Marston MS 257          Rome [?], s. XV 2/4-med
Leonardo Bruni, De militia

ff. 1r-20r  Fateor clarissime uir.  et mihi ipsi iam sepe indubium 
uenisse hanc nostri temporis militiam que dignitatis honorisque 
loco prestantibus...dicendum fore premisimus.  Que cum ita sint 
finem dicendi aliquando faciamus.  f. 20v blank

	Baron, pp. 166-67; text edited by M. Maccioni, Osservazioni 
e dissertazioni varie sopra il diritto feudale (Livorno, 1764) 
pp. 81-106.

	Parchment, ff. ii (modern paper) + i (early paper) + 20 (early 
foliation 1-20) + ii (modern paper), 258 x 189 (184 x 90) mm.  25 
long lines. Double vertical and single horizontal bounding lines 
(Derolez 13.33), though on several leaves there are no horizontal 
bounding lines (13.31).  Ruled in hard point on hair side.  Remains 
of prickings in outer margins.
	I-II 8, III 4.  Horizontal catchwords in lower margin, right 
of center, verso (Derolez 12.2).
	Written in a round humanistic bookhand by a single scribe, 
above top line.
	One illuminated initial, 7-line, gold (partly flaked) on blue, 
green and pale mauve ground, with white vine-stem ornament and 
grey-green dots. Rubbed in upper right corner.  Possibly by the 
same artist as the initials in Marston MS 85.
	Folio 1r stained with loss of a few letters; outer margin 
repaired. 
	Binding:  Austria, s. xix.  Half bound by Ferd Bakala of 
Vienna, in cream color calf with green paper sides.  A green, 
old-tooled label on spine.

Written probably in Rome in the second quarter or middle of the 
15th century; early modern provenance unknown.  Note, s. xvii, 
written in ink on f. iii recto: "Orazioni latine manoscritte 
del Padre Giovanni Leonardo della Congregatione dell' Oratorio 
di S. Filippo Neri in tempo che era secolare."  Two modern
typewritten notes (blue ink).  The first pasted inside front 
cover gives much the same information, in Italian, as the note 
above; the second, in German:  "Codex aus der ersten Haelfte des
15. Jahrh., Derselbe besteht aus zwei Abhandlungen, die erste
"Die instituenda militia," die zweite "de principatu Graeciae,"
ausgezeichnet definiert, in klassischem Latein geschrieben,
koennen sie als Mustertexte der besten Epoche der humanistischen 
Schule gelten -- Die Arbeit ist dem Abte Leonardo Giovanni ir 
rtuemlicherweise [sic] zugeschrieben denn derselbe wurde erst
1541 zu Lucca geboren und starb 1609 zu Rom -- sehr wahrscheinlich 
ist der Verfasser.  Leonardo Bruni -- Genannt Aretino.  Der Codex 
duerfte unediert sein."  It is possible that Marston MS 85, with 
its label on spine reading "De principatu graeciae" and with foliation
from 21-46, formerly comprised the second part of what was once a 
composite manuscript before modern rebinding.  Although the two
manuscripts were not written by the same scribe, they are of a similar
size and contain decorative initials that may be by the same artist.
(See also description of Marston MS 85.) In pencil on f. i recto:
"gis/ KTS".  Purchased in 1959 from Bernard M. Rosenthal by Thomas
E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [quem]admodum nostra

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 94, no. 257.

Barbara A. Shailor