X.—A Notice of Some Remarkable Inscriptions on Leaves of Lead, Preserved in the Manuscript Department of the British Museum
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X.—A Notice of some remarkable Inscriptions on Leaves of Lead, preserved in the Manuscript Department of the British Museum. Communicated by WALTER DE GRAY BIRCH, Esq. Read March 16, 1871. IN the year 1841 the British Museum purchased of the Reverend Thomas Butler, among some of the most valuable manuscripts and antiquities it possesses, six remarkable inscriptions, one Greek, four Latin, and one Italian, apparently inscribed with a sharply pointed stylus, upon plates of lead, beaten or hammered to about the thickness of a wafer, and now completely patinated.a As these do not appear to have been published, I propose to lay before you a description of them, accurate copies of their texts, and a few notes explanatory of the history and dates to which they refer. 1. The first, in the Greek language, is of rectangular shape, measuring three five-eighths by nearly four inches, upon a thin bractea or leaf of lead now patinated with a rich brown oxide, and roughly indented on the edges, the result either of injury or decay. It bears the following inscription: Eni THN A6HNH2IN BOTAHN KAI EKKAH2IAN IIAPAKAAEOTSI TON AHMON 2INEIIIXOPH2AI TOTS E^*I2MENOIS ETBOAfll <1>IAAN©POIIOIS ANAITA^AI AE TOAE TO ^H^OISMA KAI EIS 2TEAHN AI0INHN KAI 2TH2A I EN AHMHTPIOS APXONTO2. The irregular method of spelling here noticed is not by any means an uncommon instance. "We must bear in mind that at the period to which this belongs, that is probably between the eighth and the thirteenth century, Greek was written and pronounced, as indeed it is in the present day, with regard to the accent a Brit. Mus., Add. MS. 12,117. 124 Some Remarkable Inscriptions on Leaves of Lead alone; this fully accounts for the r\ lost in the word e^Kr/juevoK; as for the o in <piKav8poiroi<s, and for the e in a-TeXrjv, it is probably the fact that there was no mate- rial difference in the sound of o or «, of e or v- As v was pronounced like our y, <nv(nrixa)p7)crcu conveyed to the Greek ear the same sound as aweTnxcoprja-ai. Pro- fessor Babington considers the inscription badly copied or spurious. He proposes to read it as follows :— . eirl rfjv 'Adijvrjcnv /3ov\rjv ical eKtc\7)<riav, •JvapaicakiovcTi TOV Srjfiov avveirb^wprjaai, TOZS eyjrr)(f)i<Tfj,evoi$ ILiftovktp (piXavdpdiTras, ava/ypatyai&e ToSe TO ifrrjcpLcrna, et? arrpy/qv Xi8ivijv /cat arrj&ai iv A^/XJJT/OO?, apxpVTOS ... to the Athenian senate and assembly; they recommend the people benevolently to concede to what has been voted in favour of Eubulus, and to inscribe this decree on a pillar, and to place it in the temple of Ceres (?) Dated by the archonship of ? 2. An inscription upon a lamina of lead hammered to a very thin leaf, and from its appearance not so pure as the others of this series ; it is now very much corroded and oxidised by the action of the air, and has been glued to a piece of card for security. In shape it is rudely rectangular, measuring three inches long by nearly four wide, and containing seventeen lines of Latin inscribed in a character somewhat resembling at first sight the Assyrian from the peculiarly angular manner in which it has been cut. The following is a transcript of the words in Roman type:— 1. ano dccxxiv in quoque diebus paulus 2. exarchus ravenne primas bononias ve- 3. niens et cum primatibus de ilia civita.- 4. te ad veneticos postulans quatenus 5. propriam urbem quam ildebrandum nepos 6. luitprandi regis et peredeus vicenti- 7. nus dux captam habuerat tutari atque 8. defendere eorum auxiliis potuisset— 9. cuius venetis faventes petitiombus 10. navali exercitu et cum bononiensem 11. classem ad prelibatam ravennam urbem 12. properantes—unus illorum ildebrandus 13. scilicet vivus ab ilia captus est alter 14. vero qui dicebatur peredeus occisus 15. dimicando occubuerat et ravenna a fe- 16. deratis ad exarcha reddata fuit— 17. memor .... veneta— primo bello. VolXLlV.PIlH.p 124. Heliotyi INSCRIBED PLATE OF LEAD, BRITISH MUSEUM. I'uilished by tAe Society of'AnUauanes of London. 1872. preserved in the British Museum. 125 The inscription reduced to its probable meaning should read thus :— Anno dccxxiv. Iis quoque diebus Paulus Exarchus, Ravennse primas, Bononias veniens, et cum primatibus de ilia civitate ad Veneticos postulans, quatenus propriam urbem, quam Ildebrandus, nepos Luitprandi Regis, et Peredeus, Vicentinorum dux, captam habuerat, tutari atque defendere eorum auxiliis potuisset. Cujus Venetici faventes petitionibus, navali exercitu et cum Bononiensi classe ad praelibatam Ravennam urbem properantes; unus illorum, Ildebrandus scilicet, vivus ab ilia captus est, alter vero, qui dicebatur Peredeus, occisus dimicando occubuerat, et Ravenna a fcederatis ad Exarchum reddita fuit. memor .... veneta—primo bello. This inscription forms an actual portion of the Chronicon Venetum, written by- Johannes, and ending in 1008, in Pertz's Monumenta Germanics Historica, vol. vii. p. 12, wherein we find the following :— Cujus quoque diebus exarchus