Beinecke MS 158                                          Italy, ca. 1450-60
Cicero, De officiis

          ff. 1r-95r M. T. C. De officiis liber primus incipit.
     Quamquam te marce fili annum iam audientem...Karissimum sed
     multo fore cariorem si talibus ornamentis preceptisque
     letabere. Deo gratias Amen. Explicit. Finis. f. 95v blank

          C. Atzert, ed., Teubner (1949) pp. 1-123.

          Parchment, ff. ii (parchment) + 95 + ii (parchment), 230
     x 150 (148 x 88) mm. Written in 26 long lines; single vertical
     bounding lines; ruled in ink.
          I-IX^^10, X^^6 (-6). Catchwords perpendicular to text
     along inner bounding line.
          Written by one scribe in a neat humanistic script.
          One initial (f. 1r), 5-line, filled and surrounded by
     white-vine ornament on a blue, green, and pink ground, with
     white dots, extending into left and upper margins; gold balls
     and hair-sprays. In lower margin, an unidentified coat of
     arms (or, a chief argent with a rose [?] vert), set within a
     wreath supported by two putti seated on white-vine ornament,
     as above. Smaller initials, 2-line, in blue, throughout text
     (guide-letters for illuminator for each initial in brown ink,
     in margins). Cf. Paecht and Alexander, v. 2, no. 294: Oxford,
     Bod. Lib. D'Orville 161 (Florence, s. XV^^3/4).
          Binding: s. xix. Brown goatskin, blind-tooled, by
     Thebaron.

          Written in Florence ca. 1450-60 (we thank A. C. de la
     Mare for establishing the date); early provenance unknown
     (unidentified coat of arms on f. 1r). Belonged to Henri
     Leclerc (Paris, ca. 1900; stamp inside front cover; not in
     his sale catalogue). Acquired by David Wagstaff (bookplate);
     his inscription inside front cover: "Said to be written on
     woman's skin" is apparently based upon a note in the library
     files by "J. G." written in French (19th century) which
     asserts that the skins of young innocent women were much
     prized for their fine quality. Presented to Yale in 1943 by
     Mrs. David Wagstaff.

     secundo folio: multa uero

     Bibliography: De Ricci, v. 2, p. 1901, no. 3; Faye and Bond,
     p. 36, no. 158.

     Barbara A. Shailor