.
De uiris illustribus urbis Romae.
Language(s): Latin
3. (fol. 124)
Aurelius Victor, De Caesaribus
Rubric: Aurelii Victoris Historie abreviate ab Augusto Octaviano, id est, a fine Titi Livii usque ad consulatum decimum Constantii Augusti et Juliani Cesaris tertium
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Paper. Same watermark as part 1.

Hand(s)

Humanistic script with corrections by a humanistic cursive hand.

History

Origin: 1450s ; Italian, Rome (?)

Provenance

The collection of texts is also found in Brussels, Bibl. Royale 9755-63.

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (Feb. 2025) from the following sources:
A. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries (1984), no. 170 (fols. 2-84b)
The survival of ancient literature: catalogue of an exhibition of Greek and Latin classical manuscripts ... (1975), no. 147
H. O. Coxe, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecæ Bodleianæ pars tertia codices Græcos et Latinos Canonicianos complectens, Quarto Catalogues III, 1854).

Bibliography

    Printed descriptions:

    A. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries (1984), no. 170 (fols. 2-84b)

Last Substantive Revision

2025-02: Encode all information from printed catalogues.