Beinecke MS 37 (olim Z111.0155)                                    Italy, s. XV, XVII
Vita di San Petronio, etc. (in It. and Lat.)

     I. ff. 1r-18v    [Vita de S. Petronio] Questa sie la legenda del nostro
     padre mesiere sam petronio...corpo de ihesu christo lo quale sostene
     pena per mij peccadurj insu//

          The text is defective throughout.

          II. ff. 19r-53v    [Tommaso Nacci Caffarini:] Incipit quidam
     Tractatus de stigmatibus extractus de secunda parte libelli. Qui
     intitulatur Libellus de supplemento legende beate Katerine de
     senis...Quoniam in secunda parte legende uirginis beate katerine de
     senis et signanter in sexto capitulo fit mencio de
     stigmatibus...Propter sacra vulnera et cetera vt supra in laudibus.

          The text is accompanied by marginal notes, some trimmed.

          III. ff. 54r-89r    [Federico Borromeo, Vita S. Caroli
          Borromei:]
     Antonio Caraffae Cardinali Amplissimo. Historiam esse ueritatis testem,
     nuntiam uetustatis, et magistram uitae optime nosti...[text:] Caroli
     Cardinalis Borromei uita. Quae est naturae humanae peruersitas ut quae
     imitari nos posse diffidimus falsa putemus...qui uiuunt quos
     sanctissimis suis donis in dies magis dita et pro tua benignitate
     ditabit. f. 89v blank

          IV. ff. 90r-146v    Aeneae Siluij Piccolominei Foederici Rom.
     Regis Secretarij et oratoris De morte eugenij Quarti creationeque et
     coronatione Niccolai V oratio...Cupere te Princeps serenissime que
     nostra in legatione sunt gesta referre tibi...reddes et ad suscipiendam
     coronam Imperij iter habebis apertum. Finis. ff. 147r-148v blank

          V. ff. 149r-166r    [Thomas Obicinus; title on f. 149r:] Motiuo
     Celeste diretto in questo segnato tempo [f. 149v blank; text begins on
     150r:] Vedendo il negotio tanto graue per il quale mi sono partito...la
     uolonta de Prelati e Prencipi simile che l'opera del signore si fara.
     Amen.

          The codex is composed of five separate manuscripts bound together
     (one flyleaf of paper contemporary with binding at front and back).

          Part I: Paper (sturdy; watermarks: unidentified mountain with
     cross, in gutter), ff. 18 (contemporary foliation lxxxii-c; the order
     of the folios is lxxxii-iii, lxxxv-vi, lxxxviii-viiii, lxxxxii-iii,
     lxxxiiii, lxxxvii, lxxxxviii, lxxxx, lxxxxviiii-c, lxxxxv-vi,
     lxxxxiiii, lxxxxvii; modern foliation 1-18), 259 x 195 (185 x 147) mm.
     Written in two columns of 28 lines; frame-ruled in hard point. Round
     humanistic by a single scribe. Simple penwork initials in red or blue,
     some with penwork designs of the other color. Waterstained and mended
     throughout.
          Part II: Paper (sturdy; watermarks: unidentified unicorn, in
     gutter), ff. 35 (old foliation, in same hand as marginal notes: 1-35;
     modern folation: 19-53), 272 x 201 (206 x 140) mm. Written in ca. 39
     lines; frame-ruled in lead. Small neat round textura in a single hand;
     catchwords in center of lower margin. Uninspired and badly rubbed
     historiated initial (Christ [?] displaying stigmata) on gold background
     with three gold dots, f. 19r; small decorative initials in red with
     black penwork designs, or blue with red. Paragraph marks in red or
     blue. Folios have been trimmed with some loss of marginalia.
          Part III: Paper (watermarks similar to Briquet Fleur de Lis 7107),
     ff. 37 (old foliation: 199-233; modern foliation: 54-89), 280 x 200
     (205 x 140) mm. Written in 20 long lines (no visible guide-lines or
     prickings) by one scribe in a calligraphic italic hand. Catchwords
     under written space on each page, on verso. Waterstained throughout.
          Part IV: Paper (watermarks: unidentified eagle on a mountain,
     enclosed by a circle), ff. 58 (contemporary foliation: 37-94; modern
     foliation: 90-147), 274 x 197 (195 x 112) mm. Ca. 17 long lines; single
     vertical bounding lines ruled in hard point; italic hand by a single
     scribe. Catchwords under written space on verso of each folio.
          Part V: Paper (unidentified watermarks obscured by text), ff. 20
     (modern foliation: 148-67), 259 x 199 (226 x 155) mm. 28 lines per page
     written in a small italic hand by one scribe; single vertical bounding
     lines produced apparently by folding the leaves. Catchwords under
     written space on verso of each folio.
          The manuscript has been damaged and repaired too extensively to
     permit an accurate collation.
          Binding: s. xviii-xix. Vellum and paste paper case.

          All five parts were written in Italy; I and II in the 15th century
     and III-V in the 17th century. The codex as it is now composed belonged
     to Abate Matteo Canonici; his sale in 1835 to the Rev. Walter Sneyd
     (1809-1882; see Sir T. Phillipps, Catalogus manuscriptorum in
     bibliothecis Angliae, p. 15, no. 20). Sneyd sale (London, 16 Dec. 1903,
     no. 164) to Quaritch. Unconfirmed library note indicates that the
     manuscript went to Germany. Purchased by Yale in 1907 with the Ann. S.
     Farnum Fund.

     Bibliography: De Ricci, v. 1, p. 169, no. 37.

     Barbara A. Shailor