Marston MS 124          Rome [?], ca. 1455-65
Ambrose, Opera varia

1.  ff. 1r-50v  Beati ambrosii episcopi de virginibus ad marcellinam 
sororem liber primus incipit.  Si iuxta celestis sententiam ueritatis
uerbi totius quodcumque otiosum fuerimus locuti habemus prestare
rationem...Denique cum caetera poenarum genera uicisset gladium quem
querebat inuenit.  Finis libri tertii.

Ambrose, De virginibus; O. Faller, ed., S. Ambrosii De
virginibus,
Florilegium patristicum tam veteris quam medii aevi auctores complectens,
fasc. 31 (Bonn, 1933) pp. 18-78.

2.  ff. 50v-93v  Principium quarti libri.  Nobile apud veteres salomonis
illud fertur fuisse iuditium cum a duabus litigantibus mulieribus
interpellatus esset...quia mundum descripsit in isto quia mundum ignorauit.
Finis libri quarti de laudibus virginum.

Ambrose, De virginitate; PL 16.265-302 and M. Salvati, ed., Scritti sulla
verginita, Corona patrum salesiana, ser. lat. 6 (Turin, 1955) pp. 168-297.

3. ff. 93v-105r  Incipit eiusdem de lapsu virginis.  Quid taces
anima quid
cogitationibis estuas quid non erumpis...dummodo illum nec illas poenas
aeterni ignis incurrerent.  Finis libri lapsu virginis.

Ps.-Ambrose, De lapsu virginis consecratae, also attributed incorrectly
to Jerome; CPL, no. 651.  Salvati, op. cit., pp. 504-37.  Text in the
manuscript ends in ch. 38.

4.  ff. 105r-137v  Beati ambrosii episcopi de viduis liber incipit.  Bene
accidit fratres ut quoniam tribus libris superioribus de uirginum laudibus
disseruimus uiduarum tractatus...ne gratia nuptiarum tenere nequeatis et
molestias augeatis.  Finis libri de viduis.  laus deo.

Ambrose, De viduis; PL 16.233-62.

5.  ff. 138r-169r  Incipit liber sancti ambrosii archiepiscopi de virginitate
sancte marie virginis.  Commendas mihi pignus tuum quod eque est meum...per
illam uenerabilem gloriam trinitatis cui est honor et gloria.... Amen. 
Finit
feliciter deo gratias.

Ambrose, De institutione virginis; PL 16.305-34 and Salvati, op.
cit.,
pp. 302-97.

6.  ff. 169r-203v  Incipit liber sancti ambrosii archiepiscopi de
ieiunio.
Diuinum ad patres resultauit oraculum ut cum egrederentur ad bellum...oblatione
prelatus meruit insigni pietatis laudari oraculo.

Ambrose, De Helia et ieiunio; C. Schenkl, ed., CSEL, v. 32 (1897)
pp. 411-65.

7.  ff. 204r-220v  Tractatus sancti ambrosii archiepiscopi de penitentia
incipit liber primus.  Si virtutum finis ille est maximus qui plurimorum
spectat profectum...[f. 219v:]  omnes tamen meritorum ordine suscitantur//
f. 220r-v illegible except for running title and catchword:  adhuc

Ambrose, De penitentia; O. Faller, ed., CSEL, v. 73 (1955) pp. 119-36;
on f. 215r the manuscript inserts Ambrose, De excessu fratris, sections
106-16 ("Sed adversus spiritalia nequitie quae sunt in caelestibus non
carnalia...;" Faller, op. cit., pp. 307-15).

Parchment, ff. i (parchment) + 220 (contemporary foliation, red Roman
numerals in upper right corner skip [no text missing] from xx to xxxi
and from cxv to cxxvi) + i (parchment), 222 x 133 (141 x 77) mm.  24 long 
lines.  Double vertical bounding lines (Derolez 13.31); ruled in hard 
point on flesh side, probably on a ruling frame though no distinctive 
prickings remain.
I-XXII 10.  Horizontal catchwords in center or right of center in lower 
margin (Derolez 12.1 or 2).  Remains of quire and leaf signatures 
(e.g., k 4, k 5, X, etc.) in lower right corner, recto.
Written in bold humansitic cursive script that slopes toward the right by a
single scribe, above top line.
The illumination may, according to A. C. de la Mare, be in the early style
of Andrea da Firenze.  Illuminated title page, severely rubbed and stained,
with full border, white vine-stem ornament on red, blue, green and gold
ground with white dots, in inner border with ribbon interlace.  In lower border
wreathed medallion within narrow gold bands, supported by two haloed angels,
one dressed in green, the other in red; central shield of medallion blank.
Included in border are a standing and a seated putto.  Historiated initial,
6-line, gold, with a portrait of St. Ambrose seated at a lectern and reading,
against a blue sky.  8 illuminated initials, 5-line, in gold against blue,
green and red grounds with white dots and white vine-stem ornament
extending into the margins to form partial borders.  Headings, running
titles and foliation (Roman numerals), in red.
Many pages stained with some loss of text; f. 220r-v mostly illegible.
Binding:  France, s. xix.  Brown goatskin with the arms of comte Chandon de
Briailles gold-tooled on both sides.  Edges, headcaps, and doublures
also gold-tooled.

Written probably in Rome ca. 1455-65; early modern provenance unknown.
Bookplate (with "Mss. 63" in ink) and armorial binding of comte
Chandon de Briailles.  Unidentified notation, in pencil:  "C 44" on front
pastedown.  Acquired from Rousseau-Girard (Freres) of Paris in 1956 by L. C. 
Witten (inv. no. 1246), who sold it in 1957 to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [corporali]bus exuatur

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 78, no. 124.

Barbara A. Shailor