Manuscript on paper (deckle edges) of 1) Chronicle of Pisa (from the founding of the city to 1342). 2) Chronicle of Pisa, covering the years from creation to 1400, with the Chronicle of Ranieri Sardo beginning at 1355; the final paragraph, dealing with 1422, was added by a later continuator after Sardo's death
Description:
In Italian., Watermarks: unidentified sun within circle, in gutter., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Vellum spine and fore-edge strip, with gold tooling on spine and dark red label: "Cronica Pisano./ 1342/ Annali di Pisa./ 1422/ MS." Marbled paper sides.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Pisa (Italy)
Subject (Topic):
Italian literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript, on parchment, in a single hand, of a version of Peter of Ickham's chronicle of English history. The narrative in this copy ends with 1301; this is followed by several brief entries in the same hand for events dated between 1287 and 1305
Description:
In Latin., Scribal explicit: "hic pennam fixi penitet me si male dixi.", Ownership inscription on front paper flyleaf: "Brudenell de Deen d[omi]nusque de Stonton.", Some marginal annotations, particularly in lower margins. Some of these have been trimmed; three leaves containing lower margin annotations have been left untrimmed and folded back, apparently in an effort to preserve the annotations (13r; 22r; 59r)., Two leaves bound in at the end of the volume contain passages from the Doctrinale of Alexander de Villa Dei. Ownership inscription on 1r in a later, (early seventeenth-century?) hand: "Mistresse Leucey Brudenell.", Layout: single columns of 34 lines., Script: rounded gothic script., Decoration: Rubricated., and Binding: seventeenth-century full calf, with the arms of the Brudenell family in gilt on the covers.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Peter, of Ickham, active 1290.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, Latin prose literature, Medieval and modern, Great Britain, History, and Kings and rulers
Manuscript on paper (trimmed), with parchment bifolios interspersed, of Julius Caesar, Commentary on the Gallic Wars, translated into French by Jean Duchesne. Written for Jacques Donche, counselor of Charles the Bold of Burgundy
Description:
In French., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Armoires: Trois fleurs de lis 1741., Script: Written in neat batarde script by Hellin de Burchgrave., Ten half-page miniatures, each in an arched frame composed of two thin bands, gold and red highlighted with white, edged in black, the arch with tiny cusps; beneath, initials, 6-, 4-, or 3-line, blue or blue and red with white highlights on a gold ground of irregular shape conforming to the letter, edged in black, with serifs protruding into the left margin; filled with green and/or red and crimson trilobe leaves on curling stems with white and/or yellow highlights, or with a blue, green, crimson, and gold diapered ground with white highlights. Three smaller miniatures, 12- or 14-line, occasionally cut off at the upper edge so as to fill only part of a line of text; frames rectilinear, otherwise identical to those described above, Beneath, 2-line initials, blue, with white highlights, filled with trilobe leaves, as above, once (f. 25r) with one leaf of spiky acanthus added, and once (f. 256r) with a pink ground with gold filigree. There is a blank space on f. 27r for another miniature of this type. Other decoration consists of 2-line calligraphic initials, paragraph marks, line fillers (spirals and heraldic dragons), page and chapter headings, all executed in red. The first one or two lines of some books (as well as occasional lines within the text) are underlined in red., A few folios have tears in the margins., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Spattered and gilt edges. Red goatskin, gold-tooled, with the arms of Eugene of Savoy on cover and his monogram on spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Gaul
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
French literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a collection of about 85 copies of primarily political documents pertaining to events between 1592 and 1632. The volume includes speeches and letters relating to the murder of Thomas Overbury and the trial of Walter Raleigh; a description of voyage to France to aid the Huguenot cause in 1626-7 and seige of La Rochelle; a factual account, with figures, of fighting in Thirty Years' War; "The examinations of the counterfett ghost that came into St James on fryday night the 13 of 9br 1612, beeing that day sennight after Prince Harries death," whose testimony was taken by Sir Thomas Chaloner and Sir John Holles; and the confession of Anne Lady Ross to the Star Chamber declaring that she had perjured herself by "accusing the said Right Honorable Countess of Exeter with an intent & purpose to poison" her. The volume also contains a copy of the will of Holles' father, Thomas Holles of Haughton, dated 17 March 1592 and "written in his owne hand"; and "A prayer wch my deere sister Wentworth did use, coppied from her owne hand, wch I had of my mother 24th Jan. 1631."
Description:
In English, French, and Italian., Arms of the 4th Duke of Newcastle stamped in gold on front cover., and Binding: full parchment. Printed on spine: "Copies of State Papers Etc. 1592 - 1632.
Subject (Geographic):
England., France, Great Britain., Great Britain, and France.
Subject (Name):
Chaloner, Thomas, 1595-1661., Holles, John, Earl of Clare, ca. 1565-1637., Overbury, Thomas, Sir, 1581-1613., and Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 1552?-1618
Subject (Topic):
Huguenots, History, Nobility, Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648, Treason, Trials, Wills, Foreign relations, Politics and government, and Social life and customs
Manuscript contract, signed, in the hand of William Smith, between Smith and Andrew C. Barnett, for relocation of one hundred sixty enslaved African American plantation workers and farming property owned by Smith from his plantations in Alabama to his plantations in Louisiana
Description:
William Smith (1762-1840), plantation owner and member of the Alabama House of Representatives, 1836-1840. and In English.
Subject (Geographic):
Alabama., Louisiana., Louisiana, and United States
Subject (Name):
Barnett, Andrew C. and Smith, William, 1762-1840.
Subject (Topic):
African Americans, Farmers, Slavery, History, Economic conditions, Social life and customs, and Politics and government
Manuscript on parchment (monastic, furry) of Josephus, De bello Judaico, translated into Latin by Hegesippus
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in elegant French minuscule. Marginalia, including "Nota" marks, by several later hands., Good pen-drawn initial for Book 1 (f. 2v), 12-line, in brown, with vigorous foliage swirls, modelled with fine striations, against a bright, multicolored (green, blue, red, maroon) panelled ground; for the Prologue and Books 2-5 (ff. 2r, 37r, 52r, 67v, and 82v), 7- or 5-line initials, in red, blue, green, and light brown with delicate, stylized foliage (f. 2r: also with two stylized heads). On f. 77v, a marginal drawing in red ink of a man pointing to text with a note (13th century) in brown ink "Nota de iniquo Symone.". Rubrics throughout., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Edges gilt. Green goatskin gold-tooled, with a brick-red label.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Josephus, Flavius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Jews, History, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Josephus, De bello iudaico, translated into Latin by Rufinus
Alternative Title:
De bello Judaico
Description:
In Latin., Written in bold and elegant early gothic bookhand; some looped flourishes in upper margins contain red dots., Seven initials, 17- to 10-line, in red, filled with red swirling foliage on orange and green grounds, with touches of blue, against irregular grounds of blue and/or orange panels. 6- to 2-line initials, green and/or red with red or green foliate flourishes, set both outside and into text column; initials sometimes incorporate simple facial features. 1-line red initials for rubrics. Rubrics throughout; remains of notes to rubricator., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Brown goatskin, blind-tooled.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Josephus, Flavius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Jews, History, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Dares Phrygius, De excidio Troiae historia, in the Latin translation ascribed to Cornelius Nepos, followed by the lists of those killed by the heroes on both sides. 2) Geoffrey of Monmouth (Galfredus Monemutensis, d. 1154), Historia regum Britanniae. 3) De origine Normannorum, a short history of Normandy up to Henry I, King of England and Duke of Normandy (d. 1135). The main part of this text derives from Hugh of Saint-Victor (Hugo de Sancto Victore, d. 1141), Excerptiones allegoricae, X, 10 (PL 177.284) and is followed by a short list of Dukes of Normandy. 4) Three unidentified poems on the miracles of St. Benedict, followed by rhymed liturgical prayers to be said in the presence of the relics of the saint, and another poem on St. Benedict. This manuscript, which from the beginning contained all four texts described above, was copied in a Benedictine abbey
Description:
In Latin., Script: Carefully copied by one hand in Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria., Headings and running titles in red, many now poorly legible. Heightening of majuscules in red. Large decorated Romanesque initials, red or green, at the head of artt. 1 and 2; 2- or 3-line plain initials alternately in red and blue and 1-line initials in the same colours in the middle of the text in art. 2; on f. 91r, at the beginning of Book XI, there is a 3-line flourished initial in blue with red penwork, which may be added later. 3-line red plain initial at the beginning of art. 3. 2-line initials in art. 4, of the same kind as in artt. 1-2., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Sprinkled calf over cardboard; the covers have gilt edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., Great Britain, Normandy (France), and Troy (Extinct city)
Subject (Name):
Dares, Phrygius. and Benedictines.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript fragments on parchment (2 bifolia) of Decretals and letters, primarily of Pope John XXII, with a register of letters (1299) of Pope Boniface VIII
Description:
In Latin., Script: several scripts evident, from formal gothic bookhand to cursive., and Illuminated initials in red, blue, and violet. Paragraph marks in red and blue.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boniface VIII, Pope, -1303. and John XXII, Pope, -1334.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Letters, Papal, Manuscripts, Medieval, Papacy, and History
This manuscript, a unique specimen of dramatic composition by Queen Elizabeth, represents the only surviving piece of stage property from the Elizabethan theater. It was passed from player to player during the great Theobalds Entertainment of 1591, and it is the only surviving original manuscript of any part of that Entertainment., Elizabeth was entertained by her Lord High Treasurer, Lord Burghley, at his Hertfordshire house, Theobalds, between 10 and 20 May 1591. In a contemporary manuscript text of the entertainments at Theobalds (British Library, Egerton MS. 2623), there is preserved a fanciful speech by a "Hermit," delivered to the Queen on Burghley's behalf, in which, pleading for royal permission to retire from public life, he requests her to restore to him his "cell," namely, Theobalds. The present document was prepared as an answer to Burghley's request and grants the "Hermit," her "woorthely belooved Coounceloour," the right to retire to his "cave," his "own houus," with "full & pacifik possession of all & every part thearof," and to be henceforth free from public duties if he so wishes., The text of the "charter" was printed in John Strype's Annals of the Reformation (1709), where it is described as having been "drawn up by the queen herself in a facetious style, to cheer the said treasurer." A highly characteristic example of Elizabethan wit, it has the form of a formal charter, certified and signed by Lord Chancellor Hatton, who is known to have taken part in a number of court entertainments. It bears the Great Seal and was no doubt read out and presented to Burghley, or to an actor representing him as a hermit. Instead of giving a simple answer to Burghley's request to retire from public life, Elizabeth evidently chose to enter into the spirit of the Hermit's request and frame her reply accordingly having this charter drawn up by one of her chancery scribes and passed by Hatton under the Great Seal, as part of a prearranged performance for the amusement of the court on the first day of her visit to Theobalds., The entertainment at Theobalds are described by E.K. Chambers in The Elizabethan Stage (II:247-248), Sir Walter Greg in the Review of English Studies (I[1924]:452-454), John Payne Collier in his History of English Dramatic Poetry (I:276), Alexander Dyce in The Works of George Peele (III:161-169), and John Nichols in his account of The Progress and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth (III:74)., and Purchased 1985.