Marston MS 277     Italy, s. XV ex; France, s. XVI
Franciscan Archive

Due to the errors and confusion in the early foliation, the following
description uses the modern folio references, in pencil, in the lower right
corner.

I. 1. f. i recto, formerly front pastedown:  portion of a notarized
Franciscan document dated 1491 (text rubbed and obscured by stains; portion
of same document used for back pastedown).
f. i verso blank; f. 1r ruled, but blank, except for notes relating to
provenance; stub between ff. i and 1 reveals that the leaf removed
contained written text(s).

2. ff. 1v-70r  Unidentified text added on f. 1v by one "Marturinus robini 
clericus maleacensis dyocesis."  [upper margin, f. 2r:]  Extracta de
verbo ad verbum de primo originali sub plumbo in Conuentu de Araceli.
Nicolaus Episcopus seruus seruorum dei delictis filiis Generali et
Prouincialibus....[ff. 2-3, with contemporary foliation 52-53, are presumably
out of order; the beginning of the text appears to start on f. 4r:]
Maremagnum Alexandri pape....  Sixtus episcopus seruus seruorum dei ad
perpetuam rei memoriam Regimini Vniuersalis ecclesie meritis licet...hunc
paginem.  ff. 50v and 70v ruled, but blank

Collection of some 200 papal documents relating to the Franciscan Order.

3. ff. 71r-80v  Incipit prologus In uita et regula Soror pauperum Sancte Clare
virginis.  Clemens episcopus seruus seruorum dei Ad perpetuam dei memoriam.
Cruorem quarundam harum felicis recordationis Clementis pape...qui talis est.
Incipit vita et regula Sororum pauperum Sancte Clare.  Capitulum
primum.
Forma vite ordinis sororum pauperum quam beatus franciscus constituit hec 
est...Clara indigna ancilla Christi....

Rule for Poor Clares divided into 15 chapters (ff. 71r-74r), followed by
papal bulls, mandates, etc., pertaining to the sisters.  See I. Omaechevarria,
O. F. M., Escritos de Santa Clara (Madrid, 1970) for arts 3 and 4, especially
pp. 268-89 and 238-59.

4.  ff. 81r-90v  Incipit prologus regule sancte Clare sororum sine earum que
dicuntur minorisse.  Urbanus episcopus seruus seruorum dei dilectis in christo
filiabus vniuersis abbatissis et sororibus inclusis ordinis sancte Clare
Salutem et apostolicam benedictionem.  Beata Clara virtute clarens et nomine,
diuina inspiratione preuenta...Que regula talis est.  In nomine domini Incipit
regula sorurum ordinis S. Clare.  Imnes [sic] que seculi vanitate
relicta religionem vestram intrare voluerit...Anno domini 1495 Pontificatus
nostri Anno Tertio.

Rule for Poor Clares (see also art. 3 above); includes order of the
service for inducting sisters into the order (f. 87r-v).  The rule is
preceded by the Bull of Pope Urban IV that serves as introduction and is
followed by various related documents, the last of which is dated 1495.

5. ff. 91r-104v  Incipit Regula seu modus vivendi fratrum et sororum
tertij ordinis [sic] beatissimi francisci Per dominum papam Nicolaum 3#m
confirmata.  Nicolaus episcopus seruus seruorum dei dilectis filijs fratribus
et dilectis in christo filiabus sororibus ordinis....  Super montem catholice
fidei quam populis gentium qui ambulabant in tenebris...populum humilem bonorum
operum//

Rule of the Tertiaries of St. Francis, followed by papal bulls, etc.;
ends imperfectly in sections on the canonization and stigmata of St. Francis.

II. 6. ff. 105r-130r  Incipit recollectio priuilegiorum ordinis nostre in
tabula alphabeti per vererendum [?] patrem fratrem Io. Iarnigon...annotata.
[prologue:]  Omissis quam pluribus que potius vite relaxationem quam mentis
pacem...[signed:]  Frater Iohannes Iarnigon Commissarius nominatus.  Incipit
littera A.  Abbatissa monialium sancte Clare elegi debet a maiori parte 
sororum vocalium et...[concludes with sections on visitare, vota].  ff.
130v-132 ruled, but blank

An alphabetical list of definitions for ecclesiastical terms and positions
pertaining to the Franciscan Order as compiled by Johannes Iarnigon.

