YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
PRE-1600 MANUSCRIPTS
Beinecke MS 45 England, s. XVII
Basilici tyranni umbra, etc.
1. f. 1r-v On f. 1r, pen trials and signatures (see provenance); f.
1v seems to contain a portion of art. 2 omitted by the scribe.
2. ff. 2r-39v Basilici tyranni umbra. Argumentum. Anno a virginis
partu 492 Zeno genere Isauritus [precise reading marred by later
correction] homo luxuriae atque immanitate infamis orientis regebat
imperium....
Latin tragedy with a list of characters drawn partly from
Byzantine history, including Umbra Basilici tyranni (d. 497), Zeno
Imperator, Longinus eius frater, Gazeus Rhetor, Euphemianus, Castor
tribunus militum, and various pupilli and ephebi.
Articles 3-28 are primarily poems in Horatian meters on early
Jesuits, e. g., St. Francis Xavier (1506-52), Brother Rudolph Acquaviva
(1550-83), St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), St. Aloysius Gonzaga
(1568-91), and Edmund Campion (d. 1581).
3. ff. 40r-42v Ingreditur Iaponia amictu lugubri, altera manu
fractam crucem, altera pugionem tenens. [text:] Siste focum te causa
manet nunc altera iudex/ non duxit sortes vrna citata meas/....
Signed at the conclusion by R. P. G.
4. ff. 42r-44v Satis est Domine Satis est. [text:] Liquerat astrorum
fulgentia culmina sedes/ Atque iter in terras sollicitabat Amor./....
5. ff. 44v-46r Aloisius amore divino accensus velut Narcissus in
Lilium convertitur. [text:] Quid Nymphe resonae filia verulae/ Quae
gaudes vitreis garrula fontibus/....
6. ff. 46r-47v Idem ffratri Rudolpho suadet ne rebus caducis fidat.
[text:] Non semper viridem Cirrha superbiam/ Lactat, nec croceis halat
odoribus/....
7. ff. 47v-49r Ignatius more militari arma sua consecrat Deiparae.
[text:] Exurge apricis Calliope rosis/ Regina collis musa
biuertitis/....
8. f. 49v In chastitatitis [sic] lilium proseucticon. [text:]
Amoenus ipse amoenas/ fert flosculos Hymettus/....
9. ff. 50r-51v Mortalia quaeque esse caduca. Ode. [text:] Heu! heu
rapaci gloria labitur/ Correpta gressu: nec datur insuper/....
10. ff. 51v-53r Valerianus a Sponsa conversus ex divino amore
opprimitur. Elegeia. [text:] Ah! quanta aethereos pertentant gaudia
cives/ cum tanto humanus langueat igne sinus/....
11. f. 53r [Untitled poem added at bottom of folio:] Arma belluosa
pubes/ Bellici propago Martis/....
12. ff. 53v-54v Xauerius Mercurio melior In virgine regnat. [text:]
Formosa virgo Zodiaci decus/ Amor leonis seu Marathonia/....
13. ff. 54v-55v Xauerio Templum extruitur. [text:] Huc adsit omnis
Pyramidum situs/ Eductus astris, Mulciberi gravis/....
14. ff. 55v-58r Hercules Antaeum siue Xauerius Trauancorem expugnat.
[text:] Iam lux emoriens tacitam caligine noctem/ Induerat terris
serpitque per ossa cubant/....
15. ff. 58r-60r Mercurius Alcidae comes siue Xauerius fortis simule
et Eloquens. [text:] Est vbi sidereas stant regia tecta sub auras/
Sylua alta et densis medio surgentibus antrum/....
16. f. 60r-v Extruitur ara Xauerio. [text:] Adesto celsis Aemoniae
iugis/ Vates loquaci saxa trahens chelis/....
17. ff. 60v-62r Gemitus Xauerij cum in naui aegrotantes videret.
[text:] Vos o Taenario quondam Ludibria regi/ Nunc picturato gloria
nata polo/....
18. f. 62v Enigma et Logogryphium. [text:] Cum Deus egelido natus
vagiret in antro/ Ilevi [?] ego nec fraenos adduxi fletibus illa/....
19. ff. 63r-64r Felix China quae Xauerium morientem excepit. [text:]
Gorgones nuper iacui cum fessus in antro/ Lenis Hyanteae qua fluit
error aquae/....
20. ff. 64v-65v Miratur rex Molucensij Xauerium nullius rei creatae
amore flagragre. [text:] Quae tale Mauri prodigium Iubos/ Tellus
ectegit [?] quos Pycij patens/....
