Marston MS 38           Florence, ca. 1450-60
Diogenes Laertius, Lat. tr. Ambrogio Traversari


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1.  front flyleaf, recto   Alphabetical index of names:  Anacarsis 
scytha, Anaximander milesius...Zeno cittieus, Zeno eleates.  Vite 
omnes suprascripte numero Lxxxii insupra [?].  A second hand has 
added folio references to each entry.  Verso of flyleaf is blank.

2.  ff. 1r-179r  [Letter, no heading:]  Voluenti mihi quedam greca
uolumina uenit ad manus laertii diogenis de philosophis prolixum 
opus.  Id etsi auctori plus in legendo studii quam inscribendo....  
[text, f. 2r:]  Laertii Diogenis uitae atque sententie eorum qui 
in philosophia claruerunt liber primus incipit.  Philosophiam a 
barbaris initia sumpsisse plerique autumant. Namque apud persas 
clauisse magos...non sunt defuncti celeriorem obitum. Laertii 
Diogenis uite atque sententie eorum qui in philosophia claruerunt.
Liber decimus et ultimus explicit.  f. 179v ruled, but blank

Diogenes Laertius, Vitae et sententiae philosophorum, translated 
into Latin by Ambrogio Traversari and preceded by his dedicatory 
letter to Cosimo de' Medici.  Notes, corrections, and variant 
readings added by the scribe and at least one contemporary hand.

	Parchment, ff. ii (contemporary parchment bifolium; i = front 
pastedown) + 180 (contemporary foliation, Roman numerals 1-179, with 
120 bis) + ii (contemporary parchment bifolium; i excised, ii = 
back pastedown), 335 x 230 (205 x 125) mm.  32 long lines.  Double 
vertical and horizontal bounding lines, full length and full width 
(Derolez 13.36). Ruled in hard point on hair side.  Prickings in 
upper, lower, and outer margins (Derolez 18.1). 
	I-XVI 10, XVII-XVIII 8, XIX 4.  Horizontal catchwords in lower 
inner margin near gutter, verso (Derolez 12.4).
	Main text written in round humanistic bookhand by a single 
scribe; art. 1 added in humanistic cursive by a contemporary hand.
	Decorated by the unidentified "Master of the Riccardiana 
Lactantius" (Florence, Bibiloteca Riccardiana MS 544), who may 
have been the master for the Florentine illuminator Mariano del 
Buono and whose work is characterized by well drawn but badly 
colored animals. For other manuscripts by the same artist see
Garzelli, Miniatura fiorentina, pp. 200-01. The decoration 
consists of a 3/4 border, f. 1r, of intricate white vine-stem
ornament curling around thin gold bars (doubled in inner and 
lower margins) on a blue, green and pale pink ground dotted 
with white, yellow and blue, and gold balls.  Incorporated 
into the lower border are a medallion (blank) framed by a laurel 
wreath and two narrow gold bands, a stag, and a putto with 
multi-colored wings in blue, green and dark red.  In the inner 
margin are two birds in brown, orange and white.  Ten illuminated 
initials,  9- to 4-line, gold on blue, green and pale pink 
background with white vine-stem ornament.  Numerous smaller 
initials, 3- to 2-line, gold on blue and pink or green and pink 
grounds with white and gold filigree.  Headings in black majuscules.  
Running headlines, in red, on ff. 1-4 only. 
	Some worming at beginning of text.
	Binding:  Italy, s. xv.  A hybrid Italo-Greek binding.  Sewn 
or resewn (the sewing is too tight to determine with certainty) on 
five tawed skin, slit straps.  Wooden boards which are not flush 
at head and tail are grooved on the edges.  Beaded Western endbands 
added.
	Covered in dark brown calf, blind-tooled with a triple cross 
made up of gilt annular dots and rope interlace in a central panel 
within concentric frames alternately made up of a beaded zigzag 
ribbon and feathered rinceau.  Similar tools are used on Marston 
MSS 39 and 68.  Spine: bands outlined and panels diapered with 
triple fillets.  Traces of four braid-and-pin fastenings, the pins 
in the edges of the lower board instead of the upper board as is usual 
in Greek bindings.  "Diogenes ***" is added on the fore edge; "diogenes 
laergi" is written in batarde (see also provenance) on a label under 
horn at the head of the upper board, possibly added in northern Europe.  
See Walters Art Gallery, Bookbinding, pp. 87-88, no. 197; The 
Medieval Book, pp. 66-67, no. 60, with plate of upper board.

Written in Florence ca. 1450-60; a contemporary note on the front 
pastedown indicates that Brother Bogart bought the manuscript in 1465 
from Ludovicus de Bancis (perhaps to be identified with Ludovico Banchi, 
Cosenza, v. 1, p. 380):  "Ludouico de bancis.  Emi ego frater Bogart hunc 
librum a Ludouico de Bancis pro x duc. large 1465 de mense Ianuarij."  
The style of batarde script on the horn label on the upper cover suggests 
either that the manuscript travelled north to Belgium after it was bound, 
or that it was acquired by a Belgian owner (Brother Bogart?) who added 
the label.  On back pastedown is contemporary inscription "Angelot."  
Unidentified inscriptions, s. xix, on front pastedown:  "Bibl. Brunnd [?] 
Sept. 1849" and "AGl[***]ly".  Entry from sale catalogue, in Italian, 
pasted inside front cover. "98" in ink on entry and in pencil on front 
pastedown; "468" in pencil on rear pastedown. Purchased from Alexander 
Simkhovitch in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Tibi itaque Cosme

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 68, no. 38.

Barbara A. Shailor