ISAAC VOSSIUS, CATULLUS AND THE CODEX THUANEUS
Dániel Kiss
For Bernd Niebling and his colleagues at the Lesesaal Altes Buch of Universitätsbibliothek München While earliest complete manuscripts Catullus to survive today were written in fourteenth century, it is well known that poem 62 already appears an anthology from ninth Codex Thuaneus (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Parisinus lat. 8071). However, may once have contained one more Catullus. In commentary on poet, which appeared 1684 but had been decades earlier, Dutch scholar Isaac Vossius makes following comment last two lines 11: Praetereunte postquam Tactus aratro est ] Vetustissimum exemplar Thuanæum quo hoc Catulli carmen variorum epigrammatis subjungitur, legit fractus , non tactus . Et probo, nisi malis stratus nam quibusdam libris tractus legebatur. It surprising find a reference lost part such well-known manuscript source seventeenth century. One ask whether really read this Thuaneus. Could he seen manuscript? Can be relied report its contents truthfully? And could volume since century? I will argue answer all these questions yes, very likely 11 as 62. set out consequences for our understanding Catullus' tradition. Next, discuss another ancient claims read, namely ‘vetus liber Mediolanensis’. The article close with appendix history before was studied by Vossius.
Classical quarterly