Vernacular Culture and Greek Texts in Renaissance Florence: a Database of Florentine Vernacularizations of Greek texts (c. 1460-1500)

Firenze, Biblioteca Riccardiana, 1621

Item

Manuscript copy id

MC0000082 See all items with this value

Translator

Alessandro Braccesi See all items with this value

Work

Delle guerre esterne dei Romani See all items with this value

Shelfmark

Firenze, Biblioteca Riccardiana, 1621 See all items with this value

Date

16th century (first quarter) See all items with this value

Place

Florence See all items with this value

Seen

Yes

Material

Paper See all items with this value

Dimensions and Structure

210 x 136
IV (II-IV are original) + 158 + I’ (fols. 114-116 and 158 blank) See all items with this value

Foliation

Fols. are numbered with arabic numerals by the scribe, in the upper right margin. Folios have been re-numbered mechanically in the lower right margin.

Collation

19 quires: I(6), II(8+1), II-XVIII(8), XIX(8-1)

Ruling

Hard point (25 [140] 45 x 16 [84] 35)

Type of script

Elegant 16th-century 'cancelleresca all’antica' See all items with this value

Scribe

The manuscript is written by the same scribe who copied MS Rome, Biblioteca Corsiniana e dell’Accademia dei Lincei, Rossi 12 (Xenophon, Cyoropaedia, vernacular translation by Iacopo Bracciolini). See all items with this value

Annotations

"Notabilia" e marginal annotations in red ink, by the hand of the main scribe. There are several cross-references to internal passages of the works copied in the manuscript (through numerals which indicate the folios). At fol. 91r there is a reference to Pliny's Natuarl History, book VII.
At fol. 154r there is a marginal correction by a different 16th-century hand. See all items with this value

Decoration

Space for initials blank (however, at fol. 1r an initial in grey ink has been added). At f. 120r the title has been written in red ink, within two simple concentric frames. At fol. 152v the title in red ink is included in a simple circle.

Binding

Cardboards coated with parchment.

Internal description

Fols. 1r-113v: Alessandro Braccesi, vernacular translation of Appian's Roman history, only liber Mithridaticus. Inc.: "I Romani in quella guerra la quale hebbono con Mithridate...". Expl.: "non è mai venuta sotto lo imperio de’ Romani. Finis".

Fols. 117r-118v: Vernacular translation of an extract of Pliny's Natural History, book VII, with the title "Laude di Pompeio Magno scripte da Plinio nel septimo libro della historia naturale"; inc. "Ma a l’ornamento de l’imperio Romano non solo d’uno huomo s’apartiene in questo luogo…"; expl. "et haverla meza restituita alla patria".

Fols. 120r-151r, vernacular translation of Cicero's "Pro lege Manilia" , with the title "Oratione di M. Tullio Cicerone volgarmente chiamata Pompeiana, sopra lo eleggiere lo imperatore romano alla guerra Mitridatica. Facta di latino in vulgare"; inc.: "Benché o Romani el frequente conspecto vostro iocondissimo…»; expl. "et de’ compagni vostri, a tucti e rispecti et commodi mia".

Fols. 152v-154r: Summary of the "Pro lege Manilia", in vernacular, with the title "Sommario della oratione di M. Tullio Cicerone intitolata dello eleggere lo imperadore ma più comunemente Pompeiana"; inc.: "Cicerone creato pretore romano si sforza persuadere due cose al populo Romano"; expl.: "quasi di divina et celeste eloquentia, confuta li argumenti contrarii. Decta oratione è fondata in su dui generatione cioè deliberativo et demostrativo".

Fols. 156r-157r: excerpt of a vernacular version of Sallust's Catilinarium, with the title "Extracto del Catilinario di Salustio. Di Cesare et Catone"; inc.: "Ma a’ tempi mia furono in Roma dui prestantissimi homini di diversi costumi"; expl.: "manco appetiva la gloria tanto più la acquistava".

Bibliography

The manuscript is listed in the Inventario e stima della Biblioteca Riccardi, p. 76: "Storia della Guerra di Mitridate &c. Cod. cartac. in quarto Sec. XVI. Tratta da Appiano".