Marston MS 107     Northeastern Italy, s. XV 2
Agostino Dati, Elegantiolae, etc.

I. 1. ff. 1r-43r  Credimus Iamdudum a plerisque uiris etiam disertissimis
persuasum [added above:  esse].  tum demum artem quempiam in dicendo
nonnullam adipisci...Atque in dies assequere:  Exercitationi acomoda.
[Greek].  [added in a contemporary or slightly later hand, f. 43v:]
Irrita uentose rapuerunt uerba procelle.  Sex nonas maiius october iulius et
mars/ Quatuor at reliqui, tenet idus quilibet octo [Walther, Initia, 17607].
ff. 44r-48v ruled, but blank

Agostino Dati (1420-78), Elegantiolae; published in Ferrara by Andreas
Belfortis in 1471, and thereafter (GKW, v. 7, nos. 8032-138).  Marston
MS 107 not listed in Bursill-Hall, Census, p. 306.  Brief marginal
notes containing proper names and topics (e.g. Talis et qualis)
added by scribe on ff. 1r-38v; marginal annotations by several contemporary
hands throughout.

II. 2. ff. 49r-77r  [Preface:]  Franciscus senior auus tuus cuius extant plurime
res magnifice geste ita ut multa passim sapienter ab eo dicta memoranter...aut
illiberabus [sic] implicare negocii [?].  [text, f. 51r:]  Omnino
autem liberalis ingenij primum argumentum est studio laudis excitari...nichil
tibi, nisi te ipsum uideri, deffuisse.  finis.  f. 77v blank

Pier Paolo Vergerio, De ingenuis moribus; A. Gnessotto, ed., Atti e
memorie della R. Accademia di scienze, lettere ed arti in Padova,  N. S.
34 (1917-18) pp. 95-156; 37 (1920-21) pp. 45-57.

Composed of two distinct parts, ff. i (paper) + 77 + i (paper), now
trimmed to 203 x 142 mm.  The codex is too tightly bound for accurate
collation.
Part I:  ff. 1-48, paper (watermarks, in gutter:  similar in design to
Piccard Waage VII.261-66 and similar to Piccard Werkzeug IV.1162-63;
unidentified crossed arrows and balance within a circle), written space:
132 x 74 mm.  ff. 1-41:  single vertical bounding lines ruled in lead, with
rulings for text in ink or lead (Derolez 13.11); ff. 42-48:  single vertical
and horizontal bounding lines and rulings for text, all in lead (Derolez
13.13).  Single pricking in upper outer margin for ff. 1-32; prickings in
upper, lower, and outer margins (ff. 33-48).  Catchwords and some final
words on each folio written perpendicular to text, both recto and verso.
Written in humanistic bookhand, below top line.  3-line red initial, f. 1r,
with penwork designs extending length of inner margin.  Headings, marginalia,
paragraph marks, initial strokes, in red, through f. 39r only.
Part II:  ff. 49-77 (watermarks, in gutter:  similar to Piccard Waage
V.378 and similar in design to Piccard Waage VII.261-66 [cf. Part I];
unidentified bull's head and same unidentified balance in a circle as in Part
I), written space varies:  134 x 90 to 151 x 92 mm.  ff. 49-59:  double
horizontal bounding lines (Derolez 13.31); ff. 60-77:  single horizontal and
vertical bounding lines (Derolez 13.13).  Ruled in hard point.  Horizontal
catchwords on every verso, center of lower margin, ff. 49v-57v (Derolez 12.1).
Written by multiple scribes in different styles of humanistic bookhand.
Binding:  France, s. xviii.  Tan, mottled sheepskin; gold-tooled spine and
red label with title:  "Passio/ M. S. XIII. S."

Parts I and II were both written in Northeastern Italy in the second half
(third quarter?) of the 15th century.  It is unclear whether or not they were
formerly bound together; however, the fact that some of the same watermarks
appear in both parts suggests a common place of origin.  Belonged in the
16th century to the Jesuit College at Agen (inscription in upper margin, f. 1r:
"Colleg. Agen. Socie. Iesu Catal. Inscrip. 1520").  For additional
information on manuscripts from Agen see N. Mann, "Petrarch Manuscripts in the
British Isles,"  Italia medioevale e umanistica 18 (1975) p. 273, note 1.
Notes, s. xvii-xviii, f. 1r:  "Explicatio verborum dictionum et passionum
hominum" and "Passiones M. S. XIII S." [cf. title on spine].  Belonged to
Abate Luigi Celotti (ca. 1768-ca. 1846; remains of paper label on spine with
IX. [4]25" in ink); his sale to Sir Thomas Phillipps (no. 1010, tag on spine;
Phillipps Studies, v. 3, pp. 50-51, 147).  Unidentified notations include:
"15" within a circle and "11554" in pencil on front pastedown; "a56. 2326"
in pencil beneath Phillipps' stamp; "S 12/49" in pencil on back pastedown.
Purchased from C. A. Stonehill (inv. no. 3255) in 1955 by Thomas E.
Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [Part I, f. 2:]  potius
[Part II, f. 50:]  Tenuit

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, pp. 76-77, no. 107.

Barbara A. Shailor