Manuscript on paper of a private compilation. The two well known works entered into the codex deal with magical properties ascribed to certain gems and the supernatural significance of the carving of stones. Together with these formal texts are found other extremely varied materials: procedures for restoring wine which has suffered various accidents, for making glass of different colors, for the early ripening of grapes, for making an ass bray loudly, for frightening dogs, and so forth
Description:
In Latin and Italian., Watermark: unidentified flower-petal., Script: Probably written by a single hand, employing a Gothico antiqua on ff. 1-11r, with a less formal treatment of the same elsewhere, and more cursive writing for the passages in Italian; the writing relatively careful at the beginning, progressively less so until the end., Red ink for most headings, red capitals and paragraph marks, except on f. 11v-12r and 16v-17r, which are without color., Lower margins affected by damp throughout and partly repaired with blank paper., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Paper boards, more recent gilt-stamped label on backstrip.
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of John Waleys (John of Wales, Iohannes Gallensis), Communiloquium sive summa collationum ad omne genus hominum
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria which, however, differs from Rotunda by the absence of Textus Praescissus features. A few rubrics are added in Gothica Cursiva, e.g. ff. 63v and 64v. Instructions for the rubricator are written in thin Gothica Cursiva Currens in the lower margins, mostly lost due to trimming., Headings in red. Alternately red and blue paragraph marks. The decoration consists of (1) alternately red and blue flourished initials, 2 lines; (2) flourished litterae duplices, 3-5 lines, at the opening of the Distinctiones; they have marginal extensions ("J-staves") in pen and ink over the full height of the text area; (3) on f. 4r a damaged foliate initial on a gold, red and blue background, containing a hybrid, with floral extensions featuring a hybrid head and a hybrid. On f. 37r there is a coarse pen and ink drawing of a sword in the margin, probably related to a Hermogenes quotation in the text about murder., and Binding: Seventeenth century. Sprinkled brown leather over cardboard, the covers simply decorated with blind fillets. Spine with five raised bands and two gold-tooled red leather title-labels with the inscriptions "MS. VALLENS. COMMUNILOQ." and "TRACT. DE RE PUBLICA." Red edges. The spine was reinforced by means of two strips of parchment from an English archival document (ca. 1500) in which the names William Holborn, Robert Ball "nuper de Letheringham" and others appear.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
John, of Wales, -approximately 1285. and Franciscans.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Preaching, and Scholasticism
Manuscript fragment on parchment containing a portion of Justinian's Digest with the Glossa ordinaria commentary of Accursius surrounding it.
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in a gothic script (littera textualis)., and Decoration: 3- to 7-line initials of each chapter are orange on a dark blue ground, decorated with light blue, white, and yellow; 2- to 3-line initials of the names of the authorities are blue highlighted with red; 1-line initials following the authorities are red highlighted with blue; other 1-line initials within text are brown and are frequently distinguished with paragraph marks which alternate red and blue; rubrics written in red minuscule; punctuated with the punctus and punctus elevatus; text written in the center of the page and surrounded by two columns of commentary in the same hand; other hands have added notes on the text or commentary in the margins.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Justinian I, Emperor of the East, 483?-565.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, Law, Medieval, and Law, Roman
Manuscript fragment on parchment of Justinian's Digesta with the glossa ordinaria commentary of Accursius
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in two sizes of gothic script (littera textualis), with a larger script for the text and a smaller script for the commentary (notularis), possibly by a different hand; later marginal and interlinear notes in a cursive hand., and Decoration: 1-line initials are enlarged minuscule forms, preceded by a paragraph mark in blue; running chapter number "II" in the upper center of both sides is red and blue; punctuated with the punctus, though rarely.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Law, Roman
Subject (Name):
Accursius, glossator, approximately 1182-approximately 1260. and Justinian I, Emperor of the East, 483?-565.
Manuscript on parchment of an anonymous Italian translation of Giordano Ruffo, Liber marescalcia equorum, as well as recipes for various equine illnesses and schematic drawings of bits
Description:
In Italian., Script: main text copied by one hand in Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria., Capitals and headings in red in main text. Diagrams of various bits for horses on ff. 39v and 40r., and Binding: S. XX binding: plain parchment over cardboard.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Rufus, Jordanus, fl. ca. 1225-1250.
Subject (Topic):
Horses, Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper. Includes notes on arithmetic and accounting for merchandise; a romance of Tristan; list of spices; astronomical and astrological information; charms and prayers; recipes; extracts in Venetian; and poems
Description:
In Italian and Latin., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Fruit 7372-76, Briquet Cheval 3564, and Briquet Fruit 7341., Script: Written by a single scribe in a neat notarial hand, through f. 67v. Notes added by various hands of 14th-15th centuries., Drawings of ships, towers and merchants in ink, with added yellow, brown, green, red and blue; many diagrams. Crude 2- and 1-line initials in red, with guide-letters for rubricator showing beneath; headings in red., Repair of f. 1 with later paper; some loss of text. Repairs at outer edges on this and other folios do not affect text., and Binding: 18th-19th centuries. Rigid vellum case with paste paper back endleaf and pastedowns. Central fold of each bifolium has been reinforced with a strip of parchment.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Venice (Italy)
Subject (Topic):
Accounting, Arithmetic, Astrology, Astronomy, Medieval, Formulas, recipes, etc, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, Merchants, Prayers, Tristan (Legendary character), and Economic conditions
Manuscript fragment on parchment of a missal containing Palm Sunday and Feria II after Palm Sunday
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in two sizes of rounded gothic script (littera textualis), a larger script for the lessons and prayers and a smaller script for chants., and Decoration: 2-line initials of prayers and lessons alternate red and blue; 1-line initials within lessons, of chants and the first letters following a 2-line initial are brown and yellow; rubrics written in a red cursive script; punctuated with the punctus; a contemporary hand has made corrections in black ink.
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of Ps.-Cicero, Rhetorica ad Herennium
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by one hand in small Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria (Rotunda) in two sizes., Headings in red. Paragraph marks in red or blue. Plain initials (mostly 2-line) in red. Flourished initials of various sizes in blue with red penwork (a few have deviant colours). Each of the four books opens with a large flourished initial; the one at the beginning of Book II is a littera duplex (7 lines), the one at the beginning of Book I, of the same type, is more elaborate (14 lines). Both initials are followed by a line in fancy majuscules alternating with penwork., Numerous wormholes in the covers and first and last leaves. Some irregular edges and corners., and Unbound.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Pseudo-Cicero.
Subject (Topic):
Latin literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Rhetoric
Manuscript on parchment of St. Bernardine of Siena, Tractatus de restitutionibus. The sermons are part of the De christiana religione of St. Bernardine, O.F.M., often copied as a separate work
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in fere-humanistic script., Initials, headings and paragraph marks in red., and Binding: ca. 1900. Vellum case.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Bernardino, da Siena, Saint, 1380-1444. and Franciscans.
Subject (Topic):
Catechetical sermons, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Theology, Doctrinal