Tatty Endpapers

The Vatican Library contains some immaculate manuscripts in mint condition, which leaves one to wonder if they were ever opened, and some battered items that have obviously been loved half to death. The last week's new digitizations includes what started out as the former, a costly Renaissance manuscript of Boethius with fine illuminations, and ended up as the latter after going through multiple hands.

Vat.lat.2982 has annotations galore, tatty endpapers, a worn binding and looks, frankly, grubby. It not only contains Boethius, De Interpretatione, and his translations of  De Sophisticis Elenchis and Topica by Aristotle, but also neat diagrams including his famous arbor porphyriana:

This is not included in my handlist of the medieval Boethius arbor manuscripts as it is apparently too modern. I wonder what model it was copied from.

Here is the full list of 38 new manuscripts:

1. Reg.lat.945,
2. Vat.lat.2191 (Upgraded to HQ),
3. Vat.lat.2198,
4. Vat.lat.2365,
5. Vat.lat.2836 (Upgraded to HQ),
6. Vat.lat.2837 (Upgraded to HQ),
7. Vat.lat.2839, astrology (?) notes by the humanist poet Giovanni Pontano (1426–1503), hence the listing in the eTK index of science manuscripts with the incipit Aristoteles rerum nature indagator solertissimus
8. Vat.lat.2844,
9. Vat.lat.2855,
10. Vat.lat.2864,
11. Vat.lat.2867,
12. Vat.lat.2896,
13. Vat.lat.2898,
14. Vat.lat.2899,
15. Vat.lat.2906 (Upgraded to HQ), 15th-century humanist compilation with Pseudo-Cicero, Livy, Antonio Beccadelli, Leonardo Bruni, Lucio da Visso, four letters of Bartolomeo Facio, etc. With an incipit that runs right around the page,
16. Vat.lat.2911,
17. Vat.lat.2913,
18. Vat.lat.2915 (Upgraded to HQ),
19. Vat.lat.2919,
20. Vat.lat.2922,
21. Vat.lat.2925,
22. Vat.lat.2933,
23. Vat.lat.2935,
24. Vat.lat.2939 (Upgraded to HQ),
25. Vat.lat.2941,
26. Vat.lat.2942,
27. Vat.lat.2960,
28. Vat.lat.2964,
29. Vat.lat.2968 (Upgraded to HQ),
30. Vat.lat.2969 (Upgraded to HQ),
31. Vat.lat.2974 (Upgraded to HQ), Latin translation by Jacopo Angelo of Ptolemy's Cosmographia (8 books), sadly without maps
32. Vat.lat.2975 (Upgraded to HQ), a 16th-century translation of works of the Arab scientist Ibn al-Haytham or Al Hazen. eTK has the incipit Ostendam quid sit crepusculum. With drawings of his optics:
     
33. Vat.lat.2982 (Upgraded to HQ), a well-worn and much-annotated Boethius (above)
34. Vat.lat.2984,

    Aristotle, De somno et vigilia, translatio vetus. Nice initial: she is sleeping while he lies wide awake! From the newest images @DigitaVaticana, as always listed by @JBPiggin, to whom we are truly thankful!https://t.co/XXL0LhC4oR pic.twitter.com/6n6U8Yj6Qt

    — Pieter Beullens (@LatinAristotle) April 17, 2018

35. Vat.lat.2987,

    Coming back to the Aristotelians in last week's @DigitaVaticana listed by @JBPiggin. Translation of the Physica by Andrea Biglia, Augustinian hermit (+ 1435).https://t.co/TBLHuTE0ks pic.twitter.com/eCp8GNTHus

    — Pieter Beullens (@LatinAristotle) April 22, 2018

36. Vat.lat.3120,
37. Vat.lat.3125,
38. Vat.lat.3128,

This is Piggin's Unofficial List number 158. Thanks to @gundormr for harvesting. If you have corrections or additions, please use the comments box below. Follow me on Twitter (@JBPiggin) for news of more additions to DigiVatLib.