Le epistole

Contributor:

Malatesta, Novello (dedicatee)

Name:

Pseudo-Phalaris; Griffolini, Francesco, 1418-1483

Timespan:

Early works to 1800

Date:

1400

Description:

The letters attributed to Phalaris, translated from Greek into Latin by the humanist Francesco Aretino (also known as Francesco Griffolini), and from Latin into Italian by an unnamed translator (perhaps Giovanni Andrea Ferabos, or Bartholomeo Phontio [or Fontio]?). Includes a dedication of Francesco Aretino to Novello Malatesta.

Language:

Italian

Provenance:

From the Macauley Collection.; Accessioned (or given new accession number), 1959.

Relation:

Collation model: http://repository.upenn.edu/sims_models/32

Subject:

Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, active 6th century B.C. attributed name; Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, active 6th century B.C.; Classical literature -- Early works to 1800; Classical literature; Greek literature -- Early works to 1800; Greek literature

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

manuscripts (documents); codices (bound manuscripts); Manuscripts, Italian; Manuscripts, Renaissance

Physical Description:

67 leaves : parchment; 181 x 131 (129 x 83) mm bound to 197 x 131 mm

Rights:

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Phalaris was the ruler of Akragas (i.e. Agrigentum, modern Agrigento) in Greek-speaking Sicily in the early 6th century B.C.; Title supplied by cataloger (Zacour-Hirsch). Title derived from text of dedication (f. 1r): L'epistole.; Spine label: Phalari M.S.; In the dedication (f. 1r), Francesco Aretino states that he translated the letters from Greek into Latin. Zacour-Hirsch mistakenly says that Aretino translated them from Greek into Italian.; The translator who produced this Italian version is not named in the manuscript. Zacour-Hirsch suggests Giovanni Andrea Ferabos or Bartholomeo Phontio [or Fontio]; cf. the early printed Italian translations--1471, 1488, etc.--listed by S. F. G. Hoffmann, Lexicon bibliographicum, III, 214-215.; Collation: Parchment, ii (paper) + 67 + i (paper); 1¹⁰(-1), 2-6¹⁰, 7⁸; [1-67]; modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto. One leaf appears to be missing at the beginning of the first quire; might have been blank or contained a dedication, etc. Link to collation model at end of record.; Layout: Written in 25 long lines; ruled in ink.; Script: Written in a single humanist book hand.; Decoration: Titles in red, initials in red and blue.; Binding: Vellum, with a gilded design on the spine; probably a bit later than the manuscript.; Origin: Written in Tuscany[?], probably in the second half of the 15th century (Zacour-Hirsch).; Cover worn slightly at the edges. Various smudges and stains.; The British classical scholar Richard Bentley (1662-1742) demonstrated conclusively that these letters cannot have been written by Phalaris but are much later in date.; Italian.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 320