Manuscript on paper (coarse, some deckle edges) of Varro, De lingua latina. The scribe of Marston MS 82 carefully recorded in the margins the lacunae by giving the number of missing leaves in the exemplar.
Description:
Belonged to the library of the Princes of Liechtenstein. Purchased from H. P. Kraus in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston., Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Parchment stays adhered to inner and outer conjugate leaves of quires. Original sewing on three tawed skin, slit straps laid in channels on the outside of boards and nailed. Plain wound, natural color endbands are sewn on tawed skin cores laid in grooves on the outside of the boards and are tied down over strips of green tawed skin. Quarter bound in dark brown leather over beech boards with a leather strip nailed along the edge. One fastening, the leaf-shaped catch on the lower board, the upper board cut in for the clasp strap. Title, in ink, on fore edge: "Marcus Varo. De Lingua Latina"., Plain blue initial, 3-line, on f. 1r; plain red initials, 2-line, at beginning of books; headings in red, ff. 25r, 83v only. Remains of guide letters for rubricator., Script: Written in humanistic cursive script, above top line, by a single scribe who added marginalia, foliation (1-52 only), and Roman numerals for running headlines (ff. 1-30)., and Watermarks, in gutter: similar to Briquet Chapeau 3373, Main 10637; unidentified mountain surmounted by a cross and five-pointed star in a circle.
Subject (Name):
Varro, Marcus Terentius
Subject (Topic):
Latin philology, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on paper of Boccaccio, De mulieribus claris, with dedication to Andrea Acciaiuoli.
Description:
Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Parchment stays from contemporary document adhered to inner and outer conjugate leaves of quires. Original wound sewing on three tawed skin, slit straps fastened in channels in flush wooden boards. A primary endband, caught up on the spine, is sewn on tawed skin cores. Remains of red secondary embroidery. The spine is square and lined with tawed skin between central supports. Covered in kermes pink, tawed skin with corner tongues, the sides divided into triangles with right angled and diagonal fillets. Three fastenings, the catches on the lower board and stubs of green fabric straps on the upper board which is cut in to accomodate them. Eight star-shaped bosses on the upper board (one wanting) and five on the lower, each board with four bosses on their spine edges. Inscription on upper cover: "de mulieribus claris". Written in ink on fore edge: "LXXXVIII" with a helmet on each side. Label on lower board wanting., Folio 3r, partial border, of poor quality: in lower margin, a patch of green grass with two women seated, one dressed in red, the other in green and white, supporting a shield with unidentified arms (gules, 3 helmets sable [in outline only]), a later addition. From the patch of grass oak branches with leaves and acorns extend into inner and upper margins. In inner margin, a fox chasing a hare. Folio 80r, a medallion framed in red and pink and four small gold flowers, with an unidentified monogram in gold against blue ground. One pen-and-ink initial, 8-line, blue with pale red penwork. Plain initials alternate in red and blue. Headings in red (ff. 1r-7r only). Many initials touched with red. Guide letters for decorator throughout., Purchased in 1954 from C. A. Stonehill by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Text written in a well spaced gothic bookhand with humanistic features by a single scribe, below top line. Art. 1 and rubrics added in similar script by another hand., Unidentified arms, with "Cretulia" and "Thurj" added on either side, and inscription in the lower margin of f. 2v: "Quid spectas Thurum [with 3 helmets] sunt hec insignia. Thuris/ Donarunt Sacre Iuno Minerua Venus/ Cretulia., and Watermarks: Briquet Tete de boeuf 14717 and similar to Piccard Ochsenkopf XII.123.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of Cicero, De natura deorum.
Description:
Acquired in 1953 from C. A. Stonehill by Thomas E. Marston., Binding: 18th-19th centuries, Italy. Rigid vellum case with title, in ink, on spine: "Ciceronis de Natura Deorum M. S.". Gilt edges., Script: Written by a single scribe in round humanistic bookhand, below top line., and Spaces for decorative initials left unfilled.
Subject (Topic):
Latin essays, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of 1-4) Excerpts from an 11th- or early 12th-century supplement to Curtius Rufus, Historia Alexandri Magni. 5) Ps.-Alexander the Great, Oratio. 6) Cicero, De officiis, with annotations in Middle English. 7) Cicero, De oratore.
