Beinecke MS 642
Northern Italy (Milan), s. XIV/XV
History of Milan

1. ff. 1r-61v	Liber ystoriograffus I super archiepiscopum ac clerum et laices [l. laicos] 
Mediolanensium, in primis epistola ad L. directa. Cunctarum virtutum documentis imbuto 
multarumque scientiarum peritia fulto divinoque magisterio religiose edocto L., sancte 
Mediolanensis ecclesie in regimen archiepisbiteratus asumpto necnon Deo et hominibus caro, L., 
omnium minimus tuorum ... Vale, pater, cum omnibus sanctis Ambrosiane ecclesie dilectoribus 
gaudiis sempiternis perfrui feliciter valeas. [f. 1v :] Incipit liber primus. Quandoquidem sapientes 
eximiique viri, multa peritia imbuti, acta temporum, mutationes rerum, gesta ducum, prelia regum, 
seditiones urbium, comotiones populorum pollite ad tutellam iuvenum et custodiam senum 
tractantem [l. tractantes] reliquere ... qui multa tormenta incredulis ac usurariis incredibilia et 
honores et gloriam que super sanctos vidit viros prout potuit, angelo sibi hec omnia ostendente, 
qui spiritum eius per diversa portavit, lacrimis multis patefecit. Quin etiam qualiter angelus cum 
antifforam. 

Landulphus senior (Landulphus Mediolanensis, s. XII), Historia Mediolanensis, W. Wattenbach, 
ed., MGH, SS, v. 8 (1848), pp. 36-100.  There is a new edition in Rerum Italicarum Scriptores ý , 
v. 4, 2.  Book II starts f. 10v, Book III f. 37r. On f. 59r, near the chapter heading Incipit de 
Henrico imperatore et Redulfo et bello Sansonie is a note s. XVII: "In altero exemplari incipit 
hinc liber quartus ".

2. ff. 61v-63r	 Incipit catalogus Mediolanensis ut[i]que archiepiscoporum. Anatolon sedit 
XIII, obit VIII Kal. Octubris ... Galdinus sedit annos X et sepultus est in ecclesia sancte Tegle. 
Obiit XIII Kal. Maii in die Dominico, XVø die post Pascha, et tunc Pascha fuit XIIII [l. IIII] die 
mensis Aprilis. Eodem die post egrotavit prius mortuus est, et fuit bixestus [sic] in illo anno 
Dominice incarnationis M C septuaginta sex.

Catalogue of the Archbishops of Milan up to Galdinus (1166-1176), in our manuscript 
considered as being the final part of art. 1. Ed. after our manuscript in Rerum Italicaum 
Scriptores ý, v. 1, 2, pp. 96 ff.

3. ff. 63v-75v	Incipit liber gestorum reientium vel recenciam [sic; heading at the bottom of f. 
63rb]. Multorum varios affectus multa variaque delectat studia, nec omnibus omnia nec singulis 
semper singula satisfaciunt ... Cuius privatum ac singulare volumen sue limina civitatis rogo 
nullatenus excrescat, quod si videtur, hoc parum extendatur ad arcum usque Romanum. Explicit 
prologus. [f. 64r, Book I:] Legitimus narrationis ordo a superioribus ad inferiora descendit. Sed 
quia ex preteritis pendent presentia, ab illis ad ea que sunt in manibus gestorum decurrat oratio, 
ita tamen, ut relicta vetustate ex recenti memoria sumatur exordium ... Ibi etiam Romano legatus 
vix discerptis vestibus laceratus evasit. Ceterum Gottefredus et Atto diebus postea multis 
remanserunt privati pariter ambo, proprius [l. propriis] tantum contenti laribus atque substantiis. 
Deo gratias.		f. 76 ruled but blank

Arnulf of Milan (Arnulphus Mediolanensis, d. c. 1077), Liber gestorum recentium, shorter 
version, i.e. Books I-III only. C. Zey, ed., MGH, SS rer. Germ. in usum scholarum, v. 67 (1994), 
pp. 115-205. The Beinecke manuscript has the siglum M in this edition.


Parchment (goat), ff. I (paper) + 76 + I (paper), 235 x 190 mm.; the outer side of the quires is 
flesh side. Original foliation in Roman numerals and running titles ("Li. I", etc.).

I-IX 8 (ff. 1-72), X 4 (ff. 73-76). Short horizontal catchwords under the right-hand column.

Rake-ruling for two columns of 39 lines below top line. The vertical lines in lead, the horizontal 
ones in pale brown ink. Ruling type 41, 158 x 110 mm., intercolumnar space 15 mm.

Copied by one hand in Southern Gothica Semitextualis Libraria. Marginal notes in Gothico-
Humanistica Cursiva Libraria.

Plain red 1-line initials in the verses at the end of art. 1, Book I (f. 10v) and in art. 2; alternately 
red and blue 2- or 3- lines initials in the other parts; 5-line littera duplex in the same colours at the 
beginning of art. 3; 6-line littera duplex with penwork and marginal extensions at the beginning 
of art. 1, Book I (f. 1v); 9-line foliate initial on square background in yellow, mauve, red, green, 
blue and with left-margin Gothic illuminated acanthus border on f. 1r.

Binding s. XX: plain white parchment over pasteboard. Remnants of title-label at the top of the 
spine.

The annotations are in the hand of Francesco della Croce (d. 1479), about whom see Dizionario 
Biografico degli Italiani, v. 36 (1988), pp. 794-796. A coat of arms seems to have been erased in 
the lower margin of f. 1r. In the library of the Cathedral of Milan (pressmark E 24.4). Collection 
of Sir Thomas Phillipps (no. ...)??. Purchased 1913 at a Phillipps sale by  Count Alessandro 
Casati and donated by him to the Societa Storica Lombarda. Christie's sale, London 1981, lot 
no. ... Purchased from Laurence Witten on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund, March 1983.

Bibliography: 
C. Zey, op. cit., pp. 47-49.

Albert Derolez

R 05.06.08