Contents: This manuscript contains the Epistles of Ennodius (d.
521) from book 1 to 9 and some extracts from the Opuscula and the
Dictiones. The texts are largely corrupted and abridged. The
manuscript also includes a series of anonymous epistles (ff.
50r-55r), perhaps in order to provide examples in the ars
dictaminis, according to Polak, Medieval and Renaisance Letter
Treatises (1994), p. 344 . These epistles were probably written in
an Italian context because most of the cited names are Italian (see
Warner, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts (1921)). The lower margins
of ff. 1-8 have been trimmed off. These folios were once separated,
possibly after the fire of 1731, and they were formerly numbered
Royal Appendix 8, ff. 19-26. ff. 1r-50r: Magnus Felix Ennodius,
Dictiones (Discourses), Epistule (Letters) and extracts from
Opuscula, imperfect , out of order, and in some cases abridged,
especially in the earlier part . It begins with the first
discourse, Dictio in natali Laurentium , for the consecration of
Lawrence, bishop of Milan, beginning: 'Usu rerum venit inter
homines' (f. 1r), imperfect, followed by Dictio 7, (ff. 2r-v),
beginning: 'Ut campus militem' and by the Epistle to John (Book 1,
Epistle 1) (ff. 2v-3r): 'Cum (sic) saluum (sic) queris verbis in
statione componitis'; ending with the Epistle to Apodemia, Book 9
(the end of the Epistle is lacking): 'tamen meriti sui nobilitate'.
ff. 50r-55r: Anonymous, Epistles, probably intended as exemplars,
according to Polak, Medieval and Renaissance Letter Treatises
(1994), beginning: 'Vegilianus amici mei Faustus et ipse honestatis
intuitu', ending 'sed non mediocriter'. Decoration:Historiated
initial 'U'(su) in colours and gold of an ass playing a harp (f.
1r). One puzzle initial 'D'(e) in red, blue and green (f. 51v).
Initials in blue or green with red pen-flourishing, or in red with
blue pen-flourishing. Smaller plain initials in red or blue.One
rubric in red (f. 51v). Prominent quire signatures are visible at
the bottom centre of each last verso, except for the first quire:
ff. 16v, 24v, 32v, 40v, 48v.
