Summary:
Manuscript 533 is a twelfth or thirteenth-century copy of the
Institutiones Grammaticae, an exposition on Latin grammar by the
early sixth-century author Priscian. This was the standard textbook
for the study of Latin grammar at the time. The complete work
consists of eighteen books. Books I-XVI deal with sounds,
word-formation and inflexions, while books XVII-XVIII discuss
syntax. Due to the size of the last two books, almost a third of
the entire work, they were often copied apart. Books I-XVI were
known as the 'Larger Priscian' (Priscianus maior); the other two as
the 'Smaller Priscian' (Priscianus minor) or 'On Construction' (De
constructione). This copy contains the Priscianus maior. The text
is written in a protogothic script in a single column per page.
Decoration throughout is limited to red and blue lombards. There is
no hierarchy; initials that introduce new books have not been
executed differently from those that introduce chapters. The main
exception is the decorated initial at the beginning of the
prologue. This is an elaborately decorated letter C, portraying two
connected animals, possibly griffins, the mouth of one of which
produces flower ranks. Its empty areas have been coloured in with
red and light blue ink. Throughout the manuscript marginal
annotations are found, both contemporary and in a later,
15th-century, hand. That the manuscript was still in use by that
time, is also shown by an inscription on the last leaf: 'Liber
beate Marie de Dunis sub custodia Bernardi Valke anno 1481'. Valke
was a cantor at the abbey at that time. The custodia is difficult
to explain; possibly Valke brought the book with him to the abbey
upon entering, donated the book (as monks could not possess
anything), yet was allowed to keep it for use. In any case, by 1481
the book had come into the possession of Ten Duinen. Furthermore,
this leaf contains some notes in Hebrew, possibly probationes
pennae. The manuscript is bound in a seventeenth-century binding of
the 'Campmans' type. [Summary by Dr. Mark Vermeer] Title:
Prisciani grammatica [17de-eeuwse titel] Note:
In bovenmarge van f. 1r door meermaals de titel 'Prisciani
grammatica', in verschillende handen
Inc. (f. 1r): 'Cvm omnis eloquentie doctrinam et omne studiorum';
expl. (f. 134r): 'neque erant astrorum ignes nec lucidus extra
[sic] sideria polvs. Sub XVI libro conclvditvr varie declinationes
VIII parcivm orationis a prisciano lvcvlenter disserte'
Aanwezig zijn boek I-XVI
Blijkens eigendomsinscriptie op f. 134v was dit boek in 1481 in
beheer bij Bernard Valke, die als cantor verbonden was aan de
Duinenabdij
F. 134v bevat Hebreeuwse pennenproeven
Marginalia in zowel contemporaine hand als in latere, 15de-eeuwse
hand Topic general subdivision:
Taal- en letterkunde Material:
Perkament Extent:
134 ff. Dimensions:
240 x 160 mm Decoration and binding:
gedecoreerde initialen
lombarden
marginalia
Campmansband (ca. 1625-1650) Script:
gotische semi-textualis
met textualis kenmerken Provenance:
Cisterciënzerabdij Ten Duinen (S.O.Cist.) Genre/form:
Traktaten taal- en letterkunde
Traktaten septem artes Topic:
Grammatica
