Lactantius, Petrarch, Seneca, Agostino Dati.

Germany, 15th century, middle of

i, 312, i' leaves

315–320 × 205–215 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1r–137v) Lactantius , The Divine Institutes

Incipit: MAgno et exellenti ingenio viri cum se doctrine penitus dedissent

Explicit: Quo profecto satis me fecisse arbitror et officium hominis implesse si labor meus aliquos homines ab erroribus liberatos ad iter celeste direxerit Amen

Note: This manuscript includes the texts De ira Dei and De opificio Dei as Books 8 and 9 of the Divine Institutes.

Edition: PL, vol. 6, cols. 111–822, vol. 7, cols. 9–147.

1.1 (ff. 1r–2r) Prologue

1.2 (ff. 2r–18v) De falsa religione

1.3 (ff. 18v–34r) De origine erroris

1.4 (ff. 34r–52r) De falsa sapientia

1.5 (ff. 52r–68v) De vera sapientia

1.6 (ff. 68v–83r) De iustitia

1.7 (ff. 83r–101r) De cultu vero

1.8 (ff. 101r–116r) De vita beata

1.9 (ff. 116r–127r) De ira Dei

1.10 (ff. 127r–137v) De opificio Dei

2 (ff. 137v–138r) Short texts on Lactantius

Incipit: De hys libris dici potest aliquid habere eos non habere consonum qui non precipiendi autoritate (!)

Explicit: Cesaris Crispi filii Constantini in gallia fuit qui postea a patre interfectus est

Note: Five paragraphs of text concerning Lactantius's life and work, some of which seem to be extracts from the church fathers. The second paragraph bears some resemblance to Augustine's letter to Marcellinus (see  PL, vol. 33, col. 61 ), and the fifth is from Jerome, De viris illustribus, chapter 80 ( PL, vol. 23, col. 603 ). These paragraphs seem to be a standard text included as a preface in other manuscripts, e.g. Oxford, St John's College MS. 35; Yale University, Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Beinecke MS 114.

3 (ff. 138r–153r) Table of contents and index to The Divine Institutes

Note: ff. 153v–156v: blank

4 (ff. 157r–306r) Petrarch, De remediis utriusque fortunae

Incipit: CVm res fortunasque hominum cogito incertosque et subitos rerum motus nichil ferme fragilius mortalium nichil inquiecius invenio

Explicit: Age res tuas curam hanc linque viuentibus

Final rubric: De Remedys vtriusque fortune liber Secundus Explicit deo Gratias Editus et finem productus a laureato poeta francisco petrarcha Ticini Anno

Note:

ff. 157r–304v: chapters numbered in the text (the table of contents on ff. 304v–306r refers to these numbers).

f. 306v: blank

Edition: Opere latine di Francesco Petrarca Vol. 1.

4.1 (ff. 157r–226v) Book 1

4.2 (ff. 226v–230r) Prologue to Book 2

4.3 (ff. 230r–304v) Book 2

4.4 (ff. 304v–306r) Table of contents

5 (ff. 307r–308v) Seneca, De remediis fortuitorum

Rubric: SEnece Oratoris nobilissimi liber de remedys fortune dyalogus Incipit feliciter

Incipit: HVnc librum scripsit Seneca Nobilissimus oratorum ad quendam amicum suum Gallonem

Explicit: felix est non qui alys videtur esse sed qui sibi vides quam domi sit ista felicitas rara

Edition: Rossbach (1887).

6 (ff. 308v–312r) Agostino Dati, De laudibus philosophie oratio

Rubric: Augstini daci (!) Senensis Oratoris Clarissimi de laudibus philozophie Oratio Incipit feliciter Habita ab eodem xv kalendas Nouembris Anno li m magna conticione (!) atque consensu

Incipit: Magno ac splendido Ingenio viros qui tam aput hebreos ac barbaros quam aput grecos et latinos summa gloria floruerunt

Explicit: Incumbite vos obsecro in hec studia diligenter Quid omnino fieri possit melius Bene hebreus conciona~~tus~~ \tur/

Note: f. 312v: blank

Editions: Augustino dati senesis opera.

Physical Description

Secundo folio

iter deferunt

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, RCI

Support: Western paper

Watermark 1

RCI,

Motif: Mount of three coupeaux, above double rod with cross on top

Note: Similar to Piccard XVI:2, VII, 2201.

Locus: ff. SL1r–SL1v, SR1r–SR1v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 315 × 205 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–312v

Watermark 1

Locus: ff. 1r–312v,

Motif: Mount of three coupeaux, above double rod with cross on top

Note: Similar to Piccard XVI:2, VII, 2201.

Support: Western paper

Leaf dimensions: 320 × 215 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

ff. 1–137v: chapter headings in red ink.

Collation

Formula: 1(1+12), 2-25(12), 26(12+1)

Note: VisColl collation Note: Parchment guards with visible text.

Catchwords: Catchwords on quires 4-7. Catchwords on the rest of the quires lost due to trimming.

Condition

Textblock

f. 1, top of the page cut or torn off, no apparent loss of text. ff. 285–SR1, middle of page: small hole (worm hole?), slight text loss (circa 1 letter).