Ravennse primas Venetias veniens, nimiumque Veneticos postu- lans, quatenus propriam urbem, quam Ildebrandus nepos Liubrandi regis et Paradeus Vicentinus Dux captam habuerant, tueri atque defendere eorum auxiliis potuisset. Cujus Venetici faventes petitioni, navali cum exercitu prselibatam Ravennam ad urbem properantes, unus illorum, Ilde- brandus scilicet, vivus ab eis captus est; alter vero qui dicebatur Paradeus, occisus dimicando ocou- buerat. Atque huiusmodi exarcho praslibato primati urbs decenter est restituta. But whether the chronicler quotes from this tablet, or the tablet forms a portion of his work, is not easy to distinguish. I am inclined to think the former of these alternatives the most likely. Luitprand, King of the Lombards, reigned from A.D. 712 to A.D. 744; Hilde- brand, his nephew, becomes king (in conjunction with him) A.D. 736, and is dethroned in A.D. 744. The received date of Paul, as Exarch of Ravenna, appears to be about A.D. 727—728, which, if correct, is at variance with the date of the inscription. But if we consider him titular exarch and primate of Ravenna, according to the exact wording of the inscription, the date will correspond. Ravenna became an exarchate, and capital of all Grecian Italy, in A.D. 568, and so remained until captured by Astolfus, King of the Lombards, in A.D. 752. The following extract from Rubeus explains the circumstances mentioned in the inscription:— .... Cum veroa Carolus se longe viribus imparem cerneret, in primis ab amico Luitprando opem exposcit, qui cum lectissimo militum robore in Galliam profectus, ad Ravennatem obsidionem persequendam, Ildebrandum nepotem, et Perendeum Vicentinorum ducem reliquit. Hi post a Hieronyrni Rubei Historiarum Ravennatum, libri decem: Venetis, 1572, p. 187. Cf. Pauli Diaconi libri sex de Origine et Gestis JRegum Langobardorum, 1514, lib. VI. cap. xv. 126 Some Remarkable Inscriptions on Leaves of Lead Luitprandi discessum, rei bene gerendaa occasionem nacti, per aliquot nobilium factionem, qui Caesaris imperium aegre ferebant, urbe potiuntur, annum a partu Virginia circiter dccxxv Paulus Exarchus, quern Johanni Tyzocopo Leo Secundus Caesar subrogaverat, elapsus fuga, ad Venetosque profectus, magno honore exceptus est, quem secuti sunt paulo post Gregorii Pontificis internuncii per litteras causam Exarchi commendantis, quarum litterarum exemplum ex Bernardo Justiniano, lib. x. descriptum hie apponendum putavimus. The continuation will be given in the account of the next inscription, being the text of the papal letter. In consequence of the papal appeal, Ursus, Doge of Venice, collects his forces, and routs the two usurpers with the assistance of the Exarch. The statement of Rubeus thus concludes :— Eo prselio* Perendeus, Vicentinorum dux, fugiens in Pineto occubuit; Ildebrandus in Ursi ducis potestatem venit. Exarcho sua restituta sedes est. 3. This inscription is also upon a plate of lead, hammered very thin, but in fair preservation, covered with a fine rich brown patina, and measuring six inches in width by four-and-a-half in length. The words are contained in fourteen lines, and are quite legible and perfect, the character being similar to that of the last- mentioned inscription. In Roman type it reads thus :— 1. gregorius episcopus servus servorum dei ad filii nostri 2. de civitate bononie salutem et apostolicam benedictionem 3. quia peccato faciente ravennantium civitas que erat caput 4. omnium a necdicenda gente langobardorum capta est et 5. filius noster eximius exarchus apud bononias ut cogno- 6. vimus moratur debeat nobilitatibus vestris ei adherere 7. et cum eo vicepariter decertare ut ad pristinum statum 8. sancte reipublice imperiale servitio dominorum filiorum- 9. que nostrorum leonis et constantini magnorum impera- 10. torum ipsa revocetur ravennantium civitas ut zelo et amo- 11. re fidei nostre in statu reipublice et imperiali servitio 12. firme persistere domino cooperante valeamus domine vos 13. incolumnen custodiat dilectisimi filii. 14. datum rome anno domini deexxxviii—tertia—id—mart. The probable meaning of the inscription is :— Gregorius Episcopus, servus servorum Dei, ad filios nostros de civitate Bononiae salutem et Apostolicam benedictionem. Quia, peccato faciente, Eavennantium civitas, quae erat caput a Eubeus, p. 190. preserved in the British Museum. 127 omnium, a necdicenda gente Langobardorum capta est, et films noster eximius exarchus apud Bononias, ut cognovimus, moratur; debeat nobilitatibus vestris ei adhserere, et cum eo vicepariter decertare, ut ad pristinum statum sanctas reipublicse imperiali servitio dominorum filiorumque nostrorum, Leonis et Constantini, magnorum imperatorum, ipsa revocetur Ravennantium civitas, ut zelo et amore fidei nostraa in statu reipublicse et imperiali servitio firme persistere, Domino cooperante, Yaleamus. Dominus vos incolumes custodiat, dilectissimi filii. Datum Komse, Anno Domini DCCxxxviii. Tertia Id. Mart. [13 March, 738.] If the date of the inscription be correct, the Gregory herein mentioned is Gregory III., who was Pope from A.D. 731 to A.D. 741. Leo III., surnamed " Isauros," was Emperor from A.D.