Marston MS 234     Northern Italy, s. XIV 2
Valerius Maximus, Facta et dicta memorabilia, with glosses

ff. 1r-74v //inca pecude [legibility of first two words obscured by corrections]
maiore ex parte anni ore aperto exalto uentos recipientes
sitim suam sedare restituerit...similitudinis exempla referamus.  Magno
pompeio [next word unclear; note in outer margin:  al. vibius] ingenue
stirpis et//

Valerius Maximus, Factorum et dictorum memorabilium libri novem;
C. Kempf, ed., Teubner 2nd ed. 1888, reprinted 1966, pp. 1-472.  Text
imperfect at beginning and end (I.8. ext. 18 - IX.14.1) and missing one
leaf between ff. 68-69 (IX.2.1 - IX.2. ext. 6):  "...quisquam satis
[added in margin: digne] potest quia dum querit // que odiosos
sibi non prorupto uinculo...".  Each book preceded by list of chapters;
extensive interlinear glosses and marginalia, including variant readings,
written by several contemporary and later hands.

Parchment, ff. i (paper) + 74 (early foliation, arabic numerals 9-82, in
lower right corner, recto) + i (paper), 273 x 199 (170 x 118) mm.  2 columns,
ca. 39-45 lines.  Single vertical bounding lines; ruled faintly in lead.
Remains of prickings in upper and lower margins.
I [missing], II-III 8, IV-V 10, VI-IX 8, X 8 (-1, 8, with loss of text).
Horizontal catchwords with penwork quatrefoils, touched with yellow, and with
flourishes on all sides, center of lower margin, verso.
Written in gothic bookhand.  Marginal and interlinear annotations in less
formal scripts.
8 large initials, 10- to 7-line, of poor quality, pink against gold
ground thickly edged in black, filled with stylized foliage, green, orange, and
yellow on blue ground.  Foliage serifs, pink, blue, orange and yellow with
white filigree extending into margins to form partial borders.  Gold balls,
thickly edged in black.  Numerous small initials, 5- to 3-line, pink against
gold ground edged in black, filled with stylized foliage, orange and yellow
on blue ground.  Numerous flourished initials, 2- to 1-line, alternate in red
and blue with brown or red penwork.  Headings in red by at least two
rubricators.  Paragraph marks in blue for chapters in tables preceding each
book; in red and blue for text.
Folio 1r damaged with some loss of text.  Most of the decoration is
badly rubbed and stained.
Binding:  Italy, s. xix.  Brown leather case, blind- and gold-tooled.
Title (citing portion of table of contents for Book II, f. 1r) on spine:
"De institutis/ antiquis/ de disciplina/ militari/ de iure" and
"Triumphandi."

Written in Northern Italy in the second half of the 14th century;
provenance unknown.  Paper slip pasted inside back cover but extending above
upper edge:  "61" stamped in red and "11" stamped in purple.  Unidentified
modern note in pencil on front pastedown:  "CB 2 848."  Purchased in 1954
from A. L. van Gendt, Netherlands, by L. C. Witten (inv. no. 571), who sold
it in 1958 to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 91, no. 234.

Barbara A. Shailor