London Brit. Lib. Harlean 3234
London Brit. Lib. Harlean MS 3234: c 1430-1440
Philosophical texts and poems
1. Alanus ab Insula (Alain de Lille), De planctu naturae (ff. 1r-41r);
2. Bernardus Silvestris, De universitate mundi (ff. 42r-73v);
3. P. Ovidius Naso, Epistulae ex Ponto (ff. 74r-109v);
4. Walter Burley, Liber de vita et moribus philosophorum (ff. 110r-147v);
5. L. Annaeus Seneca, De remediis fortuitorum (ff. 148r-151v).
Physical characteristics
Material: Paper codex.
Dimensions: 285 x 205 mm (text space: ff. 1r-73v: 210 x 125 mm; ff. 74r-109v: 220 x 85 mm; ff. 110-132r: 210 x 125 mm; ff. 132v- 151v: 215 x 170 mm).
Foliation: ff. ii + 151. Original foliation (1-153) in brown ink. Catchwords and quire signatures.
Script: Gothic, except ff. 88r-109r and 132v-151v: Gothic cursive. Written by six hands (ff. 1r-41r; 42r-73v; 74r-87v, 88r-109r; 110r-132r; 132v-151v). ff. 1r-41r are written by Filipino de Montenariis [perhaps of Borgo Montenari, between Ravenna and Forli], notarius: his colophon 'Qui me scripsit scribat semper cum domino vivat / Vivar in celis filipinus in nomine felix / vivat in terra filipinus cum pulchra puella. / De Montenariis proscripsi calamo sacro / Pretorii sacri notarius ego Filippus' (f. 41r). Binding: Post-1600. White leather binding on cardboard.
History
Custodial History: Origin: Italy, N. (Padua?) Provenance: Giovanni Marcanova (b. c. 1418, d. 1467), doctor of medicine, Padua in 1440 and professor of philosophy at Bologna (1452-1467): acquired by him in Padua in 1440, inscribed: '1440. Iohannes Marchanova./ artium et medicinae. /doctor. p[atavinus] s[ua] p[ecunia] em[it] / Patavii' (f. 1r).
Augustinian convent of San Giovanni di Verdara, Padua: given by Giovanni Marchanova in 1467, inscribed: 'Hunc librum donavit eximius artium et medicine doctro Mr Johannes / Marchanova de Venetiis Congregationi regularis Sancti Augustini. Ita ut tamen ad / usum dictorum canonicorum in monasterio Sancti Johanni in Virdario padue co[me]morantium (?) / Quare omnes pro eo pie orent. / MCCCLXVII [1467]' (f. 151v).
John Gibson (fl. 1720-1726), dealer of books acquiring manuscripts in Italy through agents probably operating from Florence, from 1720 onwards (see Wright 1972): acquired from him by Humphrey Wanley on 27 February 1719/20: date inscribed on f. 1r; see The Diary of Humphrey Wanley 1715-1726, ed by. C. E. Wright and Ruth C. Wright, 2 vols (London: The Bibliographical Society, 1966), I , p. 28.
