De metrica arte.

Bede, the Venerable, Saint, 673-735. · 1000

A treatise on Latin grammar and meter originally written in the early 8th century. Title from Explicit on final leaf. Script: Caroline minuscules in brown ink. Rubrication in yellow. Beginnings of chapters and Explicit on yellow ground in rustic-uncials mixed, mainly rustic with occasional uncial "a" or "e.". Decoration: Ten initials, some in red and dark brown, some in red and blue. One large initial in Celtic interlace strapwork, red and blue on yellow background. Condition: Imperfect at the beginning, starting with Chapter II. Parts missing of Chapter VIII. Several brown stains. Origin: Swiss execution, 10th century. According to bookseller Giuseppe Martini, the forms of the abbreviations, especially "in" represented as a long "I" with a transversal cut in the middle point, have a possible origin at the Monsatery of St. Gall, Switzerland, one of the most famous scriptoria of the Middle Ages. Contents: A fragment comprising: Chapter 2 (De Syllaba, of which it contains about one third, beginning with "dux. aut in unam desinit consonantem.."); 3 (De metro dactylico, hexametro vel pentametro); 4 (Quae sit optima carminis forma); 5 (De scansionibus, sive caesuris versus heroici); 6 (De synalepha); 7 (De episynalepha vel diaeresi); and about two thirds of 8 (Quod et auctoritas saepe et necessitas metricorum decreta violet, ending with "antibachius non dactilus. sed poeta ut gloriam sanctae et inviui.."). After the fragmentary Chapter 8, the text begins again with Chapter 24 (De rythmo) and Chapter 25 (Quod tria sunt genera poematis), then Bede's letter (Haec tibi dulcissime fili et conleuita gudhberte ex antiquorum opusculis..). After this follow, by the same hand but in a smaller character, some symbolical interpretations of names of cities in the New Testament. Ricci, S. de. Census of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada 20. Coy, D.I., European Manuscripts IX-XV Centuries at the Chapin Library 2. De metrica arte. Chapin Library, Williams College. Gift of Alfred Clark Chapin. Purchased on behalf of the Chapin Library from Giuseppe Martini (Lugano, March 1, 1929). Martini Catalog XIX:7. Phillipps MS. 2166. Phillipps crest stamped in black ink on recto of first flyleaf. Below this crest is stamped "Sir T.P. Middle Hill." Below in ink is "2166." In upper right corner of the recto of the same leaf in pencil, but in a different hand, is "586. Payne.". Heavy pasteboards covered with pale yellow heavy paper. Paper flyleaves and pastedowns.