Miscellany, Italy, 15th Century

[Walter Burley], De vita et moribus philosophorum, anonymous devotional texts, and ecclesiastical precepts.

1. ff. 1-90. [Walter Burley (1275-1345?)], De vita et moribus philosophorum. Begins 'Tales philosofo fu de Asia ...' Wanting some 3 ff. of text. 215 × 145 mm.

2-4. Originally bound separately. 206 × 145 mm.

2. ff. 91-126. [Speculum virtutum anime. Beginning of text, before cap. 1, missing]. 'Come la confessione debbe essere integra cap. primo ... Explicit speculum virtutum anime. Deo gratias. Amen.' On f. 126v. are small drawings of two naked figures with the mottos 'nudus veni', 'nudus ibo'.

3. ff. 127-132. 'Exempli tratti del libro del speghio de la vera penitentia ... vivete in sancta penitenza in fino alla morte. Amen.'

4. 'Seguita il terzo tratato nobile et utile. De le feste. La sancta chiesa ... Ma appartengonsi a religiosi e a chierici e a prelati. Amen.' On ten precepts of the Church.

15th century

1 volume 1 volume: 215 × 145 mm., iv + 142 + iii ff. (140-142 blank). Collation 1-4 8, 5 8 wanting 1 after f. 32, 6-11 8, 12 8 wanting 2 after f. 88 and 5-8 after f. 90, 13 10 wanting 1 after f. 90 and 10 after f. 98, 14-15 10, 16 8, 17 10, 18 6.

Purchased at Stevens' 3 March 1931, lot 409.

Abbreviated Italian version, as found in British Library Add. MS. 17523.

Database description taken from that in: Richard Palmer, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Wellcome Library for the History & Understanding of Medicine: Western Manuscripts 5120-6244 (London: The Wellcome Library for the History & Understanding of Medicine, 1999).

Vellum binding and foliation characteristic of the library of the Venetian Jacopo Soranzo (1686-1761), with a table of contents in the hand of his librarian Francesco Melchiori. Subsequently in the Venetian library of Matteo Luigi Canonici (1727-1806), until acquired by the Revd Walter Sneyd in 1835 (bookplate). Sneyd sale, Sotheby's 16-19 Dec. 1903, lot 831.