Marston MS 91           Milan [?], s. XV med or 3/4
Walter Burley, De vita et moribus philosophorum, etc.

1.  ff. 1r-129r  [Title:]  De uita et moribus philosophorum ueterum tractaturus
multa que ab antiquis Auctoribus in diuersis libris...consolacionem et morum
informacionem conferre ualebunt.  [text:]  Talles [sic] philosophus asianus
vt ait laercius in libro de uita philosophum...Scripsit insuper librum de
naturalibus questionibus ad Cosdroe [sic] regem persarum.  Deo gratias
Amen.  Amen.  Qui scripsit scribat.  Semper cum domino viuat.  [added later:]
Ad quam nos perducat ille.  ff. 129v-130v ruled, but blank

Walter Burley, De vita et moribus philosophorum; H. Knust, ed., Bibliothek
des litterarischen Vereins in Stuttgart 176 (Tuebingen, 1886) pp. 2-395;
listed in J. Prelog, "Die Handschriften und Drucke von Walter Burleys Liber de
vita et moribus philosophorum," Codices manuscripti 9 (1983) p. 7, no. 135 and
R. Wedler, Walter Burleys "Liber de vita et moribus philosophorum
poetarumque veterum" in zwei deutschen Bearbeitungen des
Spaetmittelalters,
Ph. D. Thesis (Heidelberg, 1969) p. 23.  Beinecke MS 91 contains 130 
lives in approximately the same order as the edition by Knust, with 
two major differences:  [i.]  A misplacement of a block of material:  within 
the life of Bias (f. 11r) the scribe begins to copy without
interruption the middle of the life of Zoroastes; the remainder of the life
of Bias, as well as the lives of Cleobulus, Periander and the first lines of the
life of Zoroastes, are inserted into the life of Misosternon on f. 13r.  Then
on f. 15v, having completed the life of Zoroastes up to the point where he had
started on f. 11r, the scribe finished with the concluding four lines of
Misosternon.  [ii.]  After the life of Seneca on ff. 111v-117r is
the complete text of Ps.-Seneca, De remediis fortuitorum liber (F. Haase, 
ed., Teubner, v. 3 [1872] pp. 446-57).

2.  ff. 131r-165r  [C]um decertarent inter se aliquando superiora simul atque
inferiora mundi corpora iactaretque unumquodque uim et pulcritudinem suam
placuit...non expectata etiam ulla iudicis snia [for sententia] manifeste
declarauit.

Mapheius Vegius, Declamatio seu disputatio inter solem, terram et
aurum;
Maxima Bibliotheca veterum patrum et antiquorum scriptorum
ecclesiasticorum
v. 26 (Leiden, 1677) pp. 777-87.

3. ff. 165r-174v  [A]dmirari nonnunquam soleo cum alia permulta diuinitus apud
homerum scripta...repellas non tamen par gratia atque honor tibi erit.  Finis.
Ad laudem dei.  ff. 175r-176v ruled, but blank

Selected speeches from Homer, Iliad IX (Oratio Ulixis, Responsio Achillis,
Oratio Phoenicis) translated into Latin and with a preface by Leonardo Bruni;
Baron, p. 172.  D. Mansi, ed., Stephani Baluzii tutelensis Miscellanea 
novo ordine...(Lucca, 1762) v. 3, pp. 151-54; preface only in Baron, 
pp. 132-34.

Paper (highly polished; watermarks: unidentified crown over five-pointed 
star in upper margin, trimmed), ff. ii (modern paper) + i (contemporary paper)
+ 176 (ff. 1 and 10 parchment) + ii (modern paper), 216 x 150 (120 x 70) mm.
22 long lines, with single vertical bounding lines full length in lead and
rulings for text in ink (Derolez 13.11).  Single pricking in outer margin, 8
mm. above top line (Derolez 18.3).
I-XVIII 10, XVIII 6.  Catchwords perpendicular to text on inner bounding
line (Derolez 12.6).
Written by a single scribe in humanistic cursive script with gothic
features, above top line.
The decoration consists of an elaborately illuminated page (f. 1r) in a
style influenced by the "Master of the Vitae Imperatorum" who was active in
Milan in the second quarter of the 15th century.  Included in the full 
border of curling inkspray with heart-shaped and trefoil leaves in green, 
flowers in blue, red, pink and mauve, a strawberry, and gold balls is a 
standing figure of a naked boy holding a scroll inscribed with the 
motto "Seul e la fin."  At the corners four quatrefoil
medallions bordered in gold with portraits of philosophers 
against blue grounds with gold filigree. In lower border unidentified arms 
(quarterly, 1 and 4 or a millrind gules, 2 and 3 or a lion azure; with a
bishop's mitre and crozier); in upper border a scroll with same motto as above.
One historiated initial, f. 1r, 7-line, formed of acanthus leaves, mauve and red
on gold ground, containing a portrait of the author against blue ground with 
gold filigree. One illuminated initial, 6-line, in mauve on gold ground with 
stylized foliage in green and blue with yellow highlights.  In the text blank 
spaces for headings and initials.
Binding:  England, s. xix.  Straight-grained brown leather, gold tooled.  
Edges gilt. Bound by F. & T. Aitken.  Title on spine:  "Diogenis Laertii
Philosophorum Vita et Dicta.  Codex MS.  Saec. XV."

Written in Northwestern Italy, probably in Milan, in the middle or third
quarter of the 15th century, to judge by the decoration; owned by an 
unidentfied cleric whose arms appear on f. 1r. The manuscript was annotated 
by several contemporary or slightly later hands. Early modern provenance 
unknown.  Note, s. xviii, on f. iii verso, incorrectly attributes the 
text to Diogenes Laertius:  "Continet codex iste saec. XV. Diogenis Laertij 
Philosophorum vitas et Dogmata.  Versio hec anonymi e Greco facta 
plurimum distat a versionibus editis, et quasi ceterarum
compendium est.  Notande sunt in fronte Codicis quinque Philosophorum effigies
egregia manu depicte.  Extat in fine aliud Opusculum singulare usque adeo mihi
ignotum."  Purchased from E. P. Goldschmidt of London in 1955 by L. C. Witten (inv. no. 804), 
who sold it the same year to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  dandam qui

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 75, no. 91.
C. E. Lutz, "Walter Burley's De Vita et moribus philosophorum," 
Gazette
46 (1972) pp. 247-52; reprinted in her Essays on Manuscripts and Rare
Books (Hamden, Conn., 1975) pp. 51-56, with pl. 3 of f. 1r.

Barbara A. Shailor