Beinecke MS 670
Northwestern Italy, 22 April 1464
Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, De miseriis curialium

1. ff. 1r-4v	Copia testamenti mag. iuris utriusque doctoris, domini Gullielmi de Montilio, 
marchionalis consciliarii etc. In nomine Domini nostri Yesu Cristi salvatoris eiusque gloriose 
virginis matris tociusque curie celestis triumfantis. Amen. Hoc est testamentum nuncupativum 
speciosi et eximii doctoris, domini Gullielmi de Montilio, marchionalis consciliarii, scriptum et 
receptum per notarium infrascriptum ... Acta fuerunt et sunt hec omnia de anno Domini 1469, 
indicione secunda, die octava mensis Februarii, in Casali Sancti  Evaxii, diocesis Ascelensis, ... 

Will of Guglielmo di Montiglio, councillor of Guglielmo X (VIII) Palaeologus, Margrave of 
Montferrato, 1464-1483, dated Casale Montferrato, 8 Febr. 1469.

2. ff. 5r-45r	Eneas Silvius Picolomineus salutem plurimum dicit domino Iohanni Aich, 
perspicaci et claro iurisconsulto. Stultos esse qui regibus serviunt vitamque tum infelicem tum 
miserrimam ducere curiales vereor ne qui me arguant mihique maledicant, si hac epistola, quam 
tibi sum scripturus, ostendero ... quin apud viros doctos et malus esse convincatur et stultus. 
Vale, vir, nisi ex curialibus unus esses meo iudicio prudens. M CCCCø LXIVø, die 22 Aprilis.
	ff. 45v-46v ruled but blank

Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (afterwards Pope Pius II, 1458-1464), De miseriis curialium, a letter 
addressed to the German courtier Iohannes von Eich, written 1444; R. Wolkan, ed., Der 
Briefwechsel des Eneas Silvius Piccolomini (Vienna, 1909), pp. 453-487; W.P. Mustard, ed., 
Aeneae Silvii de curialium miseriis epistola (Baltimore, 1928).


Paper, ff. I + 46 + III, 220 x 160 mm. 4ø folding. Watermark: flower??

I4 (ff. 1-4), II12 (ff. 5-16), III-V10 (ff. 17-46). Vertical catchwords between two triple dots and 
flourishes (not in quire I).

Rake ruling for one column of 24 lines above top line, ruling type 11, the horizontal lines traced 
in light brown ink, the vertical lines in lead, 148 x 80/82 mm. In quire I (art. 1) the writing does 
not respect the vertical bounding-lines and extends far into the margins.

Art. 1  is copied in a rapid Humanistica Cursiva Libraria; in light brown ink. Art. 2, by another 
hand, is in Humanistica Textualis Formata.

Art. 1 is undecorated. Art. 2 opens with a 3-line plain initial in red and blue, followed by a line in 
Capitals. In the lower margin of f. 5r a coat of arms gules, with a head?? azure and a heart-shield 
gold. Initial and coat of arms, of mediocre execution, are by the same hand.

De luxe binding s. XIX by Chambolle-Duru: brown morocco over pasteboard, the turn-ins gold-
tooled; marbled endpapers. Spine with five raised bands and gold-tooled inscription: "AENEAS 
/ SYLVIUS / DE / MISERIIS / CURIALIUM". Gilt edges.

The will of Guglielmo di Montiglio (art. 1), who may have been the owner of the manuscript,  is 
an addition, copied in or after 1469, to the main part of the manuscript which was finished 22 
April 1464, i.e. still during the lifetime of the author. There are a few marginal notes and pointing 
hands. Sotheby sale, 6 Dec. 1983, item 58. Purchased from Laurence Witten on the Edwin J. 
Beinecke Fund.

Albert Derolez

R 16.02.09