21. f. 65v [Unidentified poem (?) added in three compact columns at
bottom of leaf:] Huc ad regem pastorum/ Pastores currite/ Huc ad regem
Amorum/ Amantes pergite/....
22. ff. 66r-67r Xauerius vt Phoenix ex contemplatione Diuina flammas
concipit. [text:] Ardua qua surgit Nabathaeo vertice rupes/ Ac patet
intonso proxima flamma Deo/....
23. ff. 67v-68v Xauerius ex Philosophiae cursu Palmam magisterij
consequitur. [text:] Cernis vt frontem pugilis decoram/ Impedit Daphne
radians metallo/....
24. f. 69r-v In pedes Xauerij. [text:] Quid miri Aesonidem Phryxei
uelleris igne/ Accensum ignotas Phasidos isse vias/....
25. f. 70r-v Tropaeum subaudiae Principi Thomae. Dythirambus.
[text:] Vnde Lesbois animata neruis/ Pegasi rupes salit?
Hippocrenes/....
26. ff. 71r-72r Anglia. Haeresi oppressa Sociorum adventu recreatur.
Ode. [text:] Sic aestuanti glissit anhelitu/ Vindicta diuum sic penitus
graui/....
27. ff. 72v-74v Thamesis. In Edmundi Campiani nece amnem sistit.
[text:] Tempore quo faedo regia Britannia bello [several corrections in
this first line render the readings uncertain]/ Heroumque parens
natorum vndauit alumno/....
28. ff. 75r-76r Ignatius perluctantem Xauerium conuertit. [text:]
Xauerius. Fastidiosas terrere vlterius moras/ Desiste verbis: haec
pruinosam decent/....
Dialogue between St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier,
signed at the conclusion by I. M.
29. ff. 76v-78v Imperator deflet suum casum. [text:] Quisquis
fugacis lubricum mundi decus/ Et blandientis dona fortunae stupet/....
30. ff. 78v-81r Imperator desperabundus. [text:] Quis me profundit
dirus habitator stygis/ Furore verset? Quae furia miserum feris/....
31. f. 81r De violae natura. [text:] Scilicet vt rosa quam ros
educat, irriget imber/ Sol firmat, lactat Cynthia, flora fouet/....
32. f. 81r-v Descriptio hyemis aduentantis. [text:] Tristis hyems
tumidis acuens Stridoribus iras/ Imbriferos coniungit equos. Boreasque
Notusque/....
33. ff. 81v-82v Laus vitae Pastoritiae. [text:] Ffrondosis si nosse
iuuat quam dulcia Campis/ Otia Pastor agit quae solus gaudia
captet/....
34. ff. 82v-86r Naenia. [text:] Ite procul laetae laeto cum carmine
Musae/ Naenia sola placet lugubris; Ite procul/....
35. ff. 86v-90v Descriptio Imaginis B. Virginis. [text:] Pernassus
[sic] gemino quam lambit vertice nubes/ Aethaeriumque caput sublimibus
inserit astris/....
Paper (unidentified armorial watermarks), ff. 90, 172 x 108 (ca.
160 x 85) mm. Folios 15-62 ruled for 26 long lines or lines of verse,
but ruling is often ignored; ruled in hard point, prickings at inner
side of written space and at outer edge. Folios 1-14 and 63-90 written
in ca. 25 long lines, single bounding lines ruled in hard point.
I^^6, II-III^^8, IV^^8 (-3, cut out after f. 24), V-XI^^8, XII^^6 (-6,
after f. 90). Catchwords for each folio on ff. 76v-82r.
Written by several cursive hands, some clearly later additions. A
few headings in square capitals.
Binding: s. xviii. Vellum case, blind-tooled. Bookblock almost
detached. Front pastedown may be part of art. 2 of text, but is too
badly mutilated to be certain.
Written in England (cf. arts. 25 and 26) in the 17th century, by
or for Jesuit(s). Various inscriptions in 18th-century cursive inside
the front cover and on f. 1r: "R\*\* D. P. Compton," "Gulielmus Elisius
hunc librum tenet," "Johano Colfordo," "Stephanus Faulknerus," and
"Johannes Hortonus [?]". Purchased from Goldschmidt's (cat. 26,
appendix, no. 231) by Sterling W. Childs for the Albert H. Childs
Memorial Collection in 1932.
Bibliography: De Ricci, v. 1, p. 71, no. 45.
Barbara A. Shailor