Notes sur un commentaire médiéval des Sententiae de Publius Syrus

A commentary to Publilius Syrus' Sententiae, apparently the only one known to us, is found in five witnesses : four italian manuscripts of the 14th century (Vaticano, Arch. S. Pietro C 121 ; Cesena, Bibl. Malatest. C. XX, 1 ; Vaticano, Ottob. lat. 2038 et Vat. lat. 2212) and one french manuscript of the 15th century (Paris, Bibl. nat., lat. 16249). The Sententiae are under the title Prouerbia Senecae and belong to the Σ family, which offers many interpolations mostly drawn out of the Liber de moribus ascribed to Seneca. The author of the commentary, presumably an italian monk or clerk satisfies himself in interlacing each Sententia with prose ethic arguments, enriched with excerpts from the Sententiae themselves or both Seneca's authentic and spurious works, and with some verses of his own composition. Several examples are given to explain the construction and the sources of the commentary, the alterations in the text of the Sententiae and their misunderstanding ; then follows an edition of the prologue, the first and last paragraphs of the commentary.A commentary to Publilius Syrus' Sententiae, apparently the only one known to us, is found in five witnesses : four italian manuscripts of the 14th century (Vaticano, Arch. S. Pietro C 121 ; Cesena, Bibl. Malatest. C. XX, 1 ; Vaticano, Ottob. lat. 2038 et Vat. lat. 2212) and one french manuscript of the 15th century (Paris, Bibl. nat., lat. 16249). The Sententiae are under the title Prouerbia Senecae and belong to the Σ family, which offers many interpolations mostly drawn out of the Liber de moribus ascribed to Seneca. The author of the commentary, presumably an italian monk or clerk satisfies himself in interlacing each Sententia with prose ethic arguments, enriched with excerpts from the Sententiae themselves or both Seneca's authentic and spurious works, and with some verses of his own composition. Several examples are given to explain the construction and the sources of the commentary, the alterations in the text of the Sententiae and their misunderstanding ; then follows an edition of the prologue, the first and last paragraphs of the commentary.Pellegrin Élisabeth. Notes sur un commentaire médiéval des Sententiae de Publius Syrus. In: Revue d'histoire des textes, bulletin n°6 (1976), 1978. pp. 305-322