Bod-Inc: T-004
Tacitus, Publius Cornelius
Opera.
Analysis of Content
[a2r] Tacitus, Publius Cornelius: Annales XI–XVI. Incipit: ‘[N]am Valerium Asiaticum bis consulem, fuisse quondam adulterum eius credidit ...’ [g7r] Explicit: ‘... Ceterum in ea tempora natus es quibus firmare animum expediat constantibus exemplis post lentitudinem exitus gravis cruciatus, afferente conversis in Demetrium.’ Tac. Ann. 11–16. The editio princeps of both Annales XI–XVI and Historiae. On the parallel transmission of Annales XI–XVI and Historiae see R. J. Tarrant, in Texts and Transmission, 407-9, at 409 for this edition; R. W. Ulery Jr, ‘Cornelius Tacitus', in CTC VI 87-174, at 89-94. Publius as Tacitus' praenomen is preferred in R. P. Oliver, ‘The Praenomen of Tacitus', American Journal of Philology, 98 (1977), 64-70; Prosopographia Imperii Romani, ed. E. Groag and A. Stein, II (Berlin and Leipzig, 1986), 365 no. 1467.
[g7v] Tacitus, Publius Cornelius: Historiae. Incipit: ‘[I]nitium mihi operis Sevus Galba iterum Titus Iunius consules erunt ...’ [q8r] Explicit: ‘.. Cerealis miraculo magis quam metu direxit classem imparetur usu remigium [sic] gubernatorum artem navium magnitudine potiorem.’ Tac. Hist. 1-5. 23. 2; see also Tarrant 409 on this version of the text.
[r1r] Tacitus, Publius Cornelius: Germania. ‘Cornelii Taciti illustrissimi historici De situ, moribus et populis Germaniae libellus aureus.’ Incipit: ‘[G]ermania omnis a Gallis Rhetiisque et Pannoniis, Rheno et Danubio fluminibus a Sarmatis ...’ [r9v] Explicit: ‘... Hellusios et Oxonias ora hominum vultusque et corpora atque artibus ferarum genere, quod ego ut incompertum in medium relinquam.’ Tac. Germ. On the transmission see M. Winterbottom, in Texts and Transmission, 410-11; Tacitus, The Germania of Tacitus, ed. R. P. Robinson, Philological Monographs, 5 (Middletown, Conn., 1935), 1-235; F. Della Corte, ‘La scoperta del Tacito minore', in La fortuna di Tacito dal sec. XV ad oggi: Atti del colloquio (Urbino, 9-11 ottobre 1978), ed. Franco Gori and Cesare Questa (Urbino, 1978), 13-61.
[r9v] [Verse] Incipit: Cesareos mores scribit Cornelius, esto | Iste tibi codex, historie pater est ... Explicit: ‘... Insigni quem laude feret gens postera, pressit | Spira premens, artis gloria prima sue. [4 lines]’
[s1r] Tacitus, Publius Cornelius: Dialogus de oratoribus. ‘Cornelii Taciti equitis Romani dialogus de oratoribus claris.’ Incipit: ‘[S]aepe ex me requiris, Iuste Fabi, cur cum priora secula tot eminentium oratorum ingeniis gloriaque effloru ...’ [t7r] Explicit: ‘... Ego inquit te poetis Messala cum antiquariis criminabimur. At ego nos rhetoribus et scholasticis, inquit, cum adrisissent, discessimus.’ Tac. Dial. See Winterbottom, 410-11.
Imprint
Imprint: [Venice] Vindelinus de Spira [1473] f°
Secundo folio: [a3r] ac recentiorum Aruntii et Esernini ad summa prevectos incorrupta
Collation
Collation: [a–i10 k–l8 m–o10 p–q8 r10 s–t8].
Remarks: Spaces left blank for initial, with printed guide letter.
References
ISTC: it00006000
Hain: HC *15218;
Goff: Goff T‑6;
BMC: BMC V 165;
Proctor: Pr 4061;
Others: BSB‑Ink T‑9; CIBN T‑4; Rhodes 1656; Sheppard 3233. Microfiche: Unit 8: Printing in Italy before 1472: Part II PI 84.
LCN: 14009685
Copies
Copy number: T-004(1)
Wanting the blank leaves [a1] and [t8].
Binding: Eighteenth-century gold-tooled red morocco; the gold stamp of the Bodleian Library on both covers; gilt-edged leaves; marbled pastedowns; green silk bookmark.
Size: 298 × 213 × 36 mm.
Size of leaf: 292 × 191 mm.
Occasional marginal notes, mostly washed, in a contemporary North Italian hand, extracting key words and phrases, and supplying three dots and tail in the left-hand margin beside most lines, brackets, pointing hands, and comments on the text. ‘L. V. A. 6' in pencil and ‘rarus inter rarissimos, collatus et integer. P.' in black in an eighteenth-century hand on the recto of the front endleaf.
Provenance: Eugene, Prince of Savoy (1663-1736)(?); see note ‘This fine copy belonged to Prince Eugene' in the Bibliotheca Parisiana auction catalogue. Antoine Marie Pâris d'Illins (1746-1809); Bibliotheca Parisiana, lot 524. Purchased through Peter Elmsley (ex informatione Roger Middleton) for £37. 16. 0: see the annotated sale catalogue and Books Purchased (1791), 2.
SHELFMARK: Auct. L 2.14.
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