Marston MS 209     Northwestern Germany, 1480
Leopold of Austria, Compilatio de astrorum scientia

I. 1. f. Ir-v blank; ff. IIr-Vv Tabula copulacionis [sic] Leupoldi
ducis Austrie filij.  Primo de Introductorio libri 1/ De Fitulo libri 1/
De auctore libri 1/...De disposicione membrorum nati et corporis tocius 81.
f. VIr-v blank

Table of contents for ff. 1-83 only; the list of topics here does not always
correspond to rubrics in art. 2.

2. ff. 1r-83r; f. 83v blank; II. pp. 1-74  Incipit Astronomia Leupoldi
de Austria.  [Prologue:]  Gloriosus deus et sublimis qui omnia verbo creauit
terram in celi medio collocauit et corpora celestia cui virtutum suarum quas a
suo creatore et ordinatore perceperant...et stupenda.  [text, f. 2r:]
Incipit Tractatus primus de Speris et earum circulis et Motibus et
cetera.
Premissa intencione ac tractatuum ordinacione ab hijs ad quos compilacio
presens peruenerit.  tria peto...de signo mobili sciui quod hoc quod signat
erant. 5. dies in quibus fieri debet.  [colophon:]  Et in hoc terminatur
tractatus decimus. de intentionibus.  Cum dei laude et eius auxilio Completus
est liber Leopoldi de Austria cuius anima in pace Requiescat.  Amen.  H. K. V.
1480. 20 Ianuarij.  p. 75 blank

Thorndike and Kibre, 588, etc. (this manuscript not located).  Here the
first part of the text ends abruptly on f. 83r in the middle of Tractatus
VII (Mercury).  Another scribe repeats the final three lines copied by the
first and then resumes copying the text on the following leaf (p. 1 of a
new numbering sequence).  There are no rubrics or headings on pp. 1-74.

3. p. 76  Miscellaneous quotes from the Bible, in Latin.

Composed of two distinct parts, both written on paper and measuring
220 x 150 mm.
Part I:  watermarks: unidentified letter P similar in general design to
Piccard Buchstabe XIII, ff. I-VI and 1-83 (medieval foliation, Arabic
numerals 1-83), written space 150 x 90 mm.  29 long lines.  Frame-ruled
lightly in hard point.  Prickings in upper, lower and outer margins.
I 4 (ff. II-V), II-IX 10, X 10 (-5 through 10, stubs of blanks remain).
Written in well formed hybrida script.  Plain red initials, 3- to 1-line, for
major text divisions.  Headings, paragraph marks, initial strokes, some
punctuation, marginalia keyed to art. 1, all in red.
Part II:  watermarks:  Briquet Coupe 4586, pp. 1-76 (modern pagination,
followed by foliation, both written carelessly), written space 142 x 92 mm.
33 long lines.  Frame-ruled in hard point.  Prickings in outer and lower
margins and at lower corner(s) of written space.  I-IV 8, V 8 (-7, blank).
Horizontal catchwords in lower margin near gutter, verso; quire and leaf
signatures (e.g., a. 1., a. 2., etc.) lower right corner, recto.  Written in
a small gothic bookhand with many initial letters of the opening word of
each section of the text written in oversize majuscules.  Plain initials,
3-line, paragraph marks and initials strokes in red.
Binding:  Germany, s. xv.  Paper wrapper held by stitching at head and tail
of spine and sewing around the edges of sides.  Astronomical diagram and
title in ink on upper side:  "Astronomia Leupoldi ducis Austrie filij 
et cetera."

Written in Northwestern Germany to judge from the watermarks.  Part II, dated
1480 (see colophon in art. 2), was copied to finish the incomplete text
of Part I.  Although composed of different formats and scripts, the two
parts appear to be contemporary, since paper with the same watermark as Part I
was used for the back pastedown.  The significance of the letters H. K. V. in
the colophon is unknown.  Ownership inscription on front pastedown indicates
that the book belonged to Philippus Schoen, medical doctor and canon of the
church of St. Victor at Xanten, who bequeathed the manuscript together with
an astrolabe to the convent of nuns at Sousbeek ("Liber magistri et domini
Philippi Schoen Doctoris In Medicinis et Canonici ecclesie sancti Victoris
Xancten.  quem legauit Conuentui sororum in sousbeech ut oretur pro eo cum
astrolabio").  Belonged to Reichsgraf Ferdinand Plettenberg-Nordkirchen
(1690-1737; bookplate with handwritten shelf-mark in ink:  "Nr. 5228"; same
number on paper label, spine).  Modern notes on front pastedown:  "MSS
No 37" in ink; "CB 2849," "B,4," collation notes and the date 1480, all
in pencil.  Purchased from Nicolas Rauch of Geneva in 1958 by L. C. Witten,
who sold it the same year to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [table, f. III:]  De radiacione
[text, f. 2:] et quid sit

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 88, no. 209.

Barbara A. Shailor