Details

Other Title:

Testamento político.

Subjects:

Inquisition -- Portugal -- Early works to 1800.
Kings and rulers -- Duties -- Early works to 1800.
Kings and rulers -- Duties.
Inquisition.
Portugal -- Politics and government -- 1706-1750.
Portugal.
Politics and government.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Polemics.
Manuscripts, Portuguese.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

Portuguese, with occasional words in Latin and French.

Biography/History:

Portuguese ambassador in Vienna, the Hague, and Paris.

Summary:

Advice about reform in Portugal, including concerns about the Inquisition, addressed to Prince Joseph, who took an active role in ruling Portugal after his father, King John V, suffered a stroke in 1742.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from cover title; later published under the title Testamento político.
Collation: Paper, i + 32 + i; 1-8⁴; gathering signatures 1, 3, and 8 visible, upper left recto (f. 1r, 9r, 29r); 1-32, contemporary foliation in ink, upper right recto. Catchwords on each page, lower right corner.
Layout: Written in 26-28 long lines; vertical bounding lines ruled in lead; quarto format.
Script: Written in semi-cursive script, possibly by more than one hand.
Binding: Contemporary (18th-century) paper wrapper.
Origin: Probably written in Portugal, in the second half of the 18th century (Kestenbaum).

Penn Provenance:

Possible early owner inscription on cover and first leaf.
Formerly owned by antiquarian bookdealer and collector Alfonso Cassuto (Lisbon; label inside upper cover; embossed stamp, f. 1r); probably purchased in 1982 (pencil note, upper cover).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1656

Contributor:

Joseph, King of Portugal, 1714-1777, addressee.
Cassuto, Alfonso, 1910-1990, former owner.
Alfonso Cassuto Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

OCLC:

900469718