Beinecke MS 615
Italy (Venice?), c. 1460??
Legenda di San Giusto Paladino di Francia

f. 1 ruled but blank.

ff. 2r-76v	[Prologue:] Alta rezina, suma inperatrice, / Fiola e madre del nostro Creatore, / 
Fior e fruto, albor e radice, / Speranca e fede de uni pecatore, / De la tua
gracia fame si feli‡e, / 
Che questa istoria iscriva con valore, / Che chi lode e leza con efeto / S'aliegri con vertude e con 
dileto ... [text:] Or ascoltate ben el mio principio, / El mezo, el fin de la
mia istoria, / Che certo uni 
descacerete alcun vicio / E de vertu seguirete gloria. / Or conteremo adoncha
el nostro inicio / De 
Justo paladin la gran memoria, / Che de la cha de Franca fo inzenerato, / Da tuti i so parenti 
abandonato ... Quando el piaque al Sopran Artisto / Fece nel cielo questo altro zoioxo, / E s'il 
reduse a la sua santa gloria. / Chonpita e al vostro onor questa istoria.  Explicit liber. Deo 
gracias. Amen.  Qui scrisit scribat, senper chon Domino in celis vivat. Amen. D.A.T. [scribe's 
monogram surmounted by a cross].	ff. 77r-78v ruled but blank

Anonymous epic in ottava rima dealing with San Giusto paladin of Charlemagne. Three rare 
fifteenth-century editions of  contemporary versions of this text are known: Hain 7780, Istoria 
del forte e santissimo uomo Giusto Paladino (Bologna, Platone di Benedetti, s.d.); Hain 7781, El 
libro de S. Giusto Palatino de Franza in ottave rime (Parma, Angelo Ugoleto, 1493); Hain 7782, 
Vita di S. Giusto Paladino di Francia scritta in ottave rime (Milan, Philippus Cassanus de 
Montegatiis, 1493).
Book II begins f. 24r, Book III f. 46v.


Paper, ff. II + 78 + II, 200 x 130 mm. 

I-VII 10 (ff. 1-70), VIII 10 (-9, - 10, blank; ff. 71-78). Horizontal catchwords (the first letter 
heightened with yellow) in the middle of the lower margin.

Ruled for one column of 24 lines below top line, type 12, 142 x 78 mm.; the bounding-lines and 
the top horizontal through line in crayon; the other horizontal lines in rake ruling in pale brown 
ink. 

Copied by one hand in bold Southern Gothica Textualis Formata (but f and straight s slightly 
descending below the base-line), with majuscules under strong Humanistic influence.

The first letter of each verse heightened with yellow. Red plain initials (3-4 lines) at the head of 
each Book (no space had been provided for the last one).

Binding s. XVIII: white parchment over cardboard. Spine with red leather title-label with gold-
tooled inscription "LE BATTAGL. DI  J. PALLAD.  CON IL DEMONIO. MS. 1400". Marbled 
endpapers and red and blue sprinkled edges.

The dialect is North Italian, probably Venetian. A s. XVIII note in Italian on the text is written 
on f. IIr. Collection of Richard Heber (no. 607, label on spine). Evan's sale lot 607, to Sir Thomas 
Phillipps (no. 8154 in his collection, label on spine). Acquired from William Salloch, Ossining, 
N.Y., 25 Oct. 1979, as gift of the Trust of Edwin J. Beinecke.

Bibliography:
Shailor, "Acquisitions", pp. 99-100.

Albert Derolez

R 02.06.08