Beinecke MS 284               Italy, 1470
Cicero, Opera Philosophica

1. ff. 1r-40r M. Tullii Ciceronis De natura deorum liber ad Brutum
primus faeliciter incipit.  Cum multe res in philosophia nequaquam satis
adhuc explicatae sint...uideretur esse propensior.  M. T. C. De natura deorum
ad Brutum liber .III. et ultimus faeliciter explicit.

     De natura deorum; O. Plasberg, ed., Teubner fasc. 45 (1933; revised by
W. Ax, 1961) pp. 1-160.

2. ff. 40v-68r M. T. C. De diuinatione liber primus incipit.  Vetus
opinio est iam usque ab heroicis ducta temporibus...Quae cum essent dicta
surreximus.  M. T. Ciceronis De diuinatione liber .II. et ultimus
explicit.

     De divinatione; R. Giomini, ed., Teubner fasc. 46 (1975) pp. 1-148.

3. ff. 68r-73r Eiusdem De fato foeliciter incipit.  Quia quae pertinent
ad mores quos ethos illi uocant, nos eam partem philosophie...necesse est
declinari quibusdam athomis uel si uolunt omnibus naturaliter.

     De fato; R. Giomini, ed., Teubner fasc 46 (1975) pp. 149-74.

4. ff. 73v-91v M. T. Ciceronis liber De legibus primus incipit.
Pomponius Atticus et .T. Quintus loquuntur.  Lucus quidem ille et haec
arpinatum quercus agnoscitur.  Saepe a me lectus...et id ipsum quod dicis
expecto.  M. T. Ciceronis De legibus liber tertius et ultimus finit.

     De legibus; A. du Mesnil, ed., Teubner (1879) pp. 16-257;
P. L. Schmidt, Die Ueberlieferung von Ciceros Schrift "De legibus" in
Mittelalter und Renaissance, Studia et Testimonia Antiqua 10 (Munich,
1974) pp. 323-24.

5. ff. 92r-114v M. T. Ciceronis fragmentum primi libri De academicis
[erasure after ac-, probably of h] incipit.  In cumano nuper cum
mecum Atticus noster esset...unum tamen
praeter ceteros mirabatur, incredibili quadam fuit facultate.  [f. 96v blank;
Cicero's Lucullus begins f. 97r, and is divided into two parts
labelled Libri III and IV:]  Magnum ingenium Lucii Luculli magnumque
optimarum artium studium tum omnis liberalis et digna homine...ita
sermone confecto catulus remansit, nos ad nauiculas nostras
descendimus.

     Academicorum reliquiae; O. Plasberg, ed., Teubner fasc. 42 (1922;
reprinted 1961) pp. 1-20. Lucullus; Plasberg, op. cit., pp. 26-102.

6. ff. 115r-162v M. T. Ciceronis De finibus bonorum et malorum liber
primus incipit foeliciter.  Non eram nescius Brute, cum quae summis
ingeniis...in oppidum ad pomponium perreximus omnes.  M. T. Ciceronis De
finibus bonorum et malorum liber qvintus et ultimus foeliciter explicit.

     De finibus bonorum et malorum; T. Schiche, ed., Teubner fasc. 43 (1919;
reprinted 1961) pp. 1-203.

7. ff. 162v-165r Eiusdem ex libro sexto de re philosophica
excerptum .P. Scipionis
Africani Somnium foeliciter incipit.  Cum in africam uenissem
aulo manlio consule ad quartam legionem tribunus...Ille discessit, ego somno
solutus sum.  Somnium Scipionis explicit.  f. 165v blank

     Somnium Scipionis; K. Ziegler, ed., De re publica,
Teubner fasc. 39 (1955) pp. 126-36.

8. ff. 166r-215r M. T. Ciceronis Tusculanarum quaestionum ad Brutum
liber primus incipit foeliciter.  Cum defensionum laboribus senatoriisque
muneribus...alia non potuit inueniri leuatio.  M. T. Ciceronis Tusculanorum
disputationum liber quintus et ultimus explit [sic] Sit laus deo.

     Tusculananae disputationes; M. Pohlenz, ed., Teubner fasc. 44 (1918;
reprinted 1965) pp. 217-459.

9. ff. 215v-224r M. T. Ciceronis De senectute liber ad Atticum, qui
et Cato Maior dicitur, foeliciter incipit.  O Tite si quid ego adiuto curamue
leuasso, quae nunc te coquit...re experti probare possitis.
M. T. Ciceronis De senectute liber, qui et Cato Maior dicitur, foeliciter
finit.

     De senectute; K. Simbeck, ed., Teubner fasc. 47 (1917) pp. 3c-43c.

10. ff. 224r-228v Eiusdem ad Brutum Paradoxa incipiunt.  Animaduerti
Brute saepe Catonem auunculum tuum...sed etiam inopes et pauperes existimandi
sunt.  M. T. Ciceronis Paradoxa expliciunt.

     Paradoxa Stoicorum; C. F. W. Mueller, ed. Teubner (1898)
pp. 197-213.

11. ff. 229r-238v M. T. Ciceronis De amicitia liber ad Atticum Pomponium
foeliciter incipit.  Proemium.  Quintus Mutius augur Sceuola multa
narrare...nihil amicitia prestabilius putetis.  M. T. Ciceronis De amicitia
liber explicit.

