Marston MS 258     Italy, s. XV 2/4
Cicero, De amicitia, Paradoxa Stoicorum

1. ff. 1r-25r  [Heading, much faded:]  De amicitia lelij et scipionis
amicissimorum omnique genere [next word illegible] prestantissimorum uirorum
felicissime incipit.  ad brutum Acticum.  Quintus Mutius sceuola augur
multa narrare...nichil prestabilius in amicitia esse putetis.  [followed
by erasure in following line:  "laus deo patri.  Amen"]  Finis./  Liber
de amicitia ad acticum marci tullij ciceronis feliciter explicit.  
laus deo patri Amen [added in red:] Et uirgini marie.  Amen.  f. 25v blank

Cicero, De amicitia; K. Simbeck, ed., Teubner fasc. 47 (1917) 
pp. 46c-86c.  The texts of both arts. 1 and 2 are accompanied by interlinear
and marginal glosses and some variant readings, all in contemporary hands.

2. ff.  26r-39v  Incipit liber de paradoxis.  Animaduerti brute sepe
Catonem auunculum tuum cum in senatu...sed etiam pauperes atque inopes
extimandi [sic] sunt.  Laus deo patri amen.  Explicit liber de paradoxis.
[added in red:]  Et uirgini Marie. Amen.  [added in lower margin:]
Mei Karoli Reguardati Nursinj ex manu propria.  [visible under ultra-violet
light:]  1444.  [the final catchword has been erased]

Cicero, Paradoxa Stoicorum; C. F. W. Mueller, ed., Teubner (1878)
pp. 197-213.

Paper (watermarks:  similar in design to Piccard Schere III.918-19),
ff. i (paper) + 39 + i (paper), 217 x 147 (128 x 87).  19 long lines.
Single horizontal and vertical bounding lines (Derolez 13.13); ruled in lead. 
Prickings in upper, lower, and outer margins.
I (-1) 8, II-V 8.  Perpendicular catchwords along inner vertical bounding
line by the scribe who wrote text (Derolez 12.6); horizontal catchwords
within decorative scrolls, red and black, added in center of lower margin.
Written in poorly formed humanistic script with some gothic and cursive
elements, perhaps by more than one scribe, above top line.
Decoration, all of poor quality, executed by several contemporary hands.
On f. 1r, black penwork initial with floral design in center, on square
pale red-orange ground, outlined in black; large rectangular frame, in black,
connects initial to unidentified arms (or a castle [tower?] proper surrounded
by vine, in chief azure [with label of cadency of 4 points argent?] with
charge [stars or crosses?] argent) in lower margin.
On f. 26r, angular scroll, green with pale red and orange trim, unfurls to
form the letter A, 5-line, with an arrow shot through the two shafts to
serve as crossbar; green foliage sprouting above.  Initials, 5- to 2-line, of
similar scroll design for each paradoxon.  Rubric on f. 1r in a different
hand from those in rest of manuscript.  Many elegant pointing hands with fancy
cuffs in margins.
Binding:  Italy, s. xix.  Quarter bound in vellum with blue, red, and yellow
woodblock paste-paper sides.  Traces of inscription on fore-edge [contemporary?]
and on vellum strip.

Written in Italy in the second quarter of the 15th century sometime before
1444, as part of a longer codex (final catchword now erased).
Arms on f. 1r were identified by T. E. Marston
(note on front pastedown) as those of the Casati family of Milan (we have
been unable to verify this).  Belonged to Karolus Reguardatus whose
ex-libris dated 1444 was added in the lower margin of f. 39v.  Although
Karolus Reguardatus has been listed as the scribe of this manuscript
(Colophons, v. 1, no. 2496), his ex-libris is not in the same hand as
the text.  Other manuscripts owned by him include London, B. L. Burney 172
(dated 1460), and three manuscripts cited by L. Bertalot, "Zur Bibliographie
der Uebersetzungen des Leonardus Brunus Aretinus," Studien zum
italienischen und deutschen Humanismus, P. O. Kristeller, ed.,
(Rome, 1975) v. 2, pp. 270-71, n. 1:  Stuttgart Privatbesitz Baurat Kyriss
(dated 1464); Florence, Biblioteca Laurenziana Ashb. 1233
(dated 1457); Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Ottoboni 
2867 (dated 1467).  The Cicero manuscript also cited by Bertalot 
from the catalogue of Jacques Rosenthal in Munich (cat. 90,
1929, no. 130) is now Marston MS 258 (see also below).  Partially erased
inscription, s. xviii, in lower margin, f. 1r:  "della Chiesa...".  Inscription
in purple ink on f. 1r:  "Acquistato a li 15 Novembre 1888."  No. 6 in the
sale catalogue of A. Rosenthal (I, 1939: Secular Thought in the Middle
Ages).  From the collection of James P. R. Lyell (1871-1943; bookplate;
for further information on his manuscripts see Lyell Cat., pp. xv-xxix);
no. 40 in the sale of his estate (Quaritch, cat. 699 [1952]).  Traces of
2 [or 3?] labels on spine;  "21596" in pencil on back pastedown.
"T. M." and "14" within circle, in pencil, on f. 1r.  Purchased from Bernard
Quaritch Ltd. in 1954 by L. C. Witten (inv. no. 526), who sold it in 1956
to Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Lelij

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 94, no. 258.

Barbara A. Shailor