Add MS 8574

LORENZO DE' MONACIS: Chronicle of Venice from its origins to 1354; late 16th cent. Latin. The chronicle was compiled between 1420 and 1428 (see ff. 1, 157) by Lorenzo de' Monacis (ca. 1351-1428), chancellor of Crete from 1388 (see M. Poppi, 'Ricerche sulla vita e cultura del notaio e cronista veneziano Lorenzo de' Monacis, cancelliere cretese (ca. 1351-1428)', in Studi Veneziani, ix (1967), pp. 153-186). The chronicle, remained unfinished due to the death of the author, is divided into sixteen books. Its text is based on the Chronica written between 1343 and 1352 by Andrea Dandolo, doge of Venice, with the sole exception of books IX and X which are devoted to the history of Crete. The chronicle starts with the descent of Attila, King of the Huns, inc. (f.3) 'Civitates initium primis temporibus habuere', and ends with the conspiracy against Venetian aristocracy by Doge Marin Falier in the year 1354, expl. (f. 158) 'familiare suo pro factis que'. A short account on the war against the da Carrara family of Padua follows (ff. 158v-160), inc. 'Sequitur de bello Carrariense / fractis Scaligerum', expl. 'Lipoldus Dux Austrie sine ulla belli denuntiatione Tarvisium Agrum invasit / Et hec raptissime scripta sunt'. The MS. is described by Foligno, anno 5, t. x (1905), pt. i, no. x, p. 104. The chronicle was published in 1758 by F. Corner with the title Chronicon de rebus Venetis (ab U.C. usque ad 1354) as an appendix to L. A. Muratori, Rerum Italicarum Scriptores, vol. viii, from a 15th-century manuscript formerly in the collection of Apostolo Zeno and now Venice, Bibl. Marciana, MS Lat. X 143 (3532). 'N.23.' in ink, substituted with 'N^o.55.' also in ink in upper edge of f. 1. '20' in ink in upper right corner of f. i verso. Armorial bookplate of 5th Earl of Guilford, with shelfmark L/16/C (front pastedown). '46' in pencil in upper left corner of f. i verso. Purchased, together with Add. 8573, 8575 and 8578, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 46 (part).

Paper; ff. iii+160. 357 x 254mm. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf. Watermark of an eagle identical to Briquet 207 (Rome, 1573-76; Udine, 1578-1598) on flyleaves; other watermarks are not identifiable. 18th-century binding of brown morocco with gilt-tooled spine; pastedowns and contiguous flyleaves on decorated paper.