Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 4241
(formerly typ/2338)

	Μὴ τεμνέτω τις τὰ φύλλα τῶν βιβλίων,
	γράμμασιν αἰτῶ, κἂν σιγᾷ μου τὸ στόμα.
	τί; σοὶ δοκοῦσιν εὐτελῆ τὰ χαρτία;
	ἀλλὰ τὸ κρίμα τοῦ τέμνειν ἐστὶ μέγα.

Text source	E. Kourilas 1935, Τὰ κειμηλαρχεῖα καὶ ἡ βιβλιοθήκη τῆς ἐν Ἄθῳ Μονῆς Μεγίστης Λαύρας ἐν κινδύνῳ, Ἐπετηρὶς Ἑταιρείας Βυζαντινῶν Σπουδῶν (EEBS), 11, 306-345: 326
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Reader-related epigram Scribe-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet Theodoulos
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Tag(s)	Address to the reader Damage of the book Entreaty (asked to readers)
Translation(s)	You! Do not dare to cut pages out of books. I am warning you. With letters, as my mouth keeps silent. Why? They seem unimportant to you, these sheets? Make no mistake. Cutting them out is a serious, serious crime. Language English Source(s) DBBE (last accessed: 2026-08-11).
Comment	A similar expression to the first verse occurs in a prose colophon in the codex Laura Γ 122 (f. 492). Its text is available at the "Σημειώματα-Κώδικες" website of the University of Athens: http://simeiomata-kodikon.arch.uoa.gr/index.php/simeioma/1554 (last accessed on 15/06/2020).
Bibliography	Primary S. Eustratiades, Spyridon Lauriotes, 1925, Catalogue of the Greek Manuscripts in the Library of the Laura on Mount Athos, Cambridge: 67 G. Parpulov, 2014, Toward a History of Byzantine Psalters, Plovdiv: 77 Secondary C. Drieshen, Frying pans, forks and fever: Medieval book curses (posted on: 2017-05-23). E. Kwakkel, Chain, Chest, Curse: Combating Book Theft in Medieval Times (posted on: 2015-07-10). S. Laskow, Protect Your Library the Medieval Way, With Horrifying Book Curses (posted on: 2016-11-09). A. McCollum, A curse in Arabic against book thieves (in a copy of Dāʾūd Al-Anṭākī’s Taḏkirat) (posted on: 2012-04-02). C. Pyrdum, Medieval Copy Protection (posted on: 2010-08-12).
Number of verses	4
Occurrence(s)	[20479] Μὴ τεμνέτω τις τὰ φύλλα τῶν βιβλίων [1201-1225] ATHOS - Mone Megistes Lauras Δ 70 (Eustratiades 446) [30/08/984] (f. 7r) (4 verses) [30844] Μὴ τέμνετω τις τὰ φύλλα τῶν βιβλίων [1201-1225] ATHOS - Mone Megistes Lauras Δ 70 (Eustratiades 446) [30/08/984] (f. 8r) (4 verses) [21452] μὴ τεμνέτω τίς \| φύλλα τὰ τῶν \| βιβλίων [10th c.] PARIS - Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) - Coisl. 242 [10th c.] (f. 374(bis)r) (1 verse) [24902] μὴ τεμνέτω τίς τὰ φύλλα τῶν βιβλί(ων) [1201-1325] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 539 [975] (f. 99v) (2 verses)
Related type(s)	[4268] Μὴ κοπτέτω τις τὰ φύλλα τῶν βιβλίων (1 verse)
Acknowledgements	Creator(s) Maria Tomadaki Contributor(s) Ilse De Vos, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 464: "Librarii nota"
Permalink	http://dev.dbbe.ugent.be/types/4241

Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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