Marston MS 261          Florence, 1464
Petrarch, Rerum vulgarium fragmenta, Triumphi

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1.  ff. 1r-142r  Voi ch' ascoltate in rime sparse il suono/...[f. 123v:]  che 
piu bel corpo occider nun potea.  Finita la canzone.  Seguita i
sonetti.
Orai facto lextremo di tua possa/...[f. 142r:]  Ch' aceolga il mio spirto
ultimo in pace.  Deo gratias.  Finito le canzone et sonetti di messer
francesco petrarca.  Incomincia i triumphi.  f. 142v ruled, but blank

Petrarch, Rerum vulgarium fragmenta, nos. 1-325 (ff. 1r-123v), 326-36,
350, 355, 337-49, 356-65, 351-52, 354, 353, 366; G. Contini, ed., Il
canzoniere di Francesco Petrarca (Torino, 1964; 6th ed., 1975).

2.  ff. 143r-181v  Franc. Petrarcche poete cl. de amore triumphus primus
incipit.  Nel tempo che rinoua i miei sospiri/...Vien cathenato Ioue
innanzi al carro.  [Tr. cup. 1]; f. 145v:  Secunda pars huius
triumphi.
Era si pieno il cor di marauiglie/...Et quale e il mele temperato collo
assentio.  [Tr. cup. 3]; f. 149r:  Tertia pars primi
triumphi.  Poscia
che mia fortuna in forza altrui/...Che 'l pie' ua inanzi et l' occhio torna
adietro.  [Tr. cup. 4]; f. 152r:  Quarta pars primi
triumphi.  Stanco gia
di mirar non satio anchora/...Et d' un pomo beffata al fin cylippe.  [Tr.
cup. 2]; f. 155v:  Triumphus secundus de domina laura.  Quando ad un giogo
et un tempo quiui/...Fra quali io uidi Ipolito et Ioseppe.  [Tr.
pud.];
f. 159r:  Triumphus tertius.  de morte.  Questa leggiadra et gratiosa 
donna/...Morte bella parea nel suo bel uiso.  [Tr. mort. 1]; f. 162r: 
Secunda
pars huius triumphi.  La nocte che segui l' orribil caso/...Tu starai in terra
senza me gran tempo.  [Tr. mort. 2]; f. 165v:  Tertia pars
tertius triumphi.
Nel cor pien d' amarissima dolcezza/...Poi alla fine uidi Arturo et Karlo.
[fragment of Tr. fam. 1]; f. 168v:  Quartus triumphus.  de
fama.  Da poi che
morte triumpho nel uolto/...Si come auiene a chi uirtu relinque.  [Tr.
fam. 1];
f. 170v:  Secunda pars huius triumphi.  Pieno d' infinita et nobil 
marauiglia/...Magnanimo gentil constante et largo.  [Tr. fam. 2]; f. 173v:
Tertia pars.  Io non sapea di tal uista leuarme/...Qui lascio et
piu dilor non
dico auante.  [Tr. fam. 3]; f. 176r:  Quintus triumphus de
tempore.  Nel
taureo albergo colla aurora inanzi/...Cosi il tempo triumpha e' nomi e 'l mondo.
[Tr. temp.]; f. 178v:  Sestus et ultimus triumphus de diuinitate.  Da poi che
sotto il ciel cosa non uidi/...Or che fia dunque a riuederla in cielo.
[Tr. et.].  Deo gratias.  Franc. petrarcche poete clarissimi triumphi
expliciunt.  [colophon:]  Die vigesimo optauo [sic] iullij M#e CCCC#o 
LXIIII#o. [f. 181v, remainder of colophon erased but visible under ultra-violet
light:]  Ego Carolus palle Guidi domini Francisci de forestis della foresta Hunc
librum transcripsi.  laus deo.  [written above a rayed sun drawn in red].

Petrarch, Triumphi; F. Neri, ed., in Rime, Trionfi e poesie
latine
(Milan and Naples, 1951) pp. 481-578.

Parchment (speckled on hair side), ff. i (paper) + i (parchment) + 181 + 
i (parchment), 250 x 155 (160 x 75) mm.  28 verses per page.  Double vertical
bounding lines and rulings for text in pale brown ink (Derolez 13.31).
Single pricking at bottom of inner margin, ca. 23 mm. from gutter.
I-XV 10, XVI 8, XVII-XVIII 10, XIX 3 [?].  Unadorned horizontal catchwords 
in center of lower margin (Derolez 12.1).  Remains of quire and leaf signatures
(e.g., a 1, a 2, a 3, etc.) in red, lower right corner, recto.
Written by Carlo di Palla Guidi in a round humanistic script, above top 
line.  For other manuscripts copied by this scribe see de la Mare,
New Research, App. I, 12.
Illuminated by Antonio di Niccolo di Lorenzo.
The decoration consists of an illuminated title page with full border, 
white vine-stem ornament on blue, red and green ground with white, 
blue and pale yellow dots, respectively, with a thin gold bar 
in all margins, forming a diamond (black) in inner and a roundel
with a profile head of a young woman against blue sky with some clouds in the 
outer margin.  In the lower border a medallion (erased) framed in gold and
supported by four round-faced putti with multicolored wings in green and red.
Superimposed on the border are a variety of multicolored birds, a lion and two
putti.  These animals are related to animals in contemporary Florentine
manuscripts and perhaps reflect the use of a model book.  Historiated initial,
10-line, gold, on blue green and red ground with white vine-stem ornament
attached to the inner border, with a half-length portrait of Petrarch holding
a book against a blue sky with white cloud formations.  Six illuminated
initials (ff. 143r, 155v, 159r, 168v, 176r, 178v), 6- and 5-line, gold on blue,
red and green grounds with white vine-stem ornament extending into margin, and
gold dots with hair-line extensions.  On f. 143r, initial joined to partial
border, same as above.  Plain initials in blue, paragraph marks alternate
red and blue.  Headings in red.
Binding:  Italy, s. xix.  Brown calf, blind- and gold-tooled.  Gilt edges.
Title on spine:  "Petrarca".

Written in Florence in 1464 by Carlo di Palla Guidi for Francesco della 
Foresta (see colophon in art. 2), for whom he copied other manuscripts 
between 1449 and 1484 (see de la Mare, New Research, p. 490, no. 12),
and illuminated by Antonio di Niccolo di Lorenzo.  
From the Carmelite monastery of St. Paul's in Florence (library stamp on
f. 1r within erased medallion).  Unidentified small circular stamp
containing the letters "CR" on second front flyleaf and back pastedown.
Belonged to Mary (d. 1924) and Charles (1853-1933) Lacaita; bookplate
inside front cover:  "Caroli ac Mariae Lacaitae filiorumque.  Selham,
Sussex";  sold in London in 1936.  Acquired from H. P. Kraus in 1960 by
Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  Quei che

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond, p. 95, no. 261.
Dutschke, pp. 190-92, no. 75.

Barbara A. Shailor