Marston MS 259     Italy, s. XV 1
Cecco d'Ascoli, L'Acerba

ff. 1r-120v  [Rubric, only partially legible:]  Incipit acerba...
capitulum primum de ordinacione cellorum.  Oltra non segue piu 
la nostra luce/... Segnendo el bene qual morte sperona.  [f.19r:]
Incipit liber secondus in quo tractat de multis rebus utillis [?] 
et primo de fortuna.  Torno nel canto delle prime note/... 
dicendo unde procede e che amore. [f. 50v:] Incipit Liber tercius 
in quo tractat de amore et de Animalibus et de Lapidibus preciosis.  
[Partially erased line, in red:] V[three letters?]mano de
Rinciis.
[text, f.51r:] Dal terzo cielo se moue tal uirtute/...da qui inanti 
qual el to uolere. [f. 89v:] Incipit liber quartus in quo tractat// 
[rubric unfinished].  [I in red ink drawn in left margin] No 
voglio qui chel quare trouel quia/...E piu ueloce la ove el temeire// 
catchwords: E io a te or qui del

	Cecco d'Ascoli (Francesco Stabili), L'Acerba, Bks. 1-4 with 
the final 214 lines of Bk. 4 and all of the fragmentary Bk. 5 missing.
A. Crespi, ed., L'Acerba (Ascoli Piceno, 1927); Marston MS 259 ends 
at line 4473 of this edition.

	Paper (polished; watermarks:  unidentified cherries [?] in 
upper margin, trimmed), ff. ii (paper) + 120 (early foliation, 
Arabic numerals) + ii (paper), 206 x 138 (110 x 76) mm.  21 lines 
of verse.  Double vertical and single horizontal bounding lines 
(Derolez 13.33).  Ruled in lead.  Prickings in outer and inner 
margins.
	I-XII 10  Vertical catchwords with elaborate penwork designs 
between inner vertical bounding lines (Derolez 12.5).
	Written by a single scribe in mercantesca script, above top 
line.
	Blue initial, 6-line, with nice penwork designs, f. 1r.  
Smaller initials, 2-line, red with purple designs or blue with red
designs, alternate throughout.  Headings in pale red.  Paragraph 
marks alternate red and blue. Later addition of arms in lower margin, 
f. 1r, effaced and covered with mending strips.
	Binding:  Italy, s. xix.  Vellum stays adhered inside and 
outside of quires.  Backs of quires cut in for original sewing. 
Bookblock tacketed to a semi-limp paper case, reinforced at the 
spine. Handwritten paper label with title and a printed medallion 
with Flora [?] standing on an anchor and globe [?], both on spine.

Written in Italy in the first half of the 15th century; early
provenance unknown.  Purchased from B. M. Rosenthal in 1959 by
Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Qual

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 94, no. 259.

Barbara A. Shailor