A Sixth-Century Fragment of the Letters of Pliny the Younger / A Study of Six Leaves of an Uncial Manuscript Preserved / in the Pierpont Morgan Library New York

Scholarly study analyzes six vellum leaves of a sixth-century uncial manuscript of Pliny the Younger’s letters, presenting a detailed physical description, measurements, ruling, quire structure, ornamentation, and scribal practice, with palaeographical evidence used to date and authenticate the fragment. It examines orthography, abbreviations, corrections, and syllabification, reconstructs the original quire arrangement and later history, and provides a diplomatic transcription. A second part compares the fragment’s text with the manuscript tradition and early printed editions, assesses its relation to an Aldine-type witness and other codices, proposes a stemma of transmission, and evaluates consequences for editorial methods and the text’s transmission.