Marston MS 76     Northern Italy, s. XV 3/4
Pomponius Mela; Vibius Sequester; Dares, etc.


I. 1. ff. 1r-38v  Pomponii mellae de cosmographia liber 
primus incipit feliciter.  Orbis situm dicere 
ag[g added above]redior Impeditum opus: et facundie minime 
capax...et donec effossa repleantur euenniunt hominum pars 
siluas frequentat minus quam quo [sic]// ff. 39-40 wanting

Pomponius Mela, De chorographia libri tres, ending abruptly
in III.107; P. Parroni, ed., Pomponii Melae De chorographia 
libri tres (Rome, 1984) text: pp. 111-72; Marston MS 76 
cited on p. 70, no. 59. Text has been corrected by one hand 
in a different shade of ink; rubrics in margins by another hand.

II. 2. ff. 41r-47v  Virbius [sic] Sequester Virgiliano filio
salutem pl. d.  Quanto ingenio ac studio filj [?] carissime apud 
plerosque poetas fluminum mentio habita sit: tanto labore sum 
secutus...[conclusion of gentes, f. 47v:]  Thessali macedones 
europae L. [?] vi/ Volsci Italici europe Ae. vii. G. ii.

Vibius Sequester, De fluminibus, fontibus, lacubus, nemoribus, 
paludibus, montibus, gentibus; R. Gelsomino, ed., Teubner 
(1967) pp. 1-54.  Many of the entries are followed by brief 
notes giving the source of the name (e.g., Ae. or Ene. = Aeneid; 
G. = Georgics; Luc. = Lucan).

3. ff. 47v-50r  [Heading:]  De prouinciis et regionibus.  
[text:]  Bugdunum desyderatum mortem a romoriante [?]  mari et 
ideo In omni mari...[concludes in section Prouinciae Alpium 
Maritimarum ci. viii:]  Ciuitas Vinsicensium id est Ventio.  
[explicit:]  Finit sequester virbius [sic; followed by drawing
of a heart pierced by an arrow, surmounted by a crown].  f. 50v 
blank

Unidentified text(s) on the names of the Roman provinces and 
their regions (ff. 47v-48v) and the names of the cities in the 
provinces (ff. 48v-50r).

III. 4.  ff. 51r-70v  Incipit Historia Daretis Frigii de 
Exitio Troiae. [prologue:]  Cornelius Nepos Salustio Crispo suo 
salutem.  Cum multa athenis curiosus agerem. inueni historiam 
daretis Frigij ipsius manu scriptam ut titulus indicat...nunc 
ad pollicendum reuertamur.  [text:]  Pelias Rex in poloponense 
[sic] hesonnem fratrem habuit hesonis filius erat iason uirtute 
prestans...cum suis patria protinus excedere iubet.  Aeneas cum//
catchwords:  omnibus suis na.   f. 71, and perhaps a quire, wanting

Dares Phrygius, De excidio troiae historia, ending abruptly and
missing f. 54 ("...Et antenorem ab eis nihil impetrasse.  Verum // 
conclamauit moram non esse..."); F. Meister, ed., Teubner (1878) 
pp. 1-51, line 18.

Arts. 5-9, a series of exordia, appear to be school exercises 
in Latin prose composition, all poorly written and heavily 
corrected.  They follow approximately the text of Justinus' 
Epitoma, but are much abbreviated; the Latin is often 
incomprehensible without a prior knowledge of the historical 
narrative (e.g., scythae has been corrupted to exitae).

IV. 5. ff. 72r-73r  Incipit Exordium Regis asiriorum qui primi 
regnauerunt In terram. [sic]  Exordium Ninj.  Ninus rex 
asyriorum primus bella Intulit ad quae regna primus imperauit...
uindicato regum [?] cum auctoritate tenuit.

Exordium on Ninus.

6. ff. 73r-74r  [Heading:]  Exordium Amazonum que exite 
[i. e. scythae] et ipse fuerunt.  [text:]  Apud exitas fuerunt 
aliquando duos reges iuuenes. qui occupauerunt cemerinus 
[sic] campus Iuxta amnem...et sic ferunt quod usque ad iulio 
caesare [sic] perdurauerant.  Finit.

Exordium on the Amazons.

7. f. 74r  Darius rex persarum In exitis bellum intulit cum 
armatis...et Lacedemonijs uictoria facta domus suas triumphauerunt.  
Finit.

