Manuscript on parchment and paper, written in two parts. Part I (parchment, written ca. 1490): 1) John of Rupescissa, De consideratione quinte essentie. 2) Descriptions of various herbs. Part II (paper, added ca. 1800): 3) Alchemy. 4) Recipes for making Prussian Blue, in Italian
Description:
In Latin and Italian., Script: Part I (ff. 1-40): Written by one hand in a neat, minute humanistic cursive. Part II (ff. 41-52): In an Italian hand., Part I: Headings in red throughout, that on f. 1r overwritten in an intense red ink covering earlier writing in pale red ink, the intense ink then used for the remainder of the headings in this portion of the codex, and the overwriting probably by the original scribe. Plain, small, roman capitals at beginnings of sections of the text in blue or green; a large initial "D" and a full border no f. 1r, as well as a smaller initial "L" at the beginning of the second book of text, foot of f. 25r, all finely illuminated in gold and colors in the "white-vine" style, the lower part of the border on f. 1r with a coat of arms consisting of a shield azure, a bear rampant or. Part II: Undecorated., and Binding: Late eighteenth century, probably French. Speckled calf, the sides undecorated, the repaired back in compartments with gilt tooling, the original title-stamping defective, speckled edges; restored by Carolyn Horton, November 1955.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, Formulas, recipes, etc, Herbs, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Prussian blue
In Latin., Script: Written in two sizes of round liturgical gothic script by several scribes: Scribe 1, ff. 1r-235r; Scribe 2, f. 235r-v, and Scribe 3, ff. 236r-245v., Three fine historiated initials, 4- to 2-line, shaded pink and/or green, with blue, yellow, green and orange foliage and knots, with gold dots and orange frame; figures against blue ground. 3- to 2-line calligraphic initials, divided, red and blue with red penwork, with blue and red penwork flourishes. 1-line initials red or blue with blue or red penwork, sometimes with black and green; some initials with guide-letters in outer margin. 1-line initials with yellow. Square notes on 4-line red staves. Rubrics throughout, with notes to rubricator in margins. One very crude 4-line initial (s. xvii) on f. 1r, in red, yellow, blue, green and purple., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Rebound in brown cowhide (?), blind-tooled, with numerous metal bosses. Pastedowns from the same 17th-century antiphonary used as flyleaves.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Antiphonaries, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment and paper of a multitude of texts. The principal author or collector of the present manuscript is Thomas Butler from Harlow in Essex, born in 1528. He gives the horoscopes of himself and several members of his family. Other contemporary scientists quoted are Johann Stoeffler (1452-1531), Humphrey Llwyd ("Loyde", 1527-1568) and Leonard Digges (c. 1515-c. 1559).
Description:
In English., Script: Written by 5 hands: A (ff. 1r-46v and 75r-84v) writes a bold Gothica Cursiva Formata (Secretary), with headings in Gothica Textualis; B (ff. 47r-62r and 63v-65v): Gothica Cursiva Currens (Secretary), perhaps Butler's hand; C (f. 67r-v): Gothica Cursiva Antiquior Libraria (Anglicana); D (ff. 68r-72v line 2): Gothica Cursiva Libraria (Secretary); E (ff. 72v line 3-74r): Gothica Cursiva Formata (Secretary)., Pen drawings throughout., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Brown leather over cardboard, rebacked. The covers decorated with gilt frames and five gilt stars (4 in the corners and one in the center); spine gilt with inscription "ASTROLOG.". Red edges. Marbled endleaves.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Digges, Leonard, d. ca. 1559., Llwyd, Humphrey, 1527-1568., and Stoeffler, Johann, 1452-1531.
Subject (Topic):
Astrology, English literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Science, and Science, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Jacobus Palladinus de Teramo, Belial (also known as Consolatio peccatorum seu Processus Luciferi contra Iesum Christum). 2) Athanasian Creed, added in a different hand
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in a cramped gothic cursive by a single scribe, above top line; art. 2 added in an awkwardly formed gothic bookhand., Divided initial, 15-line, in red in f. 1r. Plain initials, 10- to 4-line, initial strokes, and paragraph marks (in outer margin) in red throughout., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Dark brown, hard-grained goatskin, blind- and gold-tooled. Gilt edges. On spine: "Liber Bellial" and "Codex Ms. Saec. XV".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Jacobus, de Theramo, 1350 or 1351-1417.
