Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, 735C

Additional shelfmarks	Plas Power 20
Short title	Astronomy
Century	11 \| 11/I-11/II
Language	Latin
Composite ms.	2 parts
Printed catalogs	Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales 1 (1943) 54. McGurk, P., Germanici Caesaris Aratea cum scholiis: A new illustrated witness from Wales, National Library of Wales Journal 18 (1974) 205-16. Ker, N.R., Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries 2 (1977) 21.
Source	Handlist 1 (1943) \| Ker (1977) \| McGurk (1974)
Type of source	cat. \| descr.
Source’s source	insp.

Work 1	Title (ms.)	Varia, inter quae:
Work 2	Title (ms.)	Astronomy
	Contents	Texts in prose and verse, the bulk of the contents dealing with astronomy.
	Math. drawings	There are numerous coloured sketches and diagrams.
Work 3	Scribe(s)	<alpha> 1-16v, line 23 & possibly 21-3; <beta> 2v, col. 1 line 13 - end of 2v by another scribe in first section attributed to <alpha>; <gamma> 16v, line 23 - 20v; <delta> 23v-4v.
	No. of ms. part	I (1r-26v)
	Height × width	235 x 165 (195 x 145)
	No. of leaves	26
	Gatherings	1^6(leaves now seem to be single) 2^4 3^8(only 4 and 5 certainly conjugates) 4^8(now lacks 3-8) 5^6(1 & 6 seem to be single). Hair side outside, hair faces hair.
	Condition	26v had been the outside leaf of this section for some time as it is dark.
	No. of hands	4
	Type of writing	<alpha> has the aspect of the Limoges area script of the period of Adémar of Chabannes (see, for instance, Gaborit-Chopin, Décoration, figs. 46, 50, 53 of FParN lat. 5301 from St. Martial of Limoges of an earlier date or Catalogue des manuscrits en écriture latine portant des indications de date de lieu ou de copiste 11, Paris (1962) Pl. clxxxviii of FParN lat. 3784 from St. Cybard of Angoulême). <gamma> odd, idiosyncratic hand with half-unical g and triangular-shaped bow in a. Codex written at more or less one campaign, though <delta> may be later.
	No. of columns	(1-2v) 2 cols.
	Width of columns	Prickings in outer margins. Double bounding lines for margins.
	Lineation	Ruling before folding on hair side, possibly 2 bifolia at a time. In quires 1 and 2, ruling before folding but after bifolia had been rearranged so that hair faced hair. (1-2v) 43 lines; (elsewhere) 43 long lines.
	Initials etc.	Rustics used for headings. Larger capitals for colophons of Macrobius and Aratus. Initials sometimes red. Red used to fill up letters in explicits and in some headings and initials. Initials omitted from beginning of some lines on iv, 2.
	Decorations	Drawings in brown ink with green, pale red-orange and brown colour added in illustrations to Aratus to shade contours and to colour patches and highlight parts of drawing. All drawings the work of one artist. Syle like iconography has parallels in Limoges MSS. of early s. 11 (see, dor instance, FParN lat. 5301, Gaborit-Chopin, Décoration, figs. 46, 50, 53, 54, 56-9, 63).
	Marginal annotations	Punctuation: medial point; colon occasionally; ('line and dot') for question mark in Sallust. Pen trials: 1, 26v.
	Glosses etc.	S. 16 scribe who inserted different readings on 11v, 12, 12v, 13v, also tried his pen on 26. Hand of c. 1600 wrote on 15v two lines in English of five words which are difficult to read: the first is "the" and the last is "epist", the remainder look like "lesoun suvoral Callvenes". Arabic numerals added on 2v (s. 11). Tironian notes used on 3.
Work 4	Title (ms.)	Drawing of Southern Hemisphere
	Contents	Below it faint drawing of two circles, that on right having concentric rings. These have not been completed.
	Folio no.	3v
Work 5	Title (ms.)	Drawing of Northern Hemisphere
	Contents	On top left outline drawing (inc.) of man clinging to sphere. Below it drawing of man seated with arms outstreched to right and clasping a circle which has only been faintly drawn (globe intended ?) with standing lady on left holding a crown near the man's head. This is by the same artist as that of the sphere.
	Folio no.	4r
Work 6	Title (ms.)	Drawing of zodiac circle with planets
	Contents	Zodiac drawn on outer band, verses written on concentric bands, planetary busts shown, three on these concentric bands, four on circles in centre of schema representing planetary movemnents. The verses are written again in two columns below drawing and are given headings
	Incipit	(verses) Aplanes superam (?) centros dixere priores
	Folio no.	4v
	Rubric	(verses) De circulo superiori, de circulo saturni
	Additional copies	The verses correspond to Rheims <Reims ?> MS. 1263, 98v-9, 2-9 in reverse order the first lines of which were published in Catalogue Général des Manuscrits des Bibliothèques Publique de France, XXXIX, Reims, II 1, Paris (1904) 360 (Pl. IVA).
Work 7	Title (ms.)	Drawing of two hemispheres (inc.)
	Contents	In margins and in blank spaces are written most indistinctly texts relating to zones and heavenly circles.
	Incipit	Sub pedibus nostris antarticus iste iacebit
	Folio no.	5r
Work 8	Additional names	Priscianus
	Title (ms.)	Versus Prisciani de Sideribus
	Incipit	Ad Boreae partes arcti vertuntur
	Printed copies	Anthologia Latina, 1, 2, # 679.
	Folio no.	7v
	Rubric	Incipit Epitome Phenomenon id est apparatio sive apparencia Prisciani grammatici versibus xii de sideribus.
