Manuscript on parchment of Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, Books I (parts 1 and 2)-II, in an unidentified and freely adapted Italian translation (e.g., the opening portion of Book II is greatly abbreviated).
Description:
Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Sewn on four tawed skin, slit straps nailed in channels on the outside of wooden boards. Yellow edges. Pink, green and cream endbands sewn on five cores. Covered in dark red goatskin with corner tongues, blind-tooled with a central ornament in a panel bordered with rope interlace in concentric frames. Two fastenings, leaf-shaped catches on the lower board and the upper board cut in for the clasp straps. Rebacked twice., Purchased from L. C. Witten in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Written in an elegant, upright mercantesca script by a single scribe, below top line., and Spaces for headings and decorative initials remain unfilled. Initial on f. 1r later addition.
Subject (Geographic):
Egypt--History--To 640 A.D
Subject (Name):
Diodorus,--Siculus
Subject (Topic):
History, Ancient, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of Henry Suso, Horologium Sapientiae, translated into Italian. With Office of Eternal Wisdom (Cursus de aeterna sapientia), composed by Henry Suso; and several anonymous, miscellaneous texts.
Description:
[Notes on back pastedown refer to the Venetian monastery for Benedictine nuns, San Zaccaria], Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Original sewing on four tawed skin, kermes pink slit straps laced through tunnels in the edge of wooden boards to channels on the outside and nailed. A tawed skin endband core is laid in grooves and covered with plain, wound primary and red secondary embroidery. Spine: supports outlined and panels diapered with triple fillets. Covered in light brown goatskin with corner tongues, and decorated with interlace squares on their points within concentric frames. Trace of one fastening, the catch on the lower board and the upper one cut in for a red fabric strap attached with star-headed nails. The cover has been varnished., For main text divisions good blue initials with plain parchment designs and red penwork flourishes; elsewhere 2-line initials alternate red with blue harping designs and blue with red. On f. 11r red rectangular page filler at bottom of text space. Small plain 1-line initials alternate red and blue. Headings and paragraph marks in red. Majuscules stroked with yellow. Remains of guide letters., and Script: Main text written in gothic bookhand, below top line.
Subject (Name):
Seuse, Heinrich,--1295-1366
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, Italian, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Mysticism--Early works to 1800
Manuscript on paper of excerpts from works of Greek and Roman history and philosophy (Greek works translated into Latin); religious tracts; and Italian strambotti.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century, Italy. Rigid vellum case; paper label with title on spine: "Excerpta De Vetustioribus script. Latinis et Grecis, Saecul. XV"., Headings and initials often highlighted in red or ochre; some paragraph marks in same colors., Imperfect: Some worming at end of volume with slight loss of text., In Latin, with Greek headings and Italian poems., Script: Written by a single scribe in a neat humanistic script with many cursive elements; later additions by several hands., and Watermarks, in gutter: unidentified hunting horn, crossbow, animal (?); in outer margin, trimmed: unidentified mountain in a circle surmounted by cross.
Subject (Topic):
Education, Humanistic, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Strambotto
Manuscript on paper (coarse, remains of deckle edges) of 1) Unidentified Italian epitome of the Ps.-Ciceronian Rhetorica ad Herennium. 2) Unidentified and anonymous treatise on memory.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century, Italy (?). Half bound in vellum with a gold-tooled spine and Spanish marbled sides. Ribbon bookmark., Script: Written in gothic bookhand by a single scribe, above top line., Spaces left for initials remain unfilled, except on f. 25r where there are three poorly executed initials in red; guide letters for decorator. Paragraph marks and initial strokes, in red., and Watermarks, along upper edge: unidentified mountain and hunting horn.
Subject (Name):
Pseudo-Cicero
Subject (Topic):
Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, Memory, Rhetorica ad Herennium, and Rhetoric--Early works to 1800