Manuscript leaf from an official document, in Latin, produced in Italy (Venice)

MS 5650/100

Manuscript leaf from an official document, in Latin, produced in Italy (Venice)

c.1570

Text: From an official document, in Latin

Script: Italic

Each side has a single column of twenty-six lines of text written in brown ink in an italic hand. Headings are in red ink. Line markings are in very feint brown.

There are five two-line initials in shell gold on a coloured ground, with marginal decoration.

The bifolium appears to be from one of the official documents, issued by the Procurators of Venice, which because of their limited appeal appeared in manuscript and were remarkable for their beauty of execution. This bifolium, because it is a part of a gathering, relates to two separate parts of the document. Reference is made to two doges (a) Michele Steno in 1400 and (b) Tommaso Mocenigo in 1413.

There is reference to elections in 1407, proceedings in 1302 and the distribution of money.

Use is made of many modern punctuation marks which were introduced in 1566 by Aldus Manutius (1547 to 1597), also known as Aldus the Younger, who stated that the main object of punctuation was to clarify syntax. Aldus Manutius was the grandson of the Venetian printer of the same name.

Transcription

Folio 1, recto:

1 . . . erit domus et illas in capite quattuor dierum de-

2 liberare ad meam tabulam illis qui plus dabu(n)t

3 faciendo notum in cantatoribus diem quo volue-

4 ro et debeo eas delivrare ut veniant ad dictam

5 delivrationem , Et scribam et scribi facia(m) illas

6 domos illis qui habitabunt in eis non possendo

7 a modo in antea domos aliquas super platea s(ancti)

8 Marci positas et edificatas modo aliquo vel in-

9 genio affictare alicui forensi . Verum si illi qui

10 haberent domos morerentur remanentibus here-

11 dibus masculis sit in libertate mea dimittendi

12 eis domos vel non : Et si non dimitterentur da-

13 bo eis per incantum ut supra dictum est .

14 Q (uod) De pecunia quę remanet in mea discretione et

15 dabo Amore Dei prout mihi videb(itu)r et placuerit .

16 I T E M De denariis qui in discretione mea

17 Remanserint ad dandum pro Amore dei

18 et pro anima mortui , Dabo et dari faciam s(e)c(un)d(u)m

19 quod mihi videbitur faciendum esse pro anima

20 mortui : ita q(ue) sim simul presens ad dandu(m) d(i)ctas

21 elymosinas illis personis quibus dabuntur facie(n)-

22 do in meis quaternis nomina scribi illorum vel

23 illarum quibus dabo elymosinas illas ; Et qua(n)

24 tum dabo unicuiq(ue) hoc intelligendo de elymo-

25 sinis a Duodecim grossis supra : Et si voluero

26 dare Religioso , vel Religiose , vel aliis paup(er)ibus

Folio 1, verso:

1 personis qui vel que personaliter non possent venire

2 propter Religionem vel infirmitatem , possum dare

3 Priori vel Abbatisse eorum vel earum vel alteri bo-

4 ne persone quę mihi videbitur Dando ipsas elemo-

5 sinas illis per quos mittam et in presentia mei : Et

6 de dicta pecunia non possum nec debeo dare alicui

7 de familia mea de ipsa pecunia ultra solidos de-

8 cem de pecunia cuiuslibet mortui , ad dandum per

9 manus meas amore Dei .

10 Q (uod) Non possim recipere aliquam Tutoriam seu Furni-

11 tionem nisi secundum formam statuti et sub pena et (cetera) .

12 I T E M Non possum recipere aliquam Tuto-

13 riam seu Furnitionem vel aliquod Inventa-

14 rium nisi facta vel factam fuerit secundum forma(m)

15 statuti sub pęna soldorum viginti gross(us) . Et sub

16 simili pęna teneor dare exemplum Inventarii

17 procuratoribus Commissariarum infra unum

18 mensem postq(uam) recepero Inventarium : Quas pę-

19 nas exigant Advocatores comunis habendo ta-

20 lem partem qualem habent de aliis sui officii .

21 Q (uod) Possim habere in Collegantiam libras mille

22 de bonis Furnitionum et Tutoriarum : (et) (cetera) .

23 I T E M Possum habere in Collegantia

24 a modo in antea libras mille de bonis

25 Furnitionum et Tutoriarum in Venetiis tantu(m)

26 ad rectam Collegantiam scribendo ordinate . . . .

Folio 2, recto:

1 . . . . lium Rationum , Reservato ultra prædicta officio

2 nostrorum Advocatorum comunis pro nunc et se(m)-

3 per ut est rationabile atq(ue) iustum . Cap(itu)l(u)m . Lii .

4 D e electione Venerabilis viri Domini Bartholomei

5 de Recouratis Primicerii Ecclesię sancti marci

6 in Mº . ccccº . viiº . Indictione prima Die Decimo

7 mensis Septembris .