Exordium on Darius.

8. f. 74v  Bellum Iulij Caesaris:  quod gessit super regnum cum 
germanis In quo prelio romani grauiter pugnauerunt...qui pacem 
federatam cum eum fecerunt.

Exordium on Julius Caesar and Augustus.

9. ff. 74v-76r  [Heading, f. 74v:]  De exordia exitarum.  
[text, f. 75r:] Exiti antiquioris populus hominibus in terre 
nulli finis:  et interclusa est sicut:  et gothia:  qui 
primus eam regionem magog...Et mater eius olympiades nuncupatur.

Exordium on the Scythians, concluding with Alexander the 
Great and Philip of Macedon.

10. f. 76v  [Heading:]  Panormus id est comoda cunctis Natio.  
[text:] Theopompus xuij Epirotarum gentes esse refert...Lxx 
igitur epirotarum urbes a Paulo emilio imperatore funditus...
redacta.

Short unidentified passages on Epirus.

	The manuscript is composed of four parts of similar size, 
220 x 150 mm.; i (paper) + 72 + i (paper); patterns of stains 
suggest that the parts were originally separate booklets.
	Part I:  ff. 1-38 (ff. 39-40 wanting), paper (watermarks, 
in gutter: similar to Briquet Ciseaux 3685).  Written space 
158 x 84 mm.  Ca. 29 long lines.  Frame-ruled in crayon; remains 
of prickings in outer margins. I 12, II 10, III 12, IV 6 (-5, 6, 
with loss of text).  Horizontal catchwords to left of inner 
bounding line (Derolez 12.2); vertical catchwords for third 
quire (Derolez 12.5).  Written by multiple scribes in humanistic 
cursive script, above top line.  Plain red initials, 5- to 1-line.  
Epigraphic heading on f. 1r; other headings in humanistic bookhand, 
in red.
	Part II:  ff. 41-50, paper (watermarks, in gutter:  similar 
to Briquet Lettre T 9129).  Written space 160 x 95 mm.  30 long 
lines. Impressed on a ruling board.  A single gathering of 10 leaves.  
Written by several scribes in humanistic cursive, above top line.  
Epigraphic headings and plain initials, 3- to 1-line, in black.
	Part III:  ff. 51-76 (ff. 54, 71 wanting), paper (watermarks, 
in gutter: similar to Briquet Fleur 6654, 6655).  Written space 
150 x 87 mm.  26 long lines.  Impressed on a ruling board.  I 10 
(-4, loss of text), II 10 (-10, loss of text).  Vertical catchwords 
(Derolez 12.5).  Written by several scribes in varying styles of 
humanistic cursive, above top line. Epigraphic heading, f. 51r, 
and plain intials in black.  Parchment binding stays along outer 
bifolia.
	Part IV:  ff. 72-76, paper (watermarks, in gutter: similar 
to Briquet Fleur 6654, 6655).  Written space 152 x 105 mm.  Ca. 
25 long lines. No discernible rulings.  A single gathering of four 
leaves, + 1 leaf added at end.  ff. 72r-76r written by a single [?] 
scribe in humanistic cursive script; text on f. 76v added in a 
similar contemporary hand.  Heading on f. 72r in red.
	Binding:  Italy, s. xviii.  Paper case, once white.

All four parts appear to have been written in Northern Italy in 
the third quarter of the 15th century; probably used as school 
texts given the nature of Part IV and the irregular orthography 
throughout.  Early provenance otherwise unknown.  Unidentified 
notes include:  "Nu g b" in pencil on front pastedown; "448" 
enclosed in square in pencil, f. i recto; round paper label 
with "102" in ink on spine; "115" in pencil on f. 1r.  Inscription,  
s. xviii, in lower margin of f. 1r:  "Est Pauli Deod ti Velli 
Subleu [?];" the foliation seems to have been added in the same
hand as the inscription. Belonged to Henry Allen (acquired ca. 
1800; bookplate with "13" within square, in pencil); Samuel 
Allen sale (Sotheby's, 30 January 1920, no. 91).  Purchased 
from C. A. Stonehill (CAS 1996/ #10866) in 1954 by Thomas E. 
Marston  (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Tribus

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 73, no. 76.

Barbara A. Shailor