Leaf of Cicero (106-43 B.C.), De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (On the Ends of Good and Evil) II.27-28.
Description:
Script: Copied by a single hand in a rather uneven Humanistica Textualis marked by frequent fusions. and Decoration: None. The modern folio number(?), 36, is written in pencil on the recto.
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a book of instruction for the author's daughter. Although the volume contains information on parts of speech, explanations of the meanings of words in the English language, basic mathematics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, systems of government, and numerous prayers and meditations, the bulk of the volume is given to instruction on letter-writing and astronomy. The manuscript contains guidelines for how to address a queen, a duchess, or someone of one's own station; how to end letters; and how to write a "billet"; as well as form letters of thanks, consolation, recommendation, "congratulation for the recovery of health," and "to a lady newly come to London." The section on astronomy includes 7 diagrams and includes information on the positions of the planets, the phases of the moon, and eclipses
Description:
Stanhope, Philip, second earl of Chesterfield (1633-1714), courtier and politician, was the eldest son of Henry Stanhope (d. 1634), and his wife Katherine (bap. 1609, d. 1667). He was involved in numerous duels, fleeing the country after having killed Francis Wolley, the son of a Hammersmith doctor, in a duel on 17 January 1660. Chesterfield was appointed on 24 February 1662 as lord chamberlain to Queen Catherine of Braganza, and on 13 June 1667 was made the colonel of a foot regiment, but it was disbanded following the treaty of Breda. That year he married his third wife, Lady Elizabeth Dormer (1653-1677). They had two sons and two daughters, one of whom was Lady Mary Stanhope, for whom the manuscript was written. He continued to be active in politics, supporting his tory son-in-law Thomas Coke in Derbyshire elections in 1701-2., Lady Mary (Stanhope) Coke, eldest daughter of Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, married Thomas Coke of Melbourne, Derbyshire., In English., Note on verso of front endpaper: See 'a Prayer after the confession of sins.' and 'a Prayer for the Dead." both at the end of this M.S. 1814., Inscription on verso of front endpaper: Cecil Henry Southwell the gift of his dear Papa., Written on flyleaf: notes written by Thomas, 3rd Baron Southwell concerning the genealogy of the Stanhope family, including a biography of Lady Mary (Stanhope) Coke and her daughter, Mary Baroness Southwell. He mentions that Lady Mary (Stanhope) Coke was his great-grandmother., Written on verso of flyleaf: note by Mary Southwell dated 1756 explaining the manuscript was used to instruct her mother in "what was proper for a young Lady to know," and bequeathing the volume to her granddaughter Frances upon her death., Bookplate of Viscount Thomas Southwell, 3rd Baron Southwell., Marbled endpapers., and Binding: full calf; gilt decoration. Printed on spine: 1st Earl of Chesterfield to his D. L. M. Coke.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Aristotle., Chesterfield, Philip Stanhope, Earl of, 1633-1713., Cicero, Marcus Tullius., Coke, Mary Stanhope, Lady, 1664-1703., Homer., Southwell family., and Southwell, Thomas Southwell, Baron, 1721-1780.
Subject (Topic):
Astronomy, Letter writing, Nobility, Social life and customs, Women, Conduct of life, and Education
In Latin., Script: Written in italic script by Piero Cennini (b. 1444)., Fine border and initials by Mariano del Buono. 3/4 white-vine border, f. 2r, infilled green, pink, and blue, against a blue ground, with white dots; putti and birds; at the periphery, flowers, gold dots, and hair-spray, especially profuse in lower margin; supported by a trellis, gold, which expands at regular intervals to form roundels. In upper margin, a blossom with fruits, in lower margin, in separate roundels, a hound chasing a stag, against deep landscape backgrounds. Between roundels with animals, the arms of Joannes Vitez, bishop of Gran, in a complex braided roundel, infilled green and blue with white and yellow filigree, and supported by four putti, two of which play musical instruments. One historiated initial, f. 1r, gold, Cicero reading a book, against a blue ground with stylized clouds, all against a green ground with yellow filigree. Thirty-two 7-, 6-, 5-, and 3-line initials, gold, with white-vine infilled green, pink, and blue, with white dots, against blue ground, with vines extending into margin, gold dots and hair-spray. Twelve 4- and 3-line initials, following f. 178, gold, against pink and blue or pink and green grounds, with white and/or yellow filigree. Following initials, one line of square capitals in brown or alternating red and brown. 1-line square capitals in text., The entire codex, including the binding, is in an excellent state of preservation., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Resewn on seven tawed, slit straps laid in channels and nailed into wooden boards. The spine is square, the edges gilt. Covered in ruby-red goatskin, blind-tooled with concentric panels. The rectangular central panel is reduced to a square with rope interlace and the central ornament is a four-pointed star protruding from a quatrefoil within a circle. Five foliate brass catches on the lower board. Stubs of green fabric clasp straps on the upper board. Rebacked; headbands and a gold-tooled spine added. Two catches and all clasps wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cicero, Marcus Tullius.
Subject (Topic):
Classical literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Philosophy
Manuscript on paper of assorted works by Cicero with additional texts
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: 1) Human bust, var. Briquet 15599?. 2) Balance, var. Piccard, Waage 1.78?. (3) Crown, unidentified?., Script: Written by two scribes, one writing in Italian Gothica Hybrida or Semihybrida Libraria and the other in a bold Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria/Formata with numerous decorative hairlines., Red paragraph marks. Art. 3 has yellow heightening of the majuscules, a 2-line and a 3-line flourished initial in red, blue and yellow. In art. 1 the majuscules are heightened in red; there are plain red initials in art. 5, but its decoration is not consistent., and Binding: Damaged original binding in deerskin over heavy almost unbevelled wooden boards. Parchment pastedowns, the front one detached from the board. On the front cover inscription in large Southern Gothica Textualis Formata, worn and difficult to decipher. On the spine a 17th-century paper label with the number "2760" and the title "Huma (?)......Marci Tulii de amicitia manu scripta". Marks of two leather straps fixed to the front cover, the pin holes visible in the rear cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cicero, Marcus Tullius.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript fragment on parchment of Cicero's Orationes Philippicae
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in a round humanistic bookhand., and Decoration: 1-line initials are in brown square capitals; punctuated with the punctus, punctus elevatus, and punctus interrogativus; hyphenation is in the same ink as the text.
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Dedicatory epistle of Leonardo Bruni to Niccolo Niccoli. 2) Plutarch, Vita Ciceronis. 3) Plutarch, Vita Demosthenis. 4) Dedicatory epistle to Niccolo Niccoli. 5) Xenophon, Hiero. All translated into Latin by Leonardo Bruni. In this manuscript the treatises are not identified, nor is the translator, but the dedicatory epistles to Niccolo Niccoli serve to indicate both author and translator
Description:
In Latin., Written in humanistic script by a single scribe., No headings or ornamentation; the manuscript was apparently never finished., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Straight-grained black goatskin, gold-tooled.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cicero, Marcus Tullius., Demosthenes., Niccoli, Niccolò, ca. 1364-1437., and Plutarch.
Subject (Topic):
Biography, Dialogues, Latin, and Manuscripts, Medieval