Beinecke MS 651
Northern Italy, s. XVin
Cicero; Opusculum de vitiis

1. ff. 1r-7v	Auctoritates libri Tulii Ciceronis de senectute, viri eloquentissimi atque in morali 
phylosophia celeberimi, de quo in libro de desciplina scolastica Boetius fatur : O, quam 
venerabilis Tulii facunditas summis desideriis est colocanda! Quem librum Tulius causa doctrine 
et consolationis eminentis senectutis ad Atricum suum amicum, ab eo plerumque rogatus, 
prestantius nimirum transmisit.  Universsas putavi colligere huius opusculi de senectute s. 
conclusiones singulares dignasque memoria ...  Quod si in hoc erro, quod animos hominum 
immortales esse credam, libenter erro. Nec mihi hunc errorem, quo delector, dum vivo, extorquere 
volo, sin mortuus, ut quidam minuti philosophi censent, hec sentina non vereor, ne hunc errorem 
meum philosophi mortui irredeatur.  Expliciunt conclusiones notabiles libri Tulii de senectute. 
Amen. PA [these two letters marked with a red stroke. Below, in a more formal hand:] Nichil 
pericli est, letargum (gloss: defectus mentis) patitur, comunem illusarum mentium morbum. 
Boetius.

Quotations from M.T. Cicero's Cato Maior (De senectute), K. Simbeck, ed., Teubner (1917). The 
quotation in the title is from Ps.-Boethius, De disciplina scolarium, O. Weyers, ed. (Leiden, 
1976), 1, 8. The same hand that wrote the Boethius quotation at the end (De consolatione 
Philosophiae, 1, prosa 2, 5; C. Moreschini, ed., Teubner2, 2005) added at the top of f. 1r: 
"Proverb. XIø. Qui ambulat fraudulenter revelat archana, qui autem fidelis est cellat [sic] amici 
commissum" (Prov. 11:13).

2. f. 8r		Alte virtus animosa cadit, / Dire peragunt pensa sorores ... Et qualis animo est, talis 
incessu venit, / Aliena dextra sceptra concutiens litus.		f. 8v blank

Elegy on the evil of the time, 13 verses.

3. ff. 9r-36v	Incipit liber venerabilis Tullii Ciceronis de amicicia ad Atricum dilectissimum 
amicum suum. Quintus Mutius augur Sevola multa narare de G. Lelio socero suo memoriter et 
iocunde solebat ... sine qua amicicia esse non potest, ut ea excepta nichil amicicia prestabilius 
putetis. Deo gracias. Amen. Finis adest mete, liber explicit, ergo valete. Explicit optimum 
opusculum Ciceronis admodum utile de amicicia, etc. 

M.T. Cicero, Laelius (De amicitia), K. Simbeck, ed., Teubner (1917). There are a few interlinear 
glosses.

4. f. 36v	Detrahere alteri aliquid et hominem hominis incomodo suum comodum augere 
magis est contra naturam quam mors ... detrahatque quodcumque possit emolumentum.

M.T. Cicero, De officiis, 3, 5, 21-22, C. Atzert, ed., Teubner (1958).

5. ff. 37r-142v		 Opusculum de vitiis.  De vitio gule.  Legitur in sciencia naturali quod 
inter alia (l. animalia) magnorum corporum nulli dedit natura tam parvum os secundum corporis 
qualitatem sicut homini ... [f. 41r :]  De vitio luxurie. Herodes autem in tetrarcha, etc. Quia 
peccatum luxurie occasio facit in decolationis Iohannis [sic] ... [f. 60r:]
 Incipit tractatus de 
avaritia. Post gule vitium et luxurie dicendum est de vitio avaritie ... [f. 94r :] Post peccatum 
avaritie dicendum est de peccato accidie, quia pigricia interdum ex avaritia sequitur ... [f. 110r :] 
Explicit de accidia. Incipit de superbia. Dicto de vitio gule, luxurie, avaritie et accidie dicendum 
est de tribus sequentibus vitiis, scilicet superbie, yre et ynvidie ... [f. 128r :] De invidia. Post 
vitium superbie dicendum est de vitio invidie, quia ipsa est filia superbie ... [f. 130v:] De ira. Post 
superbiam et invidiam dicendum est de ira, quia tam superbia quam invidia est occasio ire ... [f. 
135r:] De peccato lingue. Ultimo inter predicta est dicendum de peccato lingue, quia istud 
remanet post alia peccata ... rumorem in claustro enumerant inter 12 abusiones claustri. Hec sunt : 
... rumor in claustro, lis in capitulo, dissolutio in choro, irreverentia iuxta altare.

