CICERO, Marcus Tullius and MARSO, Pietro.

De officiis libri tres, cum interpretatione Petri Marsi.

      France, [mid. XV century, 1461-1471?]. Manuscript on vellum. 8vo. 150 ll., plus 2 added ll, first with 12 line ex libris, second blank. Text, A8, B8 (lacking B7), C-I8, K8 (lacking K1), L-M8, N8+1 (N8-9 misbound), O8 (lacking O5), P-S8, T4 plus 3 probably ex 4 original blanks, 115mm. x 179mm., 20 lines ruled in red, 70mm. x 105mm., brown ink in two sizes in a fere-Humanistic minuscule, titles in red, numerous very fine 1-to-3 line initials in gold on cardinal background with calligraphic decoration, guide letters, capitals touched in yellow, copious interlinear and up to 92 line marginal 'glossae' surrounding text in dark brown ink in a tiny slightly later Gothic hand, paragraph marks alternatively in red and blue, incomplete 'Obsecro te' prayer added on two blanks following text in brown Bâtarde. Slight waterstain to upper margin of first and last gatherings not compromising text, some marginal and interlinear ms annotations at beginning in an early C16th cursive hand, C16th ms ex-libris of 'Johannis Boyvini' from Anjou and ink library stamp of the Séminaire de St. Sulpice in Paris on recto of *1, ink library stamp of Sir Thomas Phillipps (ms. 244) on free e-p, marbled pastedowns. A very elegant, lavishly commentated ms in C16th French calf, covers blind double ruled, central panel with four gilt corner fleurons and inner gilt double ruled lozenge, gilt emblem of Henry II of France as Dauphin in centre, rebacked c. 1800, gilt spine in 7 compartments, gilt title, Phillipp's small paper numbered label at tail, inner covers and corners restored, joints repaired, a.e.g., box case. A fascinating and very high quality XVth century manuscript, from the library of Henry II King of France (1519-1559), as Dauphin, in an elegant and precise fere-Humanistic hand, illuminated by numerous graceful initials. The profuse marginal and interlinear 'glossae', in a tiny and neat Gothic, were added later in the C15 century. Opening with an 8 leaf preface to Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga (1461), by Pietro Marso, the manuscript comprises Cicero's De Officiis, a philosophical and pedagogical treatise in three books on moral goodness, expediency and the conflict between right and expedience, written around 40 BC and addressed to his son Marco, then a student in Athens. Each book is introduced by a table of subjects. The table of contents ends with three brief poems, two tetrasticha by Guillaume Fichet and Johannes de Lapide, and eight elegiac couplets to "cunctis virtutum amatoribus", which were first printed in the version published at Paris in 1471-72 by Johannes de Lapide. Jean Heynlin, or de Lapide, and Guillaume Fichet were eminent humanists and pioneers of the Parisian press. Jean de Lapide set up his first firm 'dans les bâtiments de la Sorbonne' in 1469-70 with three German printers, Michael Friburger, Ulrich Gering and Martin Crantz. Fichet was the financial backer of the press from the beginning but he joined the 'firm' only in the spring of 1472. Both Lapide and Fichet were at the heart of the small circle of humanist figures who pioneered the French intellectual renaissance. It is possible that this manuscript was the model for the printed edition of 1471-72, which they published. The present ms. also contains the important commentary by the Italian philologist Pietro Marso (fl. ¾ of the XVth century), first published in Venice by B. de Tortis in 1481. The mystery of the work is contained in one name, "Ramonet Altissiodorensis" or Ramonet from Auxerre, and the mottos, repeated on some leaves, in red or blue capitals, "Barat par tout" or betrayal everywhere, and "Seur et Secret" or safe and secret. Whilst it has not been possible to identify Ramonet, the mottos would constitute good advice to a young prince against indiscretion and treason. The De Officiis was a classic schoolroom text from which centuries of schoolboys learned their Latin, Henri doubtless amongst them. Based on the philosophy of the Stoics it would have provided an admirable ethical course of instruction for the young ruler. Abelard used it in his teaching and most Ciceronian references in Dante are to the De Officiis. Provenance: From the library of Henry II of France, the ms belonged to Jean Boyvin (or Boivin) from Anjou in 1578, as the ms ex-libris on first leaf states. Jean Boyvin was probably a member of a very important family 'd'orfèvres' in Angers in XVIth century, the best representative of which was his son René (1525-1630), excellent engraver 'de l'école de Fontainebleau' and great portraitist of Henry II, Henry III and Henry IV. Curiously however the text of the ex libris appears to have been amended by the insertion of Boyvin's name but the earlier owner is not discernible. The Séminaire of St. Sulpice in Paris was established in 1642 on property at Issy-les-Moulineaux, belonging to Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615), also known as 'Queen Margot', Henry II and Catherine of Medici's daughter, Henry IV's wife. This handsome ms. on particularly fine, high quality vellum, was part of the remnant of the astonishing collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872), 'Bibliotheca Philippica', sold (after a century of sales) by his descendants by private treaty to New York bookdealer H. P. Kraus in 1978.