Layout

Locus: ff. 1r–312v

Columns: 1

Written lines: 48

Written area: 235 × 140 mm

Note: Blind ruling.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Gothic cursive

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Top left corner, National Library book label with current signum; top of page in dark ink by a contemporary hand: ‘Liber Magistri Mathei de brawnsbergk Anno 1466 In quo continentur subscripta Et primo novem libri ’ and a table of contents.

(f. SL1r) Middle of page in dark ink by a 18th or 19th century hand, table of contents. The last title contains a date: ‘Augustini Daci Senensis De Laudibus Philosophiae Oratio habita die xv Kal. Nouemb. Anno (MCCC) LI’.

(RCI) Bottom right corner, small paper envelope attached to the pastedown. On the envelope ‘fol. 21 ’is written in pencil and next to it in pencil what appears to be a signature. The envelope probably contained (note_1r).

Textblock

(ff. 1v–129v) Marginal notes in ink by one or several medieval hands througout. They range from one word to several lines and consist of a mix of chapter titles and commentary on the content. There are also corrections, some of which seem to be made by the original scribe.

(Note_1r–Note_1v) A strip of paper found between the pages. On one side there are three lines of text in German written in brown ink by a medieval or early modern hand. On the other side a modern hand has noted in pencil in Swedish where the note was found.

(ff. 157r–163r) In the margin in ink, scattered additions of one word to short sentences, manicules, and chapter identifiers. Some of these are possibly by the scribe or a contemporary hand.

(ff. 182v–304v) In the margin by a modern hand in pencil, scattered numbers identifying chapters.

Decorations

Binding/Endleaves

Initials:

Textblock

Description:

Main text in black-brown ink, capitals touched in red, occasional underlining in red. For further description see also Lindqvist Sandgren.

Initials:

(f. 1r): Opening decoratated initial M over 12 lines, letter made of foliage. Main colours: shades of green for the letter, blue for the frame, and red and silver for the counter space. A part of the intial extends over the inner and bottom margin in the shape of a vine and creates a frame around the text. This part is red, yellow, green, blue, and pink. (f. 2r): decorated initial S over 12 lines. The body of the letter is shaped like foliage. Main colours: Shades of blue for the letter, green, gold, and red for the frame, black and silver for the counter space. (ff. 18v–127r): Plain initials over 7 lines (+ extending above or below the line) in red, flourshing/foliation in the counter space. (ff. 1v–24v), (ff. 143v–153r): plain initials in red over 2 lines. (f. 157r): Flourished plain C over 5 lines (+ extending above and below) in blue and red. (f. 226v): plain initial over 5 lines in red. (f. 230r): plain initial over 2 lines in blue. (ff. 159r–308v): plain initials in red over 2 lines.

Bookmarks:

Bookmarks in red leather glued to ff. 18, 33, 51, 68, 82, 101, 116, 127, 137, 156, 226, 304, 306. On (f. 157) a strip of paper with text that seems to derive from a gothic manuscript has been glued to the page as a bookmark. On(f. 307) a strip of uncoloured paper has been glued to the page as a bookmark.

Binding

Description:

Medieval or early modern binding. Parchment over wooden boards. 4 pairs of raised bands and endbands. Metal catch and clasps with leather straps, one complete, one with the clasp missing.

Spine: title label ‘Lactantius Franc. Petrarcha de remediis utriusque for⟨tu⟩n⟨ae⟩ Seneca de remediis Fortunae’; in brown ink: ‘25’; stamped in gold: ‘A 214’; brown ink on paper label: ‘22’; brown ink on paper label: ‘e.30.3.9;’ at the bottom, remains of a paper label with illegible text.

Binding dimensions: 330 × 230 × 75 mm

Tooling:

Blind tooled frames containing diagonal lines forming lozenges.

Edges:

At the middle of the Head in dark ink: ‘Lactantius et Franciscus petrarcha.’

Condition: The cover is discouloured and slightly worn. Spine: endbands exposed; LCI and RCI: boards and attachments visible. LCO and RCO: marks, holes, and remains of nails after corner and centre pieces (attachment holes also visible on the edges).

History

Origin

Germany, 15th century, middle of

Provenance

According to a note on LCI, the book belonged to a magister Matheus of Braunsberg (Braniewo) in 1466. The inclusion of text by Agostino Dati composed in 1451 means that the manuscript must have been written between 1451 and 1466 and that Matheus may have been the original owner. Swedish troops looted Braunsberg in 1622 and brought many books back to Sweden where they were given to Uppsala university library. In 1648, 32 manuscripts, including A 241, were transferred to the Royal Library, see Annerstedt (1894), p. 81.

The manuscript is listed in Vossius’s catalogue from 1651 (U 202:1) and has belonged to the National Library since.

There are 4 signa on the spine. The older signum ‘22’ is found in the catalogue of 1734 (U 125e); ‘e.30.3.9’ is found in Hammarsköld’s catalogue from the 19th century (U 133); ‘A 214’ (current signum). The signum ‘25’ at the top of the spine may be from Uppsala University Library or Braunsberg.