Marston MS 8            Italy, s. XV med
Ps.-Cicero, Rhetorica ad Herennium

ff. 1-2 flyleaves; ff. 3r-78v  Et sinegocijs familiaribus impediti.  Vix satis 
otium studio suppeditare possumus...Ergo amplius in arte rethorica nihil est.  
hec omnia adipiscemur si rationes preceptionis diligentia consequemur 
exercitationis. [added by another hand:]  deo gratias.  amen.

Ps.-Cicero, De ratione dicendi ad C. Herennium; F. Marx, ed., Teubner,
fasc. 1 (1923) pp. 1-192; reissued with addenda by W. Trillitsch (Leipzig,
1964). Divisions for Books 2, 3, 4 on ff. 13r, 31r, and 46r; running headlines,
probably giving number of book, now trimmed.  Text has a large quantity of
interlinear material (in at least three hands) that is intended to help the
reader through the Latin text by providing synonyms, referents for
pronouns, etc.; annotations are less frequent after f. 52v.  Some marginal 
glosses, often partially trimmed.

	Parchment (palimpsest throughout, from many different manuscripts, s. xv,
primarily documents that were previously folded and a large service book
with musical notation), ff. i (paper) + i (modern parchment, f. 1) +
i (contemporary parchment, f. 2) + 76 (ff. 3-78) + i (modern parchment, f. 79)
+ i (paper), 195 x 135 (140 x 80) mm. 24 long lines.  Single vertical and
double horizontal bounding lines, mostly full length and full width; ruled
in crayon or lead.
	I-IX 8, X 4.  Remains of horizontal catchwords along lower edge near 
gutter, verso.
	Written by a single scribe in fere-humanistic script with numerous
abbreviations.
	Red initial, 5-line, with purple penwork flourishing that extends down
inner margin, marks beginning of text, f. 3r.  Plain red initial, 3-line,
f. 3v.  Spaces with guide letters are unfilled for remainder of codex.
Initial letter for each sentence stroked with red, ff. 3r-4r only.
Binding:  England, s. xix.  Bound by Charles Lewis (London, 1807-36) in 
brown diced calf with a gold-tooled title:  "Ciceronis Rhetorica MS in
Membr:".  Edges gilt.

Written in Italy in the middle of the 15th century.  Inscription, s. xv 2,
on f. 2r:  "hic codex est Monasterij Sancti Iohannis baptiste in Rebdorff
ordinis Canonicorum regularium diui Augustini episcopi. eystetensis dyocesis.
Et continet In se Rethoricam tullij"; it presumably remained at Rebdorff
until the 19th century.  Probably identifiable with the following entry
in the Rebdorff catalogue:  P. Ruf, ed., Mittelalterliche
Bibliothekskataloge Deutschlands und der Schweiz, Bd. III, 1 (Munich, 1932)
p. 306 ("Tullius, philosophus et oratorum princeps, Rhetorica, K.28").  
Belonged to the Rev. Henry Drury (1778-1841; inscription on f. i recto); 
his sale (Evans, 3 March 1827, information not verified).  Small round 
label with "58" handwritten, on spine; "254" in pencil on front pastedown. 
Bookplate of Jacques Rosenthal inside front cover.  Purchased from C. A. 
Stonehill in 1949 by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  similes

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 65, no. 8.

Barbara A. Shailor