III. 7. ff. 133r-175r  Pope John XXIII, extracts from his
Extravagantes;
papal documents relating to the Franciscan Order.  f. 175v blank

IV. 8. ff. 176r-210v  Incunable, Minorica elucidatiua racionabilis
separationis fratrum minorum de observantia ab aliis fratribus eiusdem
ordinis.  The title page has a woodcut and the four Evangelist and
IHS.
Printed in Deventer by Jacobus de Breda, not before 1497; Hain-Copinger
11172.  f. 211r blank; f. 211v blank except for a later addition:  "Mors tua.
mors christi.  transitus mundi gaudia celi/ Et dolor inferni.  sint 
meditenda tibi."

V. 9.  ff. 212r-241r  Sequuntur articuli responsiui pro fratribus de
obseruantia ordinis minorum compilati et propositi in consilio basiliensi
per venerandum sacre theologie doctorem magistrum petrum Reginaldeti ac eiusdem
obseruancie professorem contra allegationes friuolas in eodem consilio
propositas per magistrum franciscum futz [?] fratrem conuentualium eiusdem
ordinis generalem ministrum...Et in terra pax hominibus...[Luc. 2].  
Reuerendissimi reuerendique patres solito more in hac responsione coram
vestri reuerendissimis...que exsuperat omnen sensum custodiat corda vestra et
intelligencias vestras in eternum.  Amen.  Deo gracias.

Treatise by Petrus Reginaldetus, divided into 15 chapters; for the author see
L. Wadding, Scriptores ordinis minorum... (Rome, 1906) p. 192, and 
Supplementum (Rome, 1921) pp. 362-63.

10. ff. 241v-245v  Extracts from Bulls and indulgences (s. XVI 1/4), with 
continuations in a
hand similar to (if not the same as) the hand of Rioche (see provenance).
ff. 246r-247v ruled, but blank

VI. 11. ff. 248r-251v  Si cupit agnoscere principium et originem observancie
regularis ordinis minorum nunc vigentis in prouinciis francie.  turonie et
burgundie...sinodus basiliensis in spiritu sancto legittime congregata et
cetera.  ff. 252r-253v frame-ruled, but blank

Unidentified treatise on the Franciscan Order in France.

VII. 12. ff. 254r-259r  [Heading:]  Casus.  [text:]  Circa annum domini m. 
400.  Dum ordo fratrum minorum tantum pateretur ruinam...Explicit 
Consultacio dominj Antonij de Caffarellis vtriusque Iuris doctoris et
aduocati....

Antonius de Caffarellis, Consultacio including canon law decisions.

13.  ff. 254r-265r  Incipit alia Consultacio nuper agitata.  Queritur an
diuersus et strictior viuendi modus obseruancium fratrum quam 
conuentualium...Ad huius questionis [?] tria erant videnda...a conuentualibus
separati.  f. 265v blank

Unidentified Consultacio.

