Beinecke MS 584
Venice, 24 Dec. 1522
Antonio Grimani, Doge of Venice, Instructions to Alvise Priuli, Procurator of St. Mark's

1. ff. 1r-3v	 Hec est tabula seu registrum presentis commissionis.  De iuramento domini 
procuratoris etc., c. 1.  De ostendendo et consignando sociis meis omnes commissarias per 
singulum etc., c. 2 ... [f. 3r :] Pars nova. Quod cartis que sunt in procuratia non currat tempus 
triginta annorum etc., c. 1  ...  De modo et ordine tenendi capsam pecuniarum huius procuratie 
etc., c. 24.  De procuratoribus et ministris eligendis ad revidendum computa. 	f. 4r ruled but 
blank

Table of Contents of art. 3 in two sections ; the former contains 64 chapters, the second 25.

2. f. 4v		Decorative frontispiece containing a tablet with inscription in capitals  "Eternitas 
imperii est iustitia".

3. ff. 5r-33v	Iuro ad evangelia sancta Dei ego Aloysius de Priolis quondam magnifici et 
clarissimi domini Petri, uti procurator sancti Marci constitutus super commissariis de Citra Canale 
qui nunc sum et pro tempore ero, quod cum sociis attendam expedire, facere et administrare 
officium procuratie de super commissariis, videlicet de commissariis sexterii sancti Marci et 
Castelli ... Et loro non havendo da pagar habbi essa utilita deli danari dele
comessarie.  Die 
XXIIIIų Decembris M.D.XXII posita fuit in maiori consilio et capta.		ff. 34-38 ruled 
but blank.

In the text the chapter numbers as given in art. 1 are often missing. Antonio Grimani (1434-1523) 
was Doge of Venice from 1521 to his death.


Parchment, ff. I + 38, 220 x 150 mm.

I 4 (ff. 1-4), II 10 (ff. 5-14), III-V 8 (ff. 15-38). Short horizontal catchwords at right. The outer 
quire side is flesh side.

Rake ruling entirely in pale brown ink for one column of 26 lines above top line, ruling type 11, 
144 x 93 mm. There are two pricks in the lower margin for the bouding-lines. The Table of 
Contents (art. 1) has the same ruling but is copied below top line and has 25 lines.

Copied by one hand in a script hesitating between Humanistica Cursiva Formata and 
Humanistica Semitextualis Formata.

The decoration consists of alternating red and blue paragraph marks and  1-line initials 
(Capitalis). On f. 5r illuminated page in Paduan trompe-l'oeil style with a faceted initial, a picture 
showing the kneeling Alvise Priuli swearing on the Gospel book held by St. Mark seated in front 
of him accompanied by the lion, in a landscape, and at the bottom a tablet with his coat of arms 
held by a female and a male shield-holder. The border consists of  gold Renaissance ornaments 
(candelabrum, gems, grotesque head, plaque with initials "A.P.") on a blue background . The 
facing ornamental page (art. 2) is lightly coloured in beige, pink, green and blue.

Original binding: gold-tooled brown morocco over cardboard boards, rebacked.

On the front fly-leaf r the s. XVI inscription "Illustrissimus ac reverendissimus  dominus, 
dominus Bernardus Navagierius, Dei et sancte apostolice sedis gratia dignissimus episcopus et 
cardinalis, domino, domino osservandissimo Antonio Artico". Bernard Navagerius or Naugerius, 
from Venice, was created cardinal in 1561, d. 1565; see C. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica Medii 
Aevi, v. 3 (Muenster, 1910), p. 43, no. 20.  Below, in a later hand repeated several times, "Andrea 
Diedo"; the same owner's name appears again on f. 34r together with the names of other 
members of this Venetian family. On the blank f. 37v, in a s. XVI hand: "Magnifico signor misier 
Andrea" and an unidentified pen and ink drawing. On the blank f. 36v a very cursive note in 
Italian, s. XVI/XVII, difficult to decipher: "** Aloisio sig***** ge*********************". 
On the front pastedown a printed label: "Ex libris Leonis S. Olschki bibliopolae Veneti, No...., 
Scrin. B.20 (the shelf-mark added in handwriting)". Owned by John Milton Berdan. Purchased 
on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund in 1976.

Albert Derolez

R 06.06.08