Details

Subjects:

Papacy -- History -- 1447-1565.
Papacy.
History.
Plague -- France -- Early works to 1800.
Plague.
France.

Form/Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)
memoirs.
accounts.
Manuscripts, Latin -- 15th century.
Manuscripts, Latin -- 16th century.
Manuscripts, Renaissance.

Language:

Latin, with marginal notes and accounts in French.

Summary:

Memoirs and accounts of Francois de Merles. The author writes of his time spent in Rome, along with his studies in Avignon and Pavia. Frequent mentions of the plague can be found throughout. Also refers to such contemporaries as Pope Alexander VI (f. 5r), his son Cesare Borgia (f. 7v), and Palamede de Forbin (f. 10v). Biographical entries end around the year 1510 (f. 12r). Much of the remainder of the book is a combination of biographical notes alongside accounts. Many of the entries after this point have been crossed out, but are still fully legible. Contains one loose leaf with contemporary notes on it.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from upper cover.
Foliation: Paper, 118 leaves; [i], 1-12, 14-15, 58-68, 80-90, [i], 91-103, 105-115, 117-132, 175-198, 272, 275, 280-287, 290-292, 291, [i]; contemporary foliation in ink, upper right recto; modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto.
Layout: Written in 2 columns, ruled with ink, the left being larger than the right. Right-hand column is used for marginal notes.
Script: Written in multiple cursive secretary hands, with marginal French notes in a later hand.
Decoration: Coat of arms with three birds in a single band (f. 7r); pointing hand in margin (f. 8v); hand in coat of arms (f. 59v); coat of arms with two bands and 3 small decorations (f. 69v).
Binding: Contemporary vellum (Zacour-Hirsch), with three brown leather straps tied with white leather strips on binding. Middle leather strap attaches with metal buckle to leather strap on lower cover.
Watermark: The majority of the book (through f. 78) contains a watermark of a tri-towered castle within a coat of arms, topped with a six-pointed star. The rest consist of a goose-like bird within a circle (f. 82-102), and a tulip-like shape within an oval coat of arms, topped with a six-pointed star or flower (f. 107-118).
Origin: Written in France, late 15th- early 16th century (Zacour-Hirsch).

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Emil Offenbacher (New York), 1956.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1965), p. 19 (Ms. Latin 86).

Cited as:

Francois de Merles, Memoirs and accounts (Oversize Ms. Codex 1206). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

OCLC:

232665094

Access Restriction:

Access to this item is subject to staff review.