Bentinck, Margaret Cavendish, 11 Feb 1715-17 Jul 1785, duchess of Portland, née Harley, collector of art and natural history specimens and patron of arts and sciences
This manuscript consists of books 1-18 of Priscian (fl. 500)'s
Institutiones grammaticae (Institutes of Grammar), including
Tironian shorthand notes and numerous marginal and interlinear
glosses written by several hands spanning from the late 9th century
to the early 12th century. One of these glosses is in Old English
(f. 8r). The first two quires (ff. 1v-16r) were written by a later
hand datable to the 10th century, and probably replaced an earlier
or lacking portion of the manuscript.Contents: ff. 1v-143r:
Priscian, Institutiones grammaticae , books 1-16, beginning: 'Cum
omnis eloquentiae doctrinam' preceded by verses, beginning 'Me
legat antiquas qui vult proferre loquelas' (f. 1v). ff. 143r-144r:
Priscian, additions to the Institutiones , rubric: 'Prisciani
Grammatici partes orationis de nomine libri VII, de verbo libri II,
de participio liber I, de pronomine liber II, de Praepositione
liber I, de adverbio et interiectione liber I, de coniunctione
liber I', text, beginning: 'Primitiva sunt pronomina'.
ff.144r-187r: Priscian, Institutiones grammaticae , books 17-18,
beginning: 'Quoniam in ante expositis libris de partibus
orationis'. ff. 187r-188v: Anonymous, De verbo (On Words),
beginning: 'Verbum est pars orationis', including Tironian notes
and numerous Greek forms translated in Latin. f. 187v: Ambrosiaster
(fl. 370), Ad Corinthios prima (On the First of Corinthians)
7:10-12, beginning, 'His autem qui in matrimonio'.
Decoration:Titles and initials in display capitals in red (or
oxidized red) (ff. 22v, 29r, 61v-63v, 75v, 82r, 117r, 143r, 167v,
168v, 187v). Titles and initials in brown in display capitals in
ink. Added pen drawings of a knight in armour on horseback (f. 1r)
and of Christ with out-stretched arms (f. 188v), both added in the
12th century.