Compilation on the vices based on Guillaume Perault (Guillelmus Peraldus OP, d. c. 1270),  
Summa de vitiis. Pages are left blank within or after the discussion of each vice in order to add 
new material.


Paper, ff. 142, 220 x 150 mm. Watermarks: (1) human bust, var. Briquet 15599??; (2) balance, 
var. Piccard, Waage 1.78??; (3) crown, unidentified?? 4ø folding. Blank parchment stays at the 
inner and the outer side of the quires. Several mostly blank leaves are missing.

I 8 (ff. 1-8), II-V 6 (ff. 9-32), VI 6 (- 5, - 6; ff. 33-36), VII 6 (+ a singleton, f. 41; ff. 37-43), VIII 8 
(44-51), IX-X 6 (ff. 52-63), XI-XII 8 (ff. 64-79), XIII 8 (+ a singleton, f. 86; ff. 80-88), XIV 8 (-  
6, 7, 8; ff. 89-93), XV-XVII 8 (ff. 94-117), XVIII 8 (ff. 118-125); the final quires are too much 
damaged as to allow collation. In quires II-VI (art. 3) horizontal catchwords in the middle 
between four dots. In quires VII and following (art. 5) horizontal catchwords in the middle.

One column. No ruling, except in art. 3 (quires II-VI), where there is faint lead ruling for 24 lines 
below top line; ruling type 15 (?), 145 x 88 mm.

Written by two scribes: A copied artt. 1, 2 and 4 in Italian Gothica Hybrida or Semihybrida 
Libraria and art. 5 in Italian Gothica Semihybrida Currens; this scribe seems to be the "PA" 
mentioned in the colophon on f. 7v (art. 1) and again at the end of the treatise De gula on f. 39v 
(art. 5). B copied art. 3 in a bold Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria/Formata with numerous 
decorative hairlines.

Red paragraph marks. Art. 3 has yellow heightening of the majuscules, a 2-line and a 3-line 
flourished initial in red, blue and yellow. In art. 1 the majuscules are heightened in red; there are 
plain red initials in art. 5, but its decoration is not consistent.

Damaged original binding in deerskin over heavy almost unbevelled wooden boards. Parchment 
pastedowns, the front one detached from the board. On the front cover inscription in large 
Southern Gothica Textualis Formata, worn and difficult to decipher. On the spine a paper label s. 
XVII with the number "2760" and the title "Huma (?)......Marci Tulii de amicitia manu scripta". 
Marks of two leather straps fixed to the front cover, the pin holes visible in the rear cover.

Art. 3 (quires II-VI) is the original part, to which the other ones were added. The frequent use of 
ternions as regular quire form is noteworthy. Belonged in the early seventeenth century to Martin 
Michowsky (f. 58r: "Martinus Michowsky. Liber hic meus est totus quantus"; f. 142v: "Martini 
Michowsky liber hic est; hunc subducere nemo tentet, alias non erimus amici") ; afterwards in the 
possession of  Franciscus Schobar (f. 93r: "Franciscus Schobar studiosus poeseos Ciceronis 
scriptura"; his name reappears in a note in the vernacular on f. 109v). No. 2760 in the Auersperg 
collection (f. 1r: "Wolffgangi Engelberti Sacri Romani Imperii Comitis ab Aursperg ... Catalogo 
insertus anno 1655"). Collection of A.R.A. Hobson, London.  Purchased from Laurence Witten 
on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund, 1984.

Albert Derolez

col. R 03.06.08