Summary:
Careful copy of a collection of excerpts from ancient philosophy, including that of Socrates (سقراط), Plato (افلاطون), Pythagoras (فيثاغورث), Empedocles (ابندقلس), Plutarch (فلوطرخيس), Porphyry (فرفوريوس), etc., addressing cosmology.
Other Title(s):
Title from inscription on opening 'title page' (p.1):حكم سقراطاقوال الاقدمين في الكونيات
Incipit:
"حكم سقباط الباري لم تزل هوية فقط وهو جوهر فقط وهو غير مدرك من جهة كنهه ووصفه الاخص لان الحقائق كلها من جهة جوهره ..."
Physical Details:
Collation:
i, 2 VIII (32), V (42), IV (50), i ; catchwords present ; pages left fully or partially blank between sections (each comprising a single gathering), some (corresponding to the opening recto of the gathering ) to serve as 'title pages' (see pp.33, 65, 85) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.
Script:
Ruqʻah ; quick, compact hand in a medium to bold line ; serifless and freely ligatured with effect of inclination to the left and of words descending to baseline, mainly closed counters, pointing somewhat careless and in strokes rather than distinct dots, final yāʼ usually unpointed.
Support:
Wove paper of two types ; opening type (first gathering, through p.32), machine wove, lined / ruled in blue ; thereafter in a sturdy machine wove type, dark cream to beige in color.
Binding:
Boards covered in dark green cloth with dark green leather over spine (quarter binding) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in wove paper printed with a floral vegetal pattern in green ; spine gold-stamped with title and decorative accents over raised bands "اقوال الاقدمين في الكونيات حكم سقراط | J.H.D." ; sewn in white thread over two recessed cords ; stuck-on endbands (blue and white stripe) ; overall in fairly good condition though with curvature in boards (negative draw in upper board, positive draw in lower board).
Origin:
Lacks dated colophon ; likely copied in Egypt in the late 1930s and bound for James Heyworth-Dunne (d.1974).
Ownership and History:
On upper pastedown, label with ex libris of James Heyworth-Dunne (d.1974), stamped with inventory number, "Ex Libris | J. Heyworth-Dunne | D. Lit. (London) | No. 7931" ; UM Library inscription on p.3 "Dunning | Heyworth-Dunne | 6-13-51 | 71955" ; possible former inventory mark "231/53" on verso of final leaf (p.100) ; occasional marginal glosses in pencil.
Contributor(s) / Included work(s):
Unidentified-Can you help supply this information? Please comment!
Posted by evyn on December 1, 2010
Tags: Arabic MSS, Fully Catalogued, Heyworth-Dunne Collection


Comments on specific paragraphs:
Click the
icon to the right of a paragraph
Comments on the page as a whole:
Click the
icon to the right of the page title (works the same as paragraphs)