Composed of seven parts, all measuring ca. 210 x 145 mm., iv (contemporary
parchment, i = front pastedown, now free standing, ii = stub, a few letters
of text remain, iii = f. 1, art. 1, iv = stub) + 265 (continuous modern
foliation in lower right corner) + i (contemporary parchment pastedown, now
freestanding).
Part I:  ff. 2-104, parchment (fine, shiny flesh side), written space 155 x
100 mm.  Ca. 42 long lines.  Single vertical bounding lines ruled faintly in
ink or lead, with an additional vertical ruling in outer margin.  Text
rulings in ink.  I 2 (conjugate, ff. 2-3 have contemporary foliation 52-53),
II-V 10 (contemporary foliation 1-40), VI 10 (-10, blank; contemporary foliation
41-49), VII 8 (51-58), VIII-X 10 (59-88), XI 10 (contemporary foliation 89-98
replaces another series 59-68), XII 8 (-5 through 8, blank?; 92-102, replacing
69, 80-82?).  Written by several scribes in small gothic text hands.  Two
illuminated initials, 9- to 5-line, formed of stylized foliage, pink and green
with white highlights on gold gound, filled with blue ground with white
filigree.  Terminals extending into the margins to form partial floral borders,
stylized foliage, blue, green and pink, with gold balls with hair-line
extensions.  Pen-and-ink initials, alternating in blue and red with red and
light green penwork.  Plain initials in red or blue.
Part II:  ff. 105-132, paper (watermarks, in gutter: very similar to
Briquet Sirene 13882), written space 160 x 105 mm.  Ca. 39 lines.  Single
vertical bounding lines ruled in lead; text rulings in ink.  I 20, II 8.
Written in small upright gothic script; words being defined written in
larger more formal style of script.  Red and blue divided initial, 4-line,
f. 105r, smaller initials in red or blue.  Underlining and paragraph marks
in red.  Letters and words stroked with yellow.
Part III:  ff. 133-175, paper (watermarks, in gutter:  similar to Briquet
Sirene 13882 [cf. Part II] and to Sirene 13883), written space 138 x 92 mm.
Ca. 37 long lines.  Single vertical bounding lines in red, text rulings in ink.
Single prickings in outer margins (for a ruling device?); remains of prickings
in lower margin for bounding lines.  I 4, II 16, III 12.  Vertical catchwords
along lower edge near gutter, verso.  Written in a style of script similar to
that in Part II.  Crude red initial with simple penwork designs, 8- to 2-line.
Paragraph marks and underlining in red.
Part IV: ff. 176-211 (Incunabulum:  see art. 8 above).
Part V:  ff. 212-247, paper (watermarks, in gutter:  similar in design to
Briquet Main 11417-429),
written space 139 x 92 mm.  Ca. 40 long lines.  Single vertical and upper
horizontal bounding lines; ruled in lead.  I-III 12.  Remains of quire and
leaf signatures (e.g., b j, b 2, etc.).  Written in a small round gothic
text hand with humanistic features.  Red initial, 11-line, with simple
designs, f. 212r; 2-line initials, headings, underlining, marginal notes,
paragraph marks in red.  Majuscules touched with yellow and stroked
with red.
Part VI: ff. 248-253, paper (deckle edges; watermarks: unidentified unicorn,
in gutter), 205 x 142 (140 x 89) mm.  38 long lines.  Frame-ruled in lead.
A single gathering of six leaves.  Written in cramped and hastily written
gothic script.
Part VII:  ff. 254-265, paper (watermarks: unidentified mermaid, in gutter),
written space 140 x 90 mm.  38 long lines.  Frame-ruled in hard point; remains
of prickings in upper, lower and outer margins.  A single gathering of twelve
leaves.  Written in small gothic text hand.  Paragraph marks and underlining
in red.
Binding:  France [?], s. xvi.  Bound in tan goatskin over paste boards.
Very faint blind tooling and four fastenings, two of them ribbon.  Catches on
the lower board.  Front pastedown (and possibly back pastedown?):  portion of a
document dated 1491.  Spine: tying yp marks ar ehead, tail, and around the
supports.

Written primarily in Italy at the end of the 15th century, to judge from the
watermarks, script, and decoration of Parts I-III.  The incunable constituting
Part IV was printed in Deventer, not before 1497.  Parts V-VII were probably
written in France at the beginning of the 16th century when all the parts
appear to have been bound together into the present volume.  Inscription, 
s. xvi, of Brother Iohannes Rioche inside back cover ("Simplici Vsui fratris
Iohannis Rioche Iunioris post cuius obitum fiat de Conuentu Sancti brioci")
indicates that the volume was to go, upon his death, to the Franciscan convent
of S. Brieuc in Brittany; continuations added to art. 10 appear to have been
written by Rioche.  Provenance otherwise unknown.  Purchased from L. C.
Witten (date unknown) by Thomas E. Marston (bookplate).

secundo folio:  [Part I, f. 5:]  fratres
[Part II, f. 106:]  quem
[Part III, f. 134:]  Ihohannes
[Part V, f. 213:]  assumptum
[Part VI, f. 249:]  multipliciter
[Part VII, f. 255:]  et inter illos

Barbara A. Shailor