Thomas ab Aquino, De regimine principium. Egidius Romanus, De regimine principium

15h century

paper

i, 246, i' leaves

300 × 200–210 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1r–70r) Thomas Aquinas, On the Government of Princes

Rubric: Incipit tractatus de Regmine principum editus a fratre Thoma de Acquino Primus liber Et premittit auctor suam intencionem Ad regem Cipri

Incipit: Cogitanti michi quid offerrem Regie celsitudini dignum

Explicit: quia hoc est impedire intellectum discentis et est contra normam docentis

Final rubric: Explicit quartus liber de Regmine principum editus a sancto thoma de aquino ordinis fratrum predicatorum

Edition: Dondaine (1979), pp. 447–471.

2 (ff. 70r–248r) Giles of Rome, On the Government of Princes

Rubric: Incipit alius liber de Regmine principum editus a fratre egidio Romano ordinis fratrum heremitarum sancti augustini

Incipit: Ex Regia ac sanctissima prosapia oriundo suo domino speciali domino philipo primogenito

Explicit: quam deus ipse suis promisit fidelibus qui est benedictus in secula seculorum Amen

Final rubric: Explicit Liber de Regmine principum editus a fratre egidio Romano ordine fratrum heremitarum Sancti augustini.

Note:

No modern edition exists. The editio princeps is Venice 1498.

ff. 248v–252r: blank.

Physical Description

Secundo folio

debent Rectores E quibus

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. LCI, SL1

Watermark 1

Motif: Beehive and the word TUMBA

Support: Paper

Locus: ff. 252, RCI

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 300 × 200 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1–251

Support: Western paper

Leaf dimensions: 300 × 210 mm

Watermark 1

Locus: ff. 1–107,

Motif: Mount with three coupeaux, above single line rod ending in a cross.

Note: Similar to Piccard XVI:1, III (it is not possible to be more specific than chapter since the motif is too unclear to allow further comparison).

Watermark 1

Locus: ff. 108–251,

Motif: Dragon

Note: Similar to Piccard X, II, 481-489. Watermark visible on f. 250r.

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil. Error in foliation: f. 1-164, f. 170-252.

Running titles and chapter numbers in red ink in the margins.

Collation

Formula: 1-2(12), 3(10+1), 4-20(12), 21(8, lacks 5)

Note: VisColl collation. Paper or parchment guards around quires and in the centre of each quire.

Catchwords: Catchwords framed in red ink at the end of each quire.

Condition

Textblock

Leaves stained, sometimes affecting legibility, e.g. on f. 5v. Tears in the paper in several places, and repairs (perhaps contemporary) in many places, e.g. f. 106. Some loose debris between the leaves, e.g. parts of plant matter between f. 30 and f. 31.

Layout

Columns: 1

Written lines: 40–43

Written area: 210 × 125 mm

Note: Guidelines in lead.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Gothic hybrida.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Upper left corner, in ink by a modern hand: ‘A 223a.’.

(f. SL1r) Centre page: National Library stamp.

(f. 252v) The entire page is filled with two repeated phrases in Latin by a medieval hand. The phrases contain some variation (‘Gaudenter prandi dum me nil soluere vidi’;‘ Cuicumque denegata est iusticia et regi et regno illata est iniuria’) but appear to be pen-trials. In the outer margin is a paragraph by the same hand, largely illegible due to trimming, but several of the words match those from the repeated phrases next to it.

(RCI) Upper part of page, four paragraps of contemporary additions. Three of them are in Latin and one in French; lower part of page in ink by an early modern hand: ‘Bouchart’ (followed by a flourish or possible the number ‘22’).

Textblock

(f. 1r) Upper right margin, in ink: ‘2:16?’; bottom left corner, in ink: ‘32’.

(ff. 1r–248r) Addtions in the margin, mainly different types of nota-signs, but also corrections with signes-de-renvoi. Most of these seem to be made by the scribe or a contemporary hand.

(f. 251v) Lower left corner, ink by a medieval hand: ‘ [--- 4 chars ---] xiii feilliz ’.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in brown ink, rubrics in red, capitals touched in red.

Initials:

(f. 1r): Opening puzzle initial C over 3 lines in red and blue with flourishing in black and red. ff. 70v, 71r, 131v, 185r, 198v, 228r: text and chapters open by plain initials with flourishing and puzzle initials in the same style as on (f. 1r), but larger (4-5 lines and extendig below the line). (ff. 1r–247r): paragraphs opened by plain initials over 2-3 lines in blue or red with flourishing in red or black. A majority of the initials also have guide letters written in ink in the margin.

Edges:

(Tail)and (Head) in black ink by a medieval hand: ‘de Regmine principum’.

Bookmarks:

 ff. 64, 67, 105, 134, 160, 161, 178, 179: paper pagemarks in the lower, outer corner. These are most clearly visible on the (Tail).

Binding

Description:

Medieval or early modern binding. Brown leather over wooden boards. 5 double raised bands and endbands. Originally claps and bosses. Upper part of RCO: A medieval hand has written the titles in black on a parchment label, largely illegible due to damage. Spine, ink on torn paper label: ‘40’, ‘A 223a’; National Library book label with current signum.

Binding dimensions: 310 × 225 × 70 mm

Tooling:

Covers completely covered by sets of frames which contain a multitude of small stamped squares with different leaf and animal motifs.

Condition: Leather very worn and cracked, especially on the Spine where the bands are exposed. Part of the board on the front cover is also visible under the detached leather. Five holes after bosses on both LCO and RCO. Two groups of three nails on LCO all that remain of the clasps. Leather repaired in places.

Contemporary: Unknown

History

Origin

15h century. Origin unknown. The first watermark may indicate southern Germany or Austria, or possibly northern Italy. The second watermark seems to be most commonly found in nothern Italy. However, one of the medieval addtions on LCI appears to be in French, which might also suggest France as an early provenance for the manuscript.

Provenance

Based on the addition on RCI (‘Bouchart’) the manuscript is thought to have belonged to Samuel Bochart, who visited Queen Christina in 1652. He may then have given or sold the manuscript to the queen.

The earliest evidence for the manuscript in the National Library is in Jaches' catalogue of 1695 (U 118:10), where it is listed as: ‘157’; and in Jaches' catalogue of 1698 (U 122) as ‘120’. The label on the Spine refers to the catalogue of 1734 (U 125e), where it is listed as: ‘Phil. in fol. n^o 40’.