Beinecke MS 143                                                        Italy, s. XV^^2
Tacitus

     1. ff. 1r-82v    Fragmentum. libri. undecimi. cornelii. taciti.
     feliciter. incipit. Nam ualerium asiaticum bis consulem fuisse quondam
     adulterum eius credidit...post lentitudinem exitus graues cruciatus
     afferens conuersus in demetrium. f. 83r-v ruled, but blank

     Annales XI-XVI; E. Koestermann, ed., Teubner v. 1 (1836) pp. 200-382.

     2. ff. 84r-218v    Initium mei operis Ser[g corrected to u]ius galba
     iterum titus iunius consules erunt. Nam conditam urbem
     octigentos...arma in germania mouit que mutiauus in syria aponius in
     moesia flauianus in pannonia. Finis eius quod cornelii taciti
     reperitur. ff. 219r-220v blank.

     Historiae I-V; E. Koestermann, op. cit., v. 2 (1936) pp. 1-219.

          Parchment, ff. i (parchment) + ii (contemporary parchment) + 220
     (modern foliation, upper right recto, is correct through f. 110 and
     then continues in lower right recto) + i (parchment), 263 x 190 (171 x
     112) mm., trimmed. Written in 26 long lines; double vertical bounding
     lines. Ruled in hard point, for the most part on the hair side, traced
     in lead or pale ink on the flesh side.
          I-XXVII^^8, XXIII^^4. Quires signed by Scribe 1 in the middle of the
     lower edge; by Scribe 2 in the center of the lower margin.
          Written by two scribes; Scribe 1: ff. 1r-126r in a neat, slightly
     rounded gothic bookhand; Scribe 2: ff. 126v-218v, in a neat humanistic
     bookhand.
          Full border, f. 1r, attributed to Nicola Rapicano (cf. Paris, B.
     N. lat. 12947, reproduced by P. d'Ancona, La miniature
     italienne...[Paris and Brussels, 1925] pl. LXXXIX): white vine,
     infilled blue, red, and green, with white dots; framed and divided into
     panels by thin gold bands, the inner frame with a second band in two
     shades of purple, with white highlights. Outer and lower margins
     divided by band of fruit, in the outer margin, black with gold
     highlights, in the lower margin, red with green and gold highlights;
     divided into sections and at corners by English frets, infilled blue or
     green with white dots. In center of outer margin, a medallion after a
     classical coin or cameo, bust of a man in profile with a laurel wreath
     against a blue ground with fine white filigree; in center of lower
     margin, coat of arms of Alfonso II, Duke of Calabria, King of Naples
     (quarterly, first and fourth paly of 4 or and gules [Aragon], second
     and third argent, a cross potent sable [Calabria]), in a gold and
     purple quatrilobe frame, a gold diadem above, against a blue ground, as
     above, supported by four putti. Putti, birds (including a large
     peacock, center of inner margin), insects, and a bowl of fruit,
     symmetrically arranged in corners and around swags, often overlapping
     or passing behind decorative elements. Both inner and outer frame
     broken by text and marginalia, suggesting that the border is a later
     addition. Two lines of gold capitals open the text on f. 1r. On f.
     136v, a 5-line white vine initial, gold, infilled red, green, and blue,
     against a blue ground, of inferior execution compared to f. 1r. Two 3-
     line initials, ff. 25v and 40v, gold or blue with purple or red
     penwork; each with guide-letters for illuminator.
          Binding: s. xix^^ex or xx. Dark brown goatskin, blind-tooled with
     rope work interspersed with copper colored dots in Italian style (s.
     xv) by Leon Gruel (active under his own name between 1891 and 1923).

          Written in Naples in the second half of the fifteenth century
     possibly for Alfonso II, Duke of Calabria, King of Naples, as indicated
     by his arms on f. 1r (see T. De Marinis, La Biblioteca napoletana dei
     re d'Aragona [Milan, 1947-52] v. 4, pl. 233 of f. 1r). Bought from
     Maggs in 1940 with the income of the Altschul Fund.

     secundo folio: inter coniugalem

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 34, no. 143.
          C. W. Mendell, "Tacitus: Yalensis III," Gazette 15 (1940) pp. 70-
     77.

     Barbara A. Shailor