Beinecke MS 321               Italy, 1475
Poggio Bracciolini, Historia Florentina, It. tr. Jacopo di Poggio

1.  ff. 1r-3v Prohemio di Iacopo di messer Poggio allo illustrissimo signor
Federco [sic] da Montefeltro conte durbino. nella. Historia.  Fiorentina.
di messer. Poggio. suo padre. et tradocta. da lui di Latino in lingua
fiorentina.  Narrano gli scriptori inuictissimo principe che Alexandro magno
figliuolo di Philippo Re de macedoni...ritrouerrai molti de tua e ultimamente te
medesimo.

     Prefatory letter of Jacopo di Poggio to Federico da Montefeltro.

2.  ff. 3v-139v Historia di messer Poggio. tradocta. di latino. in nostra
lingua. da Iacopo suo. figliuolo. Libro primo.  Avendo a scrivere quelle
guerre le quali el popolo fiorentino non molto piu che da cento anni in qua
conuaria...che molti anni era stata in continue anxieta e in spesa inestimabile.
Finito. loctavo. et ultimo. libro. della. historia. fiorentina. di messer.
Poggio. tradocta. di. lingua. latina. in lingua. toscana. da Iacopo. suo.
figliuolo. Finis.  f. 140r-v ruled, but blank

     Poggio Bracciolini, Historia Florentina, translated into Italian by his
son Jacopo.  Beinecke MS 321 was used as printer's copy for the first edition
published by Jacobus Rubeus at Venice on 8 March 1476 (Hain-Copinger *13172):
the manuscript was corrected and edited for publication; square brackets were
inserted within text with various signs in the margin (some accompanied by
Arabic numerals) to mark page divisions; many leaves smudged by printer's ink.
For a comparison of manuscript and incunable see C. Meyers, "The Transition from
Pen to Press," unpublished Master of Fine Arts Thesis (New Haven, 1983).

     Paper (lightly burnished; watermarks:  similar to Briquet Chapeau 3387), ff.
i (paper) + 140 (foliated by scribe with red Roman numerals in upper margin between
vertical bounding lines) + i (paper), 336 x 235 (225 x 126) mm.  Written in 37 long
lines.  Ruled in hard point; double vertical bounding lines, with extra (single
or double) rulings for notes in outer margin.
     I-XIV^^10.  Catchwords perpendicular to text between inner vertical bounding
lines, verso.  Quire and leaf signatures (e.g., m, m2, etc.) in lower right
corner, recto.
     Written in sloping humanistic bookhand with cursive elements (for scribe
see below).
     Illuminated initial in gold, f. 1r, 10-line, infilled and surrounded by
flowers in rose and blue (yellow centers), rayed gold discs, winding green stems
and leaves, and hair-line decoration (cf. J. J. G. Alexander and A. C. de la
Mare, The Italian Manuscripts in the Library of Major J. R. Abbey [London,
1969] pl. XXVIb).  Gold initial, f. 3r, 6-line, on ground composed of blue,
green, and rose panels, all decorated with gold scroll designs (cf. Alexander
and de la Mare, op. cit., pl. XXVIa).  Headings in red rustic capitals.
     Binding:  s. xix.  Diced brown calf spine, blind- and gold-tooled, with
Strozzi arms and "Poggio istoria tradotta da Iacopo suo figlio" and "M. S.
Cartaceo del S. XV."  Blue and white decorated paper sides.

Written in Florence ca. 1475 by Niccolo Fonzio and possibly corrected and
annotated by Jacopo di Poggio, according to A. C. de la Mare. The relationship
between this manuscript and one apparently 
completed in Florence, June 1475, by the scribe Ser Antonio di
Iacopo for Girolamo Strozzi (who also commissioned, in 1476, the first printed
edition of the work) is unclear. There is no doubt, however that Beinecke MS 321
served as exemplar for the printed text (see art. 2 above). 
Although F. Edler de Roover ("Per la storia dell'arte
della stampa in Italia:  Come furono stampati a Venezia tre dei primi libri in
volgare," La Bibliofilia 55 [1953] pp. 107-17) mentions the transaction
between the scribe and Strozzi as recorded in Florence, Archivio di Stato,
Carte Strozziane, V serie, n. 52 (Libro di debitori e creditori di Girolamo
di Carlo Strozzi, segnato C. 1472-76, c. 67^^t), she had not located either the
manuscript copied by Ser Antonio di Jacopo or Beinecke MS 321 copied by Niccolo
(we thank L. Armstrong for bringing this study to our
attention).  The codex remained in the possession of the Strozzi family until
at least the 19th century when it was rebound with Strozzi arms on the spine;
unidentified stamp of Strozzi family on f. 1r with motto "Expecto".  Large
A, in red crayon, "349" and "F.4", in pencil, inside front cover; later note
in pencil:  "AO/ [Greek]."  Belonged to Prince Piero Ginori-Conti (1865-1939;
bookplate).  Purchased from Davis and Orioli in 1963 by L. C. Witten from whom
it was acquired, 22 April 1964, with funds from Edwin J. Beinecke and the
Albert H. Childs Fund.

secundo folio:  piu eterna

Bibliography:  T. E. Marston, "A Note on the Printing of Incunabula,"
Gazette 39 (1964) p. 82.

Barbara A. Shailor