Beinecke MS 706
Verona, 1493 (?)
Petrarch, Canzoniere, Trionfi

1.	ff. 1r-6v	A pie di colli ove la bella, 8. A qualunque animale, 22 ... 	f. 7r blank

Alphabetical index of the incipits of  art. 3.

2.	ff. 7v-8r	Oratio hec in Africa domini F(rancisci) P(etrarcae) et fuit Magonis fratris 
Hannibalis, qui tempore belli Punici secundi, dum in Liguribus bellum gereret, fuit apud 
Genuam vulneratus et in Africa rediens, dum esset apud Sardiniam, vicinis morti sic 
loquutus est. In fine VI libi? [l. libri] Afric?. Hic postquam medio iuvenis stetit ?quore 
Poenus, / Vulneris increscens dolor et vicina dir? ... Fraternosque suos simul patrieque 
dolores. Finis.	f. 8v blank

Extract from Petrarca, Africa, VI, 885-918; F. Neri, G. Martelotti, E. Bianchi, N. Sapegno, edd., 
Petrarca. Rime, Trionfi e poesie latine (Milan, Naples, 1951), pp. 686-688.

3.	ff. 9r-148r	Francisci Petrarcae poetae clarissimi carmen rithimonos elegiacum [corr. 
from elegicum] in Lauram feliciter incipit. Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse'l sono / Di que 
sospre ond'io nutriva'l core ...Huomo e verace Dio / Ch'acolga el spirito mio ultimo in 
pace. Deo gratias [crossed out: Amen].

Petrarca, Canzoniere, ed. cit., pp. 3-477. The order of the 366 poems, numbered in purple, is the 
same as in the edition, with the following exceptions: nos. 2 and 3 are inverted; nos. 71 and 72 
are both numbered "71", and all nos. from 72 to 122 inclusive are consequently misnumbered 
"71-121"; no. "122" in the manuscript is the ballad "Donna mi vien spesso ne la mente", which 
Petrarch discarded from the definitive version of the Canzoniere, printed as no. XIII of the Rime 
diverse, ed. cit., p. 603; and the order of nos. 340-366 is almost totally different in the 
manuscript: "340" = no. 342 of the edition; "341" = 340; "342-345" = 351-354; "346" = 350; 
"347" = 355; "348" = 360; "349-350" = 344-345; "351" = 359; "352" = 341; "353" = 343; "354" 
= 356; "355-358" = 346-349; "359-360" = 357-358; "361-363" = 361-363; "364" = 365; "365" = 
364; "366" = 366. On f. 107r, before no. 264, is the following text: "Que sequuntur post mortem 
domine Lauree scripta sunt. Ita enim proprio codice domini Francisci annotatum est, et carte 
quatuor pretermisse vacu?".

4.	f. 148r-v	Scriptum manu propria domini F(rancisci) P(etrarcae) in quodam eius 
Virgilio visum est. Laura, propriis virtutibus illustris et meis lungum celebrata carminibus, 
primum oculis meis apparuit sub primum adolescentie me? tempus anno Domini 
MøCCCøXXVIIø ... Quod breve Dei gratia erit preteriti temporis curas supervacantas 
spes innanes et inspectatos exitus acriter ac viriliter cogitanti. Finis.

Transcription of a note on the front flyleaf of the Virgil manuscript copied by Petrarch, Milan, 
Biblioteca Ambrosiana, MS S.P. Arm. 10, scaf. 27. The manuscript is reproduced by G. Galbiati, 
Francisci Petrarchae Vergilianus codex quam simillime expressus (Milan, 1930), the note in 
Enciclopedia cattolica, v. 9, 1291-1292.

5.	ff. 149r-186r	Capitulum primum. Nel tempo che rinova i mei sospiri / Per la dolce 
memoria de quel giorno ... Se fu beato chi la vidi in terra / Or che fie aduncha a rivederla 
in celo. Finis. Sit laus Christo omnipotenti Deo. Verone anno incarnationis su? 
MøCCCøLXXXXIIIø.

Petrarca, Trionfi, ed. cit., pp. 481-559. The text is subdivided into 12 chapters (capitula) and has 
no proper title. Some chapters have a heading written in pale red ink in the margin by the same 
hand as wrote the chapter numbers; part of their text is lost due to the trimming of the codex 
(tentatively reconstituted hereafter as far as possible). Chapters 1-4, without headings, are the 
Triumphus Cupidinis; the corresponding chapters in the edition are 1, 3, 4, 2. Chapter 5 is the 
Triumphus Pudicitiae with the heading (f. 161r) "Triumphus [secundus] qualiter d[        ] 
triumph[avit] Cupidi[      ]". Chapters 6-9 are the Triumphus Mortis with the heading (f. 164v) 
"[Triumphus] tertius [qualiter] Mors [triumphavit      ] domina (?)"; chapter 7 is the first draft of 
the opening of chapter 6, ed. pp. 563-564. Chapters 9-12 are the Triumphus Famae, chapter 9 
being the first draft of chapter 10, ed. pp. 564-570; chapter 10 has the heading (f. 174r) "Quartus 
t[riumphus] qualiter F[ama tri]umphavi[t]". Chapter 13 is the Triumphus Temporis, with the 
heading (f. 181r) "Tri[umphus quintus] qua[liter Tempus] triu[m]fa[vit]". Chapter 14 is the 
Triumphus Aeternitatis, with the heading (f. 183v) "[Triumph]us sextus [qualiter Aeternit]as de[       
]ate".


Paper, ff. I +186 + I, 185 x 120 mm. A section in the middle of ff. 85 and 86 is missing and has 
been replaced by  pieces of paper written by a contemporary hand.

I8 (ff. 1-8), II-XVII10 (ff. 9-178; the last leaf of quire X = f. 108 and the first leaf of quire XI = f. 
109 are singletons wich replace the original regular leaves), XVIII10 (- 9, 10; ff. 179-186). The 
central and outer bifolios of the quires are strengthened with parchment stays. Vertical 
catchwords except on the replacement leaf 108, where there is no catchword. 

Board ruling  for one column of 29 lines below top line (suitable to two sonnets and a blank line 
in between on each page), 148 x 75 mm. Ruling type 11. On the replacement leaves ff. 108-109 
and f. 149 lead ruling, in which each horizontal line appears to end with a dot in ink; vertical 
bounding-lines are not visible on these pages.

Copied by one hand writing an unusual and upright form of Humanistica Cursiva Libraria, 
marked by a conspicuous shape of r; a second hand copied the replacement leaves 108 and 109, 
and a third hand copied f. 149r-v; both using the same type of script.

Pale red headings (the one on f. 9r in Capitalis), subscriptions and plain initials (Capitalis). On f. 
9r (beginning of art. 3) splendid 5-line trompe-l'oeil initial in Veneto-Paduan style in the shape of 
a square purple stone slab showing the letter V and plants in relief, slightly damaged.

Binding s. XVII: limp parchment with two modern leather ties. On the spine the inscription in 
ink: "Petrar** Manuss***".

Purchased on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund.

Albert Derolez

R 16.02.09