Details

Standardized Title:

Ephesiaca

Subjects:

Romance fiction, Greek -- Early works to 1800.
Romance fiction, Greek.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Romances (document genre)
Manuscripts, French.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

French.

Biography/History:

Doctor of medicine in Niort, in the department of Deux-Sèvres, France; also a naturalist, historian, and public official (attorney of Niort, deputy for Deux-Sèvres, prefect for the Vendée); the name of the translator appearing on the title page is an anagram.

Summary:

Romance in five books in which Abrocôme and Anthia, a young man and woman of Ephesus, though separated and threatened by pirates, slavery, shipwrecks, unwanted suitors, and other dangers, remain faithful to one another, are reunited, and return to Ephesus. Preceded by a preface (p. 3-8) describing the discovery of the original manuscript in Florence in 1720; followed by historical and geographical notes (p. 185-295) keyed to numbers inserted in the text.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from title page (p. 1).
Pagination: Paper, v + 150 + i leaves; 1-165, [i-ii], 166-298, contemporary pagination in ink, modern pagination in pencil, upper outer corners.
Layout: Written in 18-19 long lines; vertical margins marked by folding.
Script: Written in the cursive hand of J.-L. M. Guillemeau.
Binding: Contemporary (18th-century) parchment with damaged paper covers; spine title Les amours d'Abrocôme et d'Anthia in ink.
Origin: Written in Niort, France, in 1796 (p. 1).

Local notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George L. Murray Fund.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by L. Guillemeau, son of the translator (bookplate inside upper cover).
Sold by Amanda Hall Rare Books (Teffont Evias, England), 2011.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1622

Contributor:

Guillemeau, J.-L. M. (Jean-Louis Marie), 1766-1853, translator.
George L. Murray Fund.

OCLC:

777982475

Web link:

The George L. Murray Fund Home Page