Dibdin, Thomas Frognall; Spencer, George John [Bearb.]: Bibliotheca Spenceriana