	Explicit	celsior his Saturnus tardior omnibus astris.
Work 9	Author standard	Macrobius
	Title (ms.)	Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis
	Contents	Text (4 lines only, beginning and end of Book 1, Willis ed., p. 1 lines 1-4, p. 93 lines 30-2): Inter Platonis et Ciceronis libros ... sequencium reservemus. Capitals: Explicit lib I.M.A.T.V.C. et ill. de somnio Scipionis. Incipit secundus. Text (3 lines only, beginning and end of Book II, Willis ed., p. 95 lines 1-4, p. 154 lines 17-9): Superiore commentario ... philosophia continetur.
	Incipit	Cum in Affricam venissem
	Printed copies	Ed. Willis, J., Leipzig (1963) 155-63.
	Folio no.	7v-9v
	Rubric	Somnium Scipionis M. Tullii Ciceronis excerptum ex libro vi de Republica.
	Explicit	ego somno solutus.
	Colophon	Explicit Macrobii Ambrosii Theodosii Viri Clarissimi et illustris commentum ex Ciceronis in somnium Scipionis.
	Blank leaves	9r
Work 10	Title (ms.)	Drawing of planisphere
Work 10	Folio no.	10v (Pl. IA)
Work 11	Author standard	Aratus \| Germanicus Caesar
	Title (ms.)	Phaenomena
	Contents	Ends: (20v, line 232) Andromedae erit hic medii divortia mundi. Recommences (21r, line 433): Sub geminis Prochion fulgenti lumine surgit.
	Incipit	Ab Iove principium magno deducit Aratus
	Printed copies	(Germanici Caesaris Aratea) Ed. A. Breysig, Leipzig (1899). (Germanici Caesaris Aratea cum scholiis) Ed. A. Breysig, Berlin (1867) 55-204.
	Folio no.	11v-24v
	Rubric	T. Claudii Caesaris Arati Phoenomena.
	Explicit	haec eadem tibi signa dabunt non inrita pisces.
	Colophon	T. Claudii Cesaris Phenomena explicit feliciter. Deo gracias.
	Glosses etc.	Gloss on 11v-22v. (11v) Queritur quare ab Iove cepit et non a Musis ... (20v) ends: (Breysig, 1867, p. 83 line 5) ipse autem signis adsequitur. (21v) Recommences (Brezsig, 1867, p. 102 line 1) Hic prior qui (expunctuated) oritur quam ... (21v) ends: facta est circuli albi species.
	Illustrations	Coloured drawings: (11v) Aratus and Muse; (12r) Jupiter and eagle; (13r) Draco inter arctos; (13v) Hercules; (14r) Corona; (14v) Serpentarius on Scorpio; (15r) Bootes; (16r) Virgo; (17r) Gemini with Cancer; (17v) Leo; (18r) Space for Auriga illustration; (18v) Taurus; (19r) Cepheus; (19v) Cassiopeia, Andromeda; (20r) Pegasus; (20v) Aries; (21r) Hydra, crater and corvus, Antecanis; (21v) Busts of planets; (25r) Diagram of planisphere with names of constellations. Serpentarius and Corona have inscriptions in capitals. (For these drawings, see Pl. I-VI). Drawings done before writing (see 13v, 14v, 19v).<For further details, see McGurk 207-12>.
	Blank leaves	11r, 25v, 26r, 26v
Work 12	Scribe(s)	<alpha> All Hyginus and glosses save for short sections by <beta> 38, line 15 existimatur - 38, line 34 appelavit; and <gamma> 38v, line 6 alii dixerunt - 39, line 11, terminet; 42v, line 32, Quoniam in innicio spherae - bottom of page, here repeats the opening of Book IV already transcribed by <alpha>.
	Place of origin	England (possibly Wales)
	Previous owners	S. 19 Hand has inscribed on a tag in the inner binding the words "Astronomy and very curious". (These words partly correspond to those describing this codex in the PLas Power catalogue (1816), preserved in N.L.W.) This may be the hand of Richard Lloyd (1752-1835).
	No. of ms. part	II (27r-47r)
	Height × width	235 x 165 (195 x 145)
	No. of leaves	21
	Gatherings	1^8 2^8 3^6(lacks 6 ?). Hairside outside, hair faces hair.
	Cover	Binding of brown calf over boards decorated with blind tooling and bears initials T.M. Possibly early s. 17 London binding. Prickings in outer margins.
	No. of hands	3
	Type of writing	<alpha> Idiosyncratic with frequent changes of pen and angle. Some Insular symptoms: A and Y: and some abbreviation signs: the -tur sign on 38 was pointed out to me by Professor Bischoff. Idiosyncracy of <alpha> makes it difficult to suggest parallels.
	Lineation	Ruling before folding on hair side. 43 long lines (42 on 46 & 47; 44 on 47v though this is ruled for 42).
	Initials etc.	Red capitals for heading on 27 and throughout Hyginus. Initials on 27v, 28, 29-31v, 33-4v are filled with red and yellow or with brown. Initials after 34v are orange. Opening initial on 27 has interlace and scroll decoration.
	Marginal annotations	Punctuation: medial point; tick and point.
	Exlibris	At top 0f 1, library shelf mark: <..>. 3.
	Other notes	Perhaps produced to complete Part I in a Welsh centre.
Work 13	Author standard	Hyginus
	Title (ms.)	Astronomica
	Incipit	Et si te studio grammatice artis
	Folio no.	27r-47r
	Rubric	Iginus M. Fabio plurimam salutem.
	Explicit	annum voluerunt esse cum Sol ab aestivo circulo redeat. Deo gratias.