Marshal GT

I've often wondered how many medieval people actually introduced themselves by their place of origin, for example: "Hello, I'm John of Auckland."

One of the Vatican Library manuscripts which I spotted this week newly digitized in color is Vat.lat.933 containing works by Gervase of Tilbury (c. 1150s–c. 1222) and marked up by the great man himself with corrections. On the opening page he is described as Gervasius Tilberiensis (the obscure West Tilbury in Essex).

So it does appear he went by that name in his lifetime, even when he held titles like Marshal of the Kingdom of Arles or Provost of Ebstorf. Gervase is famed for writing the Otia Imperialia ("Recreation for an Emperor") for his patron, Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV. It describes many wonders of the distant world such as headless men (also known as akephaloi or blemmyes).

Also new in color is Reg.lat.1260, a binding of two manuscripts believed to be associated with the monastery of Fleury-sur-Loire in France (HT to @monicaMedHist for pointing this out and imaging Beccaria's description). A 10th-century manuscript includes scientific texts such as a glossary of Greek disease names (Incipit: Antrax id est rubor in superficie cutis (see eTK)). And here is its handy tabulation of phases of the moon:

Additionally now available in color is a 14th-century scientific manuscript with works of Boethius, Vat.lat.2114 with Categoriae 12v-32r; De Interpretatione 42r-53r; translation of Aristotle, Prior Analytics 162r-218v; of Aristotle, De Sophisticis Elenchis 53r-81v; of Aristotle, Topica 81v-162r. It also contains a commentary on Euclid, a great many marginal glosses, and diagrams:

Here is the list of completely new digitizations I have detected in the past week:

1. Ott.lat.3384
2. Reg.lat.1321
3. Reg.lat.1542
4. Reg.lat.1562

   A fascinating early #medieval copy of Persius's Satires among the latest digitisations @DigitaVaticana HT @JBPiggin : a late 10th/early 11thC #manuscript feat. Persius with scholia, glosses, a short life of the author and explanation of the literary genre https://t.co/Rh0FDEm4gV pic.twitter.com/1wLu7kfCXx

   — GiorgiaV (@ParvaVox) December 11, 2017

5. Reg.lat.1564
6. Reg.lat.1565
7. Reg.lat.1566
8. Reg.lat.1578
9. Reg.lat.1590
10. Reg.lat.1635
11. Ross.40
12. Vat.lat.1967
13. Vat.lat.2114
14. Vat.lat.2120
15. Vat.lat.2195, a 14th-century manuscript of the Latin novel Metamorphoses by the 2nd-century Numidian writer Apuleius.
16. Vat.lat.2221
17. Vat.lat.2265
18. Vat.lat.2281
19. Vat.lat.3360

This is Piggin's Unofficial List number 140. If you have corrections or additions, please use the comments box below. Follow me on Twitter (@JBPiggin) for news of more additions to DigiVatLib.