Marston MS 39           Florence, 1453
Cicero, De oratore, Pro Milone, Pro Ligario


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1.  ff. 1r-121v  M. T. Ciceronis de. oratore ad .Q. fratrem liber 
primus foeliciter incipit.  Cogitanti mihi sepenumero et memoria 
vetera repetenti perbeati fuisse Quinte frater illi uideri solent qui 
in optima re publica...et aliquando ab hac contentione disputationis 
animos nostros curamque laxemus:  M. T. Ciceronis de oratore liber 
tertius et ultimus foeliciter explicit. Τελος. Φ [surrounded by dots 
and flourishes here and at conclusion of arts. 2 and 3].  Phylippus 
Corbizus manu propria scripsit MCCCC⁰ LIII.  ff. 122r-124v ruled, 
but blank

Cicero, De oratore I-III; K. F. Kumaniecki, ed., Teubner fasc. 3
(1969) pp. 1-362.  The scribe has entered into the margins both 
corrections to the text and variant readings that are usually marked 
by the abbreviations ul or al; annotations are decorated with 
dots and flourished in the same manner as the catchwords.

2.  ff. 125r-144v  M. T. Ciceronis oratio ad iudices pro .T. Amnio 
Milone foeliciter incipit.  Et si vereor iudices ne turpe sit pro 
fortissimo uiro dicere incipientem timere minimeque deceat...in 
iudicibus legendis optimum et sapientissimum quemque legit. Φ.

Cicero, Pro T. Annio Milone; A. Klotz, ed., Teubner v. 8 (1918) pp.
13-66. In art. 2 and to a lesser extent in art. 3 key rhetorical 
words have been entered in the margins (e. g., on f. 125r: Captat 
beniuolentiam a persona Milonis, Expolitio, Ratio propositionis, 
Distributio, Correctio). No rhetorical words appear on ff. 133v-144v.

3.  ff. 145r-151v [In upper margin:] YHS.  [heading:] M. T. Ciceronis 
oratio ad Cesarem pro .Q. Ligario foeliciter incipit.  Nouum crimen .c. 
cesar et ante hunc diem inauditum propinquus meus. [to be inserted 
from margin: ad te .Q.] tubero detulit .Q. ligarium in africam fuisse
...Tantum te ipsum admonebo si illi absenti salutem dederis presentibus 
his omnibus te daturum.  Τελός.  Explicit.  Φ.  f. 152r-v 
ruled, but blank

Cicero, Pro Q. Ligario; A. Klotz, ed., Teubner v. 8 (1918) pp. 84-100.

	Paper (coarse; remains of deckle edges; watermarks:  Briquet Echelle
5904, Briquet Fleur 6306, and similar to Briquet Ciseaux 3668), ff. i 
(paper, later addition) + 152 + i (paper, later addition), 220 x 147 
(140 x 95) mm. 25 long lines.  Double vertical bounding lines, full 
length (Derolez 13.31); ruled in hard point.
	I-XII 10, XIII 4, XIV-XV 10, XVI 10 (-2).  Catchwords with symmetrically
arranged dots and flourishes perpendicular to text between inner bounding
lines, verso (Derolez 12.5).  Leaf signatures (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.) in 
lower right corner, recto.
	Written in a neat upright humanistic cursive by a single scribe.
	Partial border, f. 1r, white vine-stem ornament on blue, green and 
pink ground with white and pale yellow dots.  At the terminals, gold 
balls  with hair-line extensions.  Illuminated initial, 4-line, gold on 
blue, green  and red ground as above joined to the border.  In lower 
margin, wreathed  medallion for arms (drawn with a compass), blank.  
Five smaller initials,  4- and 3-line, gold on blue, green and red 
rectangular grounds with white or pale yellow filigree and white dots.  
Headings and colophons in  red.
	Binding:  Italy, s. xv.  Stays cut from parchment manuscripts 
(text washed) inside the quires and also outside the first two.  
Original sewing on three tawed skin, slit straps attached to wooden 
boards.  Beaded, chevron, natural, pink, and green endbands are sewn 
on tawed skin cores. 
	Covered in dark brown calf with narrow corner tongues and blind-
tooled with two circles and corners of rope interlace in a central 
panel with concentric frames, one with beaded zigzag ribbon tools 
similar to those on Marston MSS 38 and 68, and gilt annular dots.  
Spine:  double fillets at head and tail and outlining the bands; 
panels diapered with double fillets.  Two fastenings, the catches 
on the lower board; the straps and clasps probably later additions.  
See Walters Art Gallery, Bookbinding, p. 88, no. 198.

Written in Florence in 1453 by the scribe Phylippus Corbizus who 
also wrote Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Clm 10719 (Colophons, 
v. 5, no. 16,069). The scribe's name and the date appear in the 
colophon (f. 121v) and the Greek letter Φ occurs at the 
conclusion of all three works. Belonged to Auguste Chardin of Paris 
(sale cat., Paris, 1813, no. 1212) from which it was acquired by Sir 
Thomas Phillipps (no. 2814, inscription on front pastedown).  
The manuscript passed from the collection of Giuseppe (Joseph) 
Martini (his inscription in pencil on front pastedown) to H. P. Kraus, 
who sold it to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate) in 1955.

secundo folio:  singuli

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 68, no. 39.
	The Medieval Book, p. 35, no. 36, with pl. of f. 121v.

Barbara A. Shailor