YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE MANUSCRIPTS
Marston MS 92 Northern Italy, s. XV 2
Ps.-Cicero, Synonyma
1. f. 1r Early (s. xvi?) cartoon drawing, traced over, of a man on the
left standing in front of a cask filling a container; on the right another
man drinking (?). Captions visible under ultra-violet light indicate that
"Rico" (left) and "Boto" are both labelled "canauaro" (tavernkeeper) and that
the cask is designated "la bota de la maluasia." A second cartoon (obscene)
visible under ultra-violet light. f. 1v blank
2. ff. 2r-23r .M. T. Ciceronis. ad .L. Veturium Sinonimorum. Liber Incipit
per alfabetum. Cicero. lucio uecturio suo salutem. Collegi ea que
pluribus modis dicerentur, quo uberior promptiorque esset
oratio...Vitare/
Declinare/ Cauere/ Subterfugere/ [bracketed:] Operitur/ Prestolatur/
Expectat/ Sustinet/ Deo gratias Amen. ff. 23v-25v ruled, but blank
Ps.-Cicero, Synonyma; GKW, v. 6, nos. 7031-40.
Parchment (palimpsest throughout from text manuscripts and accounts;
remains of rulings and prickings, e. g., lower margin of f. 16), ff. i
(modern parchment) + i (contemporary parchment, f. 1) + 24 (ff. 2-25) +
i (modern parchment), 205 x 144 (156 x 80) mm. 4 columns of 36 lines, with
the first column written outside of ruled space. Single vertical bounding
lines ruled in lead; text lines ruled in ink.
I-III 8. Horizontal catchwords centered below written space, verso
(Derolez 12.1).
Written in a well formed round gothic bookhand by a single scribe.
Initials, 5-line, at beginning of text: red with delicate black
penwork designs. Heading and each verbum in red; synonyms connected by
a curving red line.
Binding: Italy, s. xix. Original sewing on three slit straps.
Quarter bound in white sheepskin. The beech boards are early, s. xv, with
title written twice on front and once on back (see also below). A
leaf-shaped catch on the lower board, the upper one cut in for a clasp
strap. Spine covering and clasp strap are recent additions.
Written in Northern Italy in the second half of the 15th century and possibly used
as a school text given the cartoons on f. 1r. The text of the
Synonyma
was formerly bound with Agostino Dati's Elegantiolae, since the early
title on the back cover reads: "Sinonima/ Aug Dati Eleganziole." Belonged
in the 16th century to Camillo Capilupi, presumably a member of the
Mantuan family of that name; inscription visible under ultra-violet light
on f. 1v: "Camillus Capilupus iuuenis;" a second inscription written below
in the same hand reads: "amasius musarum." It is unclear whether these
are the inscriptions of the father by that name (1504-48; Cosenza, v. 1,
840-41) or of his son (1531-1603; Dizionario biografico degli
italiani,
v. 18, pp. 531-35). Belonged to Giuseppe (Joseph) Martini of Lugano
(his note on front pastedown). Purchased from H. P. Kraus in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).
secundo folio: Audacia
Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 75, no. 92.
Barbara A. Shailor