Marston MS 52           Bologna, s. XV med
Suetonius, De vita Caesarum


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ff. 1r-179r  C. Suetonii Tranquilli de XII cesaribus ac primum de C. Iul.
Cesaris vita incipit feliciter.  Annum agens cesar sextum decimum patrem
amisit Sequentibusque consulibus flamen dialis destinatus...portendi
statum rei publice sicut sane breui euenit.  abstinentia et moderatione
insequentium principum.  f. 179v blank

M. Ihm, ed., Teubner (Leipzig, 1903) v. 1.  Greek words and phrases
have been written in the text, with Latin translations added in the margin;
Greek ommited on ff. 117v and 176r.

	Parchment (hair side mottled), ff. ii (contemporary parchment 
bifolium; i = front pastedown) + 180, 275 x 195 (180 x 108) mm.  25 long 
lines. Single vertical and narrowly spaced double horizontal bounding lines 
in which the upper ruling delineates height of minims; a similar pattern 
of double horizontal rulings is used for each line of text.  Ruled in hard 
point.
	I-XXII 8, XXIII-XXIV 2.  Horizontal catchwords, with single dots on 
most sides, in lower margin written across vertical bounding line (Derolez 12.3).
Remains of quire and leaf signatures (e.g., b 1, b 2, etc.) in lower margin,
recto.
	Written by a single scribe in a round humanistic script that inclines
slightly toward the left.
	Illuminated title page with partial border in upper and inner margin, 
white vine-stem ornament against vibrant blue, green and red ground with 
white dots and gold balls, terminating in pen inkspray with gold balls and 
large blossoms, yellow and red with gold highlights in upper margin, blue 
with white highlights in inner margin.  Inner margin interrupted by a 
scrolling banderole (no inscription) in blue and red with white highlights.  
Floral border in lower margin, pen inkspray with flowers in blue, red, green 
and pink, and gold balls, surrounding a wreathed medallion with unidentified 
arms (azure 3 bendlets argent, a chief or with 3 birds sable beaked and 
membered gules) and the initials VI and M (arms and initials are later
additions), on a parchment ground.  12 illuminated initials, 8- to 6-line,
gold.  Some against green and red grounds with yellow and white highlights,
filled with yellow shaded white vine-stem ornament against blue, green and
red grounds with white and yellow dots.  Other initials on blue, green and
red grounds with yellow shaded white vine-stem ornament, yellow and white 
dots. Initials on ff. 1r, 26v, 83v, 119r, 140r, 170r are enclosed within 
faceted rectangular frames.  Headings and marginal notes by original scribe
in red.
	Binding:  Italy, s. xv. Resewn on four supports and rebacked.  Edges 
yellow. Covered in brown leather over wooden boards, blind-tooled with 
concentric frames alternately filled with rope interlace.  A triple cross 
in the central panel.  Badly cut tools and impressions burned into the 
leather. Four fastenings, the catches on the lower board.

Written in Bologna in the middle of the 15th century by Simon Carpaneti who
copied and signed London, B. L. Add. 11981;  the arms and initials (written
over an erasure) on f. 1r appear to be slightly later additions.
Ownership inscriptions, s. xv-xvi, on the front pastedown:
1. "Hunc de stampis Innocentius possideo";  2. the date 1511 written twice, the
first time partially effaced; 3. [Greek] n#o xxv followed by a word crossed out;
4. "Manilii [or Marsilii] stampide [the name has been scratched out and
written over at least once] C Suetonius Tranquillus Liber est suus.";
5. "hic liber [two words effaced, perhaps Vincentij Nerae?, with the name
Innocentii stampis written above the original name]; 6. a Greek quotation
from Euripides, Orestes (708), with the Latin translation added above, and
a heraldic or printer's device drawn below containing the name Euripides
(in Greek), three blackbirds, the initials G. M. S. F. E., and the
[Greek?] letters [Greek].  Purchased by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate) from
Lathrop C. Harper, Inc., in 1952.

secundo folio:  Nam comites

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 70, no. 52.

Barbara A. Shailor