Marston MS 70     Northeastern Italy, s. XIV 4/4
Rudimenta grammatices; Disticha Catonis

1. ff. 1r-11r  Ianua sum rudibus primam cupientibus partem 
[or artem?]/ Nec sine me quisquam rite peritus erit/... Nam 
celeri studio discere multa potes/[text:]  Poeta quae pars est.
nomen est.  quare est nomen.  quia significat...uero sunt 
comunes que posunt preponi et subponi in ordine orationis.

Rudimenta grammatices (Grammatica latina secundum Donatum);
GKW, v. 7, nos. 8987-9017 (8988, 8991-92, 8995-9000, 9002-04, 
9006-11 and 9013-16 also contain the Disticha Catonis; cf. art. 2).
Bursill-Hall, Census, p. 319; Marston MS 70 not listed.  For 
a discussion of the text see W. Schmitt, Die Ianua (Donatus), 
ein Beitrag zur lateinischen Schulgrammatik des Mittelalters und 
der Renaissance, Beitraege zur Inkunabelkunde, 3, Folge 4, 
Akademie-Verlag (Berlin, 1969) pp. 43-80, with the text based on 
GKW 8998 printed on pp. 74-80; Marston MS 70 not cited.

2. ff. 11r-15v  [No heading; Epistula begins:]  Cum animaduerterem 
quam plurimos homines errare in uia morum succurendum et consulendum 
oppinioni eorum fore existimaui...et non intelligere neglegere est.
[breves sententiae:]  Itaque deo suplica/ Parentes ama/...ius 
iurandum serua/ [text, f. 11v:]  Si deus est animus nobis ut carmina 
dicunt/ hic tibi precipue sit pura mente colendus/...Hos breuitas 
sensus fecit me iungere binos/  Deo. Gratias. Amen.  f. 16r-v blank 
except for later notes Disticha Catonis; M. Boas, ed. (Amsterdam, 
1952).  Breves sententiae in the following order with nos. referring 
to Boas, op. cit., pp. 11-30:  1-5, 16-17, 6-11, 29, 35-37, 40, 51, 
18, Rumores fuge, 13-15, 20, 28, 26-27, 30-32, 34 (bis), 33, 44, 49-50
(bis), 52, 54, 25, 41-42, 22-23, 12, 43, 19, 46-47, 39, 45, 55, 21.  
Distichs in the following order (Boas, op. cit, pp. 31-263):  I.1-20, 
21 (first line of distich repeated at end), 22-40; II.Prefatio, 1-31; 
III.Prefatio (lines 1-2), 1, Prefatio (lines 3-4), 2-24; IV.Prefatio, 
1, 2 (Comoda.../ Si contentus...), 3-15, 17-29, 30 (2 verses compressed 
into 1), 31-49. 

	Parchment, ff. i (modern parchment) + 16 + i (parchment; palimpsest),
256 x 181 (192 x ca. 128) mm.  36 long lines and lines of verse.  
Single vertical bounding lines, ruled in lead.  Rulings for text in 
light brown ink.
	Two gatherings of eight leaves.
	Written in round gothic bookhand by a single scribe.
	Historiated initial, f. 1r, 11-line, pink against blue ground with a
half-length portrait in profile of the author, dressed in red and green
robes and a red hat against parchment ground with brown penwork.  Foliage
serifs, green, blue and red extending into inner and upper margin to
form partial border.  In center of lower margin, blank shield for coat of
arms, flanked by stylized foliage, blue and red.  In outer margin, small
patch of green with boy or man sitting under a tree (visible under ultra-
violet light).  One illuminated initial on f. 11r, 8-line, pink against 
blue ground filled with stylized foliage, blue, green and red.  Plain 
initials in red.  Small initials touched with yellow.
	The entire manuscript is well worn, affecting the text; f. 1r is badly
rubbed and stained.
Binding:  England [?], s. xx.  Quarter bound in brown, blind-tooled calf
over wooden boards.

Written in Northeastern Italy in the fourth quarter of the 14th century;
business accounts dated 1482, in Italian, on f. 16v:  "tome dal greza
dee dar a mi bet. per uno saldo fato cum lui A di 6 de mazo 1482 monete
in suma [last portion of text unclear:] 44 q et d 18."  Early provenance
unknown.  "V" with "3" in a circle, in pencil, f. 1r.  Purchased from
H. P. Kraus in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  in o naturaliter

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 72, no. 70.

Barbara A. Shailor