Description:
Binding: 19th-20th centuries, England. Half bound in dark brown goatskin, gold-tooled, with dark pink cloth sides. Edges spattered red. Title on spine: "Cicero/ De Officiis/ MS./ Saec. XV"., Purchased from C. A. Stonehill in 1948 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Scribe 1) ff. 2r-4r, sloping humanistic cursive script with gothic features; above top line. Scribe 2) ff. 5r-61v, well spaced and well formed gothic script. Scribe 3) ff. 61v-82r, upright English gothic bookhand; below top line. Scribe 4) ff. 85r-119v, upright English gothic bookhand; below top line. Interlinear and marginal glosses in art. 6 in at least two contemporary or slightly later annotating hands., and Spaces for decorative intials and most headings remain unfilled; remains of guide letters for arts. 1-5.
Subject (Topic):
Latin essays, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on paper (coarse; remains of deckle edges) of 1) Cicero, De oratore I-III. 2) Cicero, Pro T. Annio Milone. 3) Cicero, Pro Q. Ligario.
Description:
Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Stays cut from parchment manuscripts (text washed) inside the quires and also outside the first two. Original sewing on three tawed skin, slit straps attached to wooden boards. Beaded, chevron, natural, pink, and green endbands are sewn on tawed skin cores. Covered in dark brown calf with narrow corner tongues and blind- tooled with two circles and corners of rope interlace in a central panel with concentric frames, one with beaded zigzag ribbon tools similar to those on Marston MSS 38 and 68, and gilt annular dots. Spine: double fillets at head and tail and outlining the bands; panels diapered with double fillets. Two fastenings, the catches on the lower board; the straps and clasps probably later additions., Collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps (no. 2814). Passed from the collection of Giuseppe (Joseph) Martini to H. P. Kraus, who sold it to Thomas E. Marston in 1955., Partial border, f. 1r, white vine-stem ornament on blue, green and pink ground with white and pale yellow dots. At the terminals, gold balls with hair-line extensions. Illuminated initial, 4-line, gold on blue, green and red ground as above joined to the border. In lower margin, wreathed medallion for arms (drawn with a compass), blank. Five smaller initials, 4- and 3-line, gold on blue, green and red rectangular grounds with white or pale yellow filigree and white dots. Headings and colophons in red., Script: Written in a neat upright humanistic cursive by a single scribe., and Watermarks: Briquet Echelle 5904, Briquet Fleur 6306, and similar to Briquet Ciseaux 3668.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Speeches, addresses, etc., Latin
Manuscript on parchment of Ambrose, 1) De paradiso. 2) De Cain et Abel. 3) Exhortatio virginitatis. 4) De institutione virginis. Written perhaps at the Cistercian abbey of Hautecombe to which it belonged.
Description:
Acquired from Maggs Bros. of London in 1957 by L. C. Witten, who sold it the same year to Thomas E. Marston., Binding: 1800-1810, Italy. Half bound with a brown calf spine and goatskin corners, bright pink paper sides and red edges. Three green, gold-tooled labels on the spine: "Manuscri," "S Ambrosi de Cain" and "Seculi XII". Bound in the same distinctive style as Marston MSS 50, 125, 128, 135, 151, 158, 159 and 197, all of Hautecombe provenance., Heavily stained but with no loss of text., Plain red initials, 6- to 4-line, with small "pearls" on the thin strokes of the letters, introduce each text. Headings in red. Instructions to rubricator and guide letters., and Script: Written by two scribes in late caroline minuscule. Scribe 1 (ff. 1r-61r): preference for uncial d, angular abbreviation strokes, and a slightly larger module of script than that used by Scribe 2 (ff. 61r-83r).
Subject (Name):
Cistercians
Subject (Topic):
Celibacy--Christianity, Fathers of the church, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Theology--Early works to 1800
Manuscript on parchment (irregularly trimmed pieces) of Jean Gerson, De potestate ecclesiastica.
Description:
Binding: Fifteenth century, Spain (?). Sewn on three tawed skin support, two pink, the central one green, laced into a thick parchment wrapper. Contemporary title written in ink on back cover: "Tractatus de potestate eclesiastica***". Rodent damage at tail., Crude initial, red with an asymmetrical configuration of red and black penwork designs. Floral line-filler at conclusion of prologue. Plain red initials, 3- to 2-line, mark text divisions. Heading, f. 1r, in red. Majuscules stroked with yellow. Contemporary sketches of intertwining snakes on ff. i recto and ii verso., and Script: Written by a single scribe in fere-humanistic script, below top line.
Subject (Name):
Gerson, Jean,--1363-1429
Subject (Topic):
Ecclesiastical law, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library