Storia do Mogor 11: VI. THE OTHER MANUCCI CODICES AT VENICE.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 11
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VI. THE OTHER MANUCCI CODICES AT VENICE.
11.1
Codex CXXXVI., in Class VI., bears the same book-plate as Codex XLV. (Zanetti), the name of the same librarian, Geronimo Veniero, and the same year, MDCCXXII. It is a volume of pictures, all in colours. They represent gods and goddesses, devotees, marriage and funeral ceremonies, Hindu and Mahomedan festivals. There are also plans of the battle between Shah 'Alam and A'zam Shah, similar to those bound up in Codex XLIV. There are short descriptions of the pictures, some in French and some in Italian. From a transcript of these descriptions (French text) made for me through Dr. Coggiola, I give the following list of the subjects: (1b) A representation of Banjaras, or grain-carriers; (1) Brahma; (2) Vishnu; (3) Brahman and his wife, followers of No. 2 (Vishnu); (4) a second picture of Vishnu; (5) Brahman (follower of Vishnu No. 4) and his wife; (6) a third picture of Vishnu; (7) Brahman and his wife, followers of the third Vishnu, No. 6; (8) Rudra (Shiva); (9) priest of Rudra and his wife; (10) Pillaiyar, son of Rudra; (11) another picture of Rudra; (12) priest of Rudra with his wife; (13) ceremony at the November festival of the goddess 'Culouly' (? Kali alias Kangali) ; (14) first ceremony at a Hindu marriage ; (15) second ceremony at a marriage ; (16) third ceremony at a marriage ; (17) fourth ceremony at a marriage ; (18) fifth and last ceremony at a marriage ; (19) first ceremony at a Lingayat funeral ; (20) second ceremony at such funeral ;
11.2
(21) third ceremony at the said funeral ; (22) funeral of a grues (? guru), or learned doctor of the Hindu religion ; (23) burning of a Brahman widow ; (24) an eclipse of the moon as pictured by the Hindus ; (24 bis) ritual at eclipse of the sun and moon ; (25) burning of the dead ; (26) bathing of the widow after her husband's death ; (27) picture of the woman (see Part II., f. 70) who dragged her lover into the pyre ; (28) lamentations of a Hindu widow on hearing of her husband's death ; (29) sacrifices at the dedication of a Lingayat temple ; (30) representations of a faqir's life ; (31) Brahmans branding a man dedicated to their service ; (32) ritual against the small-pox ; (33) elevation and plan of the temple at Canjivaron [Kanchipuram or Conjeeveram, 'Madras Manual of Ad.,' iii. 210] ; (34) elevation and plan of two other temples at Kanchipuram ; (35) plans and view of Lanka town, the fairy city of the Hindus ; (36) representation of the great temple at Tirupati [see Part III., f. 201 of text] ; (37) Brahmans sacrificing a goat to fire ; (38) rejoicings of the Brahmans after sacrificing the goat; (39) flower pavilion erected at temples on great festivals ; (40) Brahmans blessing water ; (41) triumphal car used in processions to bear their idols; (42) a Hindu festival to Lakshmi and Paramal ; (43) Hindu devotee with iron chain ; (44) Hindu devotee with wooden yoke ; (45) Hindu devotee with an iron chain through his lip ;
11.3
(46) a dead Hindu half buried, and a woman begging alms for him ; (47) a Hindu asking for alms ; (47 bis) another Hindu mendicant ; (48) a Hindu penitent worshipping the sun ; (49) another Hindu penitent worshipping the sun ; (50) a Hindu penitent in a fixed position; (51) the same, another position; (52) another ascetic in a constrained posture; (53) another of these penitents ; (54) another instance ; (55) penitents adoring the Lingam ; (56) a Hindu penitent with a brazier on his head ; (57) Hindu strollers attached to temples asking alms and dancing; (57 bis) the same again; (58) a Brahman begging; (59) a Hindu on his way to consult a Brahman; (60) a Hindu selling Gangotri water; (61) a Hindu begging by singing and beating a drum; (62) Mahomedan annual mourning for the death of Hasan and Husain; (63) the idol of 'Manarou Lamy' [? Mantralammah, see 'Madras Manual of Ad.," iii. 530] with worshippers; (64) penitent in a constrained posture; (65) penitent standing and leaning on a rope attached to a tree; (66) a naked penitent with long hair and prodigious nails. Thus, with double numbers, there are sixty-nine plates in all. Most of them are crowded with figures in action, and are not merely drawings of the gods, goddesses, devotees, and penitents alone.
11.4
Codex CCCXLV., in Class VI., an octavo volume, is the last of the four Manucci manuscripts now in the San Marco library at Venice, and contains Italian descriptions of the pictures in the Bibliothèque Nationale at Paris. With the pictures at Paris are bound up similar descriptions in French. The 'Marciana Codex of Manucci' is quoted as one of the sources of the notice on him in 'Studii biografici e bibliografici sulla storia della geographia in Italia,' by P. Amat di S. Filippo (second edition, Roma, 1882), vol. i., p. 440, along with Zurla, of whom I have spoken, Legrenzi and Foscarini. Of these last I shall speak when I come to the story of Manucci's life. Some slight errors I have noted in the above work are: Caton for Catrou, 1705 for 1705, 8vo for 4to and 12o, 1737 for 1731 (Venice translation). Deslandes did not translate the work into French, but conveyed it to France; for trasporto in francese, read in Francia. Nor were Parts IV. and V. sent home in 1705, but Part IV. in 1706 and Part V. still later.