8 C U M Serenissimus Dominus Dux Micha- [*

9 el Steno Dei gratia inclytus Dux Venetiaru(m) et c(etera)

10 Iam ante electionem Primicerii Ecclesię sancti

11 Marci tunc eligendi scribi et notari mandavisset

12 et inscriptis poni fecisset pro reformatione et cor-

13 rectione salarii et utiltatis Primicerii sicut infra-

* There was a doge Michele Steno in 1400.

14 scripta deliberatione suę excellentię particula-

15 riter denotatur : Quam correctionem et reforma-

16 tionem ipse Dominus Dux solus facere potest

17 vigore libertatis plenissime in diversis legibus

18 attribute eidem et presertim unius partis capte

19 in maiori Consilio . 1302 . Die tertio mensis Iulii :

20 Libuit prelibato Domino Duci libertatem pre-

21 dictam suis Consiliariis legi facere ut si forsita(n)

22 prefa(c)tis Consiliariis aliter videretur possint cu(n)c-

23 ta secundum debitum reformare : Quaquidem

24 libertate et parte Capta in maiori consilio et in-

25 ferius descripta lecta diligenter prefactis Consi-

26 liariis sedentibus in maiori Consilio ad locum

Folio 2, verso:

1 solitum et deputatum existentibus ibidem presentib(us)

2 nobilibus et egregiis viris Domino Philippo Corta-

3 rio , et Thoma mocenigo : honorabilibus Procura- [*

4 toribus Ecclesię sancti Marci : Determinatu(m) fuit

5 per infrascriptos quatuor Consiliarios : Qui preli-

6 batus excelsus Dominus Dux vigore libertatis

7 eidem a Consiliariis attribute possit et valeat so-

8 lus super agendis Salarii et Conditionu(m) Primi-

9 ceratus prout sibi libuerit providere quoniam ad

10 ipsum solum predicta deliberare et agere pertine(n)t

11 atq(ue) spectant : Et sic ipse Ill(ustrissimus) Dominus Dux ius-

12 sit , Q(uod) prout notari , reformari , et scribi fecerit exe-

13 cutioni mittatur : et cetera .

* There was a doge Tommaso Mocenigo in 1413.

14 S E R Stephanus Fuschareno : Ser Ioannes de Gar-

15 zonibus : Ser Robertus Mauroceno : Ser Iacob(us)

16 de Pesaro Caput loco Consiliarii .

17 T enor autem partis captę in Mº . cccº . iiº . Die tertio [line filler]

18 Iulii in maiori Consilio talis est : Millesimo . cccº .

19 iiº . Die tertio Iulii : Capta in Consilio maiori .

20 C U M Dominus Dux vellet facere provide-

21 ri Clericis pro facere officiari Ecclesiam

22 sancti Marci , et Procuratores de hoc se recusare(n)t

23 per suum Capitulare dicentes , q(uod) debet eis dici per

24 maius Consilium : Et dominus Dux fecerit le-

25 gi certa Capitula suę promissionis Consiliariis

26 suis Dixerunt omnes sex in concordia : q(uod) per . . . .

Notes:

A Letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,y,z.

Capitals: A,C,D,E,F,G,I,L,M,N,P,Q,R,S,T,V.

Versals: C,I.

B Alternative forms of letters ‘f’(2), ‘i’(2), ‘r’(2) and ‘s’(3).

Sometimes ‘f’, ‘i’ and ‘long s’ have a descender, sometimes not.

C Use of ‘modern’ punctuation marks including the comma, full

stop, colon, and semi-colon.

D Ligature between letters ‘ct’, e.g. in ‘dictam’ (folio 1,

recto, line 4), but not in ‘affictare’ (folio 1, recto, line 9).

In ‘cuncta’ (folio 2, recto, lines 22/23) the letters ‘c’ and ‘t’

appear on separate lines but the scribe has still included

a ligature. In ‘prefactis’ the ligature is with a missing ‘c’!

E Ligature between letters ‘st’, e.g. in ‘statuti’ (folio 1, verso,

line 11). The ligature in ‘est’ (folio 1, recto, line 13) is

between a short ‘s’ and a ‘t’.

F There are flourishes on three of the bottom lines and at the end

of some lines.

G The use of the superscript ‘o’ with ‘M’, ‘ccc’ and ‘ii’ (folio 2,

verso, line 17) indicates ordinal numbers viz. ‘Millesimo’,

‘trecentesimo’ and ‘secundo’. This also occurs elsewhere.

H On folio 2, recto side, line 19, the year ‘1302’ is written in

‘modern’ Arabic numerals.

I Abbreviation of ‘et cetera’ (folio 1, verso, line 11) and

(folio 1, verso, line 22).

J Abbreviation of ‘Illustrissimus’ (folio 2, verso, line 11).

K Use of e caudata (ę) to signify the ‘æ’ diphthong, e.g. in ‘quę’

(folio 1, verso, line 4). Sometimes it represents ‘œ’.

L In nearly all instances the letter ‘i’ has a dot over it.

M There is a simple line filler (folio 2, verso, line 17).

N The letter ‘s’ in ‘cuiuslibet’ (folio 1, verso, line 8) has been

shifted down to avoid a clash with the letter ‘p’.

MS 100

Latin

2 leaves

Material: Vellum bifolium