Marston MS 81           Rome, ca. 1460-70
Lorenzo Valla, Confutationes


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1.  ff. 1r-95r  [Heading added in a later hand:]  Laurentij Vall.
confutationis liber in pogium florentinum.  [text:]  Non eram
nescius iam inde ab initio cum de lingue latine elegantia componebam
fore ut quantum fauoris...Quanti non quantum siue quantulum sunt mea
extimanda dicere debuisti.  Finis.

Antidotum in Poggium, Books I-III; Opera omnia (Basel, 1540; reprinted
Turin, 1962) v. 1, pp. 253-325:  Book I on ff. 1r-27v, Book II on
ff. 28r-62r, Book III on ff. 62r-95r.  Marston MS 81 corresponds closely
to this text, but offers numerous variant readings.  Greek words and
passages are normally omitted in the manuscript (e.g., 54r), sometimes with
no space left for their insertion; occasionally the Greek word is written
in Roman letters.

2. ff. 95r-147v  Seundum [sic] antidotum.  Tandem aliquando podii altera in
nos inuectiua in manus uenit plane serpentina non sententiis sed 
uenenis...et una cum illa te clerus omnis elata uoce comprecetur.  Sancte
podi et sancta flora orate pro nobis.  Finis.

Antidotum in Poggium, Book IV; op. cit., pp. 325-66; the manuscript on
f. 137v abruptly skips from "...decem ne alia dicam nouem a me donatus est"
to "superest unum cui respondendum est..." (p. 355, line 15 to p. 362,
line 13 of printed text) and has an additional passage om ff. 142v-146v
not located in the printed text ("Quare satius est ut aliquas ad
faciendam...est ludi floraria si hoc non est.").

3.  ff. 148r-159v  [Heading added in a later hand:]  Dialogi Laurentij in
podium prohemium incipit.  [preface:]  Audio Podium alterum in me
composuisse inuectiuam longe priore acerbiorem in qua nihil ad me
de iure...hoste superato talem nos agere triumphum.  [text, f. 149r:]
Incipientes ab epistolis ad Nicolaum nicoli missis.  sed quo res sit
iocundior...Po.  Notet si uolet.  summat alios quoscunque a meis
libros.  G. placet.  L. fiat.  Finis.

Dialogus in Poggium, Book I; op. cit., pp. 366-74.  The letters (in red)
L, G, P, Pa, D, and Di are used for the interlocutors Laurentius,
Guarino, Poggio, Parmeno, Dromo, and Dionysius.

4.  ff. 159v-174v  Laurentii Vallensis confutatio in benedictum
morandum.  Vtrum de me peius mereantur an melius inimici et hostes
mei...et mentionem facere famosi libelli.  Finis.

Confutatio prior in Benedictum Morandum; op. cit., pp. 445-55.
	
	Parchment, ff. ii (paper) + 174 + ii (paper), 213 x 133 (141 x 87) mm.
28 long lines.  Single vertical bounding lines, full length (Derolez 13.11).
Prickings in upper and lower margins; two single prickings in outer margin
near first and last text rulings. Method of ruling varies from hard point
to crayon and lead.
	I-IX 10, X 8, XI-XIV 10, XV 8, XVI 10, XVII 8, XVIII 10.  Catchwords
perpendicular to text along inner bounding line, verso.  Quire and
leaf signatures (e.g., a1, a2, a3, etc.) in lower right corner, recto.
	Written in a round humanistic script by a single scribe, above top 
line.
	Illuminated page (f. 1r) with partial border in outer and lower margins,
white vine-stem ornament on predominately green and red ground, with some
blue and white dots, framed by thin gold bars.  In lower border,
unidentified mutilated coat of arms, against blue ground.  Seven illuminated
initials, 4- to 2-line, gold, against blue, green and red grounds with 
white vine-stem ornament and white dots.  Headings and marginal annotations
in pale red.
	Binding:  England, s. xix/xx.  Red goatskin case with gold-tooled title
"Valla In Poggium MS" and turn-ins.  Gilt edges.  Bound by Zaehnsdorf 
(London, 1842-1930).

Written in Rome ca. 1460-70 by the same scribe who copied London, B. L. Harl.
4995 (a. 1470?; Watson, B. L. pl. 740), a manuscript which descends
from Lorenzo Valla's annotated Quintilian (we thank A. C. de la Mare for this
information).  There are at least two layers of contemporary annotations in 
Beinecke MS 81.  The scribe of the text has underlined passages from Poggio 
in either red or the same shade of brown ink as the text, and added key 
words and names (e.g., varro, T. liuius, quintilianus, etc.) in the outer 
margins, as well as corrections to the text, in both red and brown ink.  A 
second hand has written more extensive marginalia in a paler shade of brown
ink, often glossing the notes of the first scribe and making further
corrections to the text; he also added running headlines.  Acquired in
1954 from C. A. Stonehill by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  apertam accusationem

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 73-74, no. 81.

Barbara A. Shailor