     De amicitia; K. Simbeck, ed., Teubner fasc. 47 (1917) pp. 46c-86c.

12. ff. 239r-275r M. T. Ciceronis ad Marcum filium De officiis liber
primus incipit foeliciter.  Quanquam te Marce fili annum iam audientem
Cratippum...si talibus monimentis praeceptisque laetabere.  Sit laus deo.
M. T. Ciceronis De officiis liber tertius atque ultimus foeliciter explicit.
Florentiae pridie kalendas M [crossed out] Aprilis Anno
salutis .M. CCCC. LXX.  ff. 275v-279v blank

     De officiis; C. Atzert, ed., Teubner fasc. 28 (1958) pp. 1-160.

     Parchment, ff. ii (parchment bifolio; i = front pastedown; ii = f. 1) + 277
(foliated 2-278) + ii (parchment bifolio; ii = back pastedown), 388 x 269 (252
x 150) mm.  Written in 40 long lines.  Ruled in hard point, double vertical
and double horizontal bounding lines full length; prickings top and bottom.
     I-XVI^^10, XVII^^4, XVIII-XXVI^^10, XXVII^^6, XXVIII^^10, XXIX^^8 (-8).
Catchwords perpendicular to the text between inner bounding lines; the one on
f. 91v scratched out.  Quire and leaf signatures on first 5 folios of quire
(e.g., b1, b2, etc.).
     Written in italic script identified by A. C. de la Mare as the
hand of Piero Cennini (b. 1444); cf. B. L. Ullman, The Origin and
Development of Humanistic Script (Rome, 1961) pp. 123-26, illus. 69 and
70.
     Fine border and initials by Mariano del Buono (we thank A. C. de la Mare
for this attribution), who has executed Beinecke MS 409.  3/4 white-vine border,
f. 2r, infilled green, pink,
and blue, against a blue ground, with white dots; putti and birds; at the
periphery, flowers, gold dots, and hair-spray, especially profuse in lower
margin; supported by a trellis, gold, which expands at regular intervals to
form roundels.  In upper margin, a blossom with fruits, in lower margin, in
separate roundels, a hound chasing a stag, against deep landscape backgrounds.
Between roundels with animals, the arms of Joannes Vitez, bishop of Gran
(azure, a fleur-de-lis argent, between 2 stars or; in chief or, a
lion passant regardant tenne; K. Csapodi-Gardonyi,
Bibliotheca Corviniana [New York and Washington, 1969] pp. 72, 308 and
pl. CIX), in a complex braided roundel, infilled green and blue with white and
yellow filigree, and supported by four putti, two of which play musical
instruments.  One historiated initial, f. 1r, gold, Cicero reading a book,
against a blue ground with stylized clouds, all against a green gound with
yellow filigree.  Thirty-two 7-, 6-, 5-, and 3-line initials, gold, with
white-vine infilled green, pink, and blue, with white dots, against blue ground,
with vines extending into margin, gold dots and hair-spray.  Twelve 4- and
3-line initials, following f. 178, gold, against pink and blue or pink and green
grounds, with white and/or yellow filigree.  Following initials, one line of
square capitals in brown or alternating red and brown.  1-line square capitals
in text.
     The entire codex, including the binding, is in an excellent state of
preservation.
     Binding:  s. xv.  Resewn on seven tawed, slit straps laid in channels and
nailed into wooden boards.  The spine is square, the edges gilt.  Covered in
ruby-red goatskin, blind-tooled with concentric panels.  The rectangular
central panel is reduced to a square with rope interlace and the central
ornament is a four-pointed star protruding from a quatrefoil within a circle.
Five foliate brass catches on the lower board; for catches that appear to
be the same see T. de Marinis, La Biblioteca napoletana dei re
d'Aragona (Milan, 1947) v. 1, pl. 54, pp. 169-216; for catches of a
similar design see v. 1, pl. 48 and v. 2, p. 127.
Stubs of green fabric clasp straps on the upper board.  Rebacked;
headbands and a gold-tooled spine added. Two catches and all clasps wanting.

Written in Florence, completed 15 April 1470 (art. 12) by Piero
Cennini (see K. Csapodi-Gardonyi, "Les manuscrits copies par Petrus
Cenninus," Miscellanea codicologica F. Masai dicata [Ghent, 1979] v. 2,
p. 415, no. 17) and illuminated by Mariano del Buono.  On f. 2r, arms of
Joannes Vitez, bishop of Esztergom (Gran), Hungary; see K. Csapodi-Gardonyi,
"Die Bibliothek des Erzbischofs Johannes Vitez," Gutenberg Jahrbuch (1973)
pp. 441-47.  Acquired by Jonathan Peckover (d. 1883); bequeathed by him to his
brother Alexander, later Lord Peckover of Wisbech.  Bookplate with names of
Alexander Peckover and his grandson Doyle Penrose inside front cover.  Sold at
Sotheby's, 3 December 1951 (lot 22).  Belonged to Louis M. and Hannah D.
Rabinowitz.  Purchased from C. A. Stonehill by the Yale Library Associates as
the gift of Frank Altschul, in 1960.

secundo folio:  Omnes autem

Bibliography:  Faye and Bond p. 49, no. 284.
Exhibition Catalogue, pp. 234-35, no. 59.

Barbara A. Shailor