Subject (Topic):
Christian literature, Latin, Consolation, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Caesar, Bellum Gallicum, translated into Italian by Pier Candido Decembrio in 1438. With Dedication of the translation to Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written below top line in a bold round humanistic hand by a single scribe who added extra rulings in outer margins for headings, annotations, etc., in red. Additional annotations in humanistic cursive, in a brighter shade of red., Elegant illuminated title page (f. 2v) with the title, written in blue over an erasure, in a circular wreath, green with gold flowers, and framed by narrow gold bands with fillets and inkspray issuing from the top and bottom with blue and deep red flowers, green leaves and gold balls. Full border, f. 1r, white vine-stem ornament on blue, green, deep red and gold ground between thin gold frames. In lower border, medallion, blank, framed by wreath, green with yellow highlights and narrow deep red frame. Partial border, f. 3r, white vine-stem ornament on blue, green and deep red ground between narrow gold frames, enlarged to elongated dots at terminals; white vine-stem ornament extends into upper (trimmed) and lower margins, with single gold balls with hair-line strokes. 8 large initials, 11- to 3-line, gold on blue, green, gold and deep red ground with white vine-stem ornament shaded with pale pink. First few words of each book in gold; incipits, explicits and marginalia in red., and Binding: Date? Italy. Vellum case with title in ink on spine: "Cesare Comment". Gilt, gauffered edges and gold and cream silk endbands. Fragments of a printed service book with musical notation partially visible under pastedowns.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History, Military
Manuscript on parchment of Lucan, Bellum civile, with scholia. Preceded by Epitaphium Lucani, 4 lines only
Description:
In Latin., Script: Main text written above and below top line in a small early gothic bookhand by two scribes. Scribe 1) ff. 1r-37r; Scribe 2) ff. 37v-91v. First letter of each verse written to left of text between double rulings or on middle of three rulings; right-hand margin justified. Scholia, primarily at beginning of codex, written in a contemporary hand., Decorative initials, red or blue, 12- to 4-line, with simple designs in opposite color, for each book. Rubrics added sporadically. Plan of Brindisi appears in the margin of f. 15v (II.610) to illustrate Caesar's siege of the city; on f. 47v is a schematic circular drawing of Paulus in the center, surrounded by Pelion, Ossa, Otrix, Pindus and Olympus., Rubbing, staining, trimming of leaves, and worm holes result in some loss of text and scholia., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Light brown pigskin, blind-tooled, with brass fastenings.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Lucan, 39-65.
Subject (Topic):
Historical poetry, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Scholia, and History
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of what appears to be the second of a two-volume Bible
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in an elegant French minuscule, chapter divisions added in margins by a later hand., Twenty-seven fine aniconic initials, 20- to 7-lines. The initials are drawn in black pen, filled with yellow, brown or blue, most with interlace knots at midpoints and terminals, some with dragon heads, infilled with intertwining palmette foliage against irregular red, blue, green, and yellow panelled grounds. Prologues open with 10- to 4-line initials, red and blue with terminals in a leafy "arabesque" design. Chapters with 3-line initials in red. 1-line initials, running headings, and rubrics throughout. Marginalia sometimes outlined in red., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Red velvet case. Leather placemarks on fore edge.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (thin) containing 1) List of Epistle and Gospel readings (incipit and explicit) for the liturgical year. 2) Survey of the subdivisions of the Bible. 3) Bible text. 4) Interpretationes nominum Hebraicorum. Two folios are missing between ff. 184 and 185, two folios between ff. 282 and 283, one folio between ff. 295 and 296, all with loss of text
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in very small Northern Gothica Textualis., Red headings and red heigthening of the majuscules. Alternately red and blue pain initials (1 line) in art. 4. Alternately red and blue flourished initials (2 lines) with long marginal extensions. Beautiful larger flourished initials in the same colours with very developed penwork, in which both colours are sometimes combined, at the beginning of the various books and sections. On f. 1r large littera duplex and on f. 8r (beginning of Genesis) large initial I with very fine penwork, both the full height of the text area and in the same colours. Running titles in red and blue., Many leaves and the lower outer corners of all leaves damaged by moist., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Blind-tooled brown calf over thin wooden boards, decorated with rolls. Rebacked. Remnants of two clasps fixed to the rear cover. On the spine two labels, the upper one with the gold-tooled title in Gothic, nineteenth century: "Biblia sacra cum interpretationibus Hebraicorum nomine [sic] in fine"; the lower one with gold-tooled inscription in Roman type "MS.P." On the first fly-leaf (f. Iv) a list of Biblical Kings.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a neat gothic bookhand. Marginal notes and/or corrections by original scribe and several later ones., Historiated initials, 8- to 5-line, many excised, with figures (red and blue) in the summary, linear style characteristic of early 14th century French manuscript illumination; blue or pink with white highlights, with figures against gold grounds; descenders composed of dark blue, blue and red segments, often decorated with gold balls; long cusped floral serifs with gold balls, occasionally with additional trailing foliage, rabbits, birds, etc., Illuminated initials, 7- to 5-line (larger for I initials) for prologues, blue or pink with white highlights, cusped serifs, filled with curling vines, red trilobe leaves, and dragon heads, against red, orange, and gold grounds. 5-, 4-, and 2-line initials for chapters in red and blue with blue and red penwork, with elaborate calligraphic extensions running the full length of the text column; extensions composed either of two thick red lines with a thin blue one in between or two thick blue lines with a thin red line, the arrangement alternating for successive initials; with adjacent superimposed J's, alternating red and blue, also running the full length of column; elaborate vertical terminal flourishes. The more elaborate calligraphy for initials between ff. 360v and 370v appears to be by a different hand. Chapter numbers in margins, in alternating red and blue figures, with blue and red vertical hatching and red, blue, and occasionally purple flourishes. Running headings in similar manner. Marginal corrections boxed in red; glosses frequently underlined in red., First folio badly mutilated., and Binding: 19th-20th century. Original sheepskin covering of spine and part of boards, blind-tooled, adhered on a recent binding. Wooden boards also probably original. Stubs of three (originally four) fastening straps, reinforced with vellum, on upper cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of text of Ezra and Nehemiah. With Glossa ordinaria, both in margins and between lines of text
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in two sizes of neat French minuscule by a single scribe; text written either above or below top line and gloss below top line., Lower half of f. 62 repaired with contemporary (?) parchment., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries. Plain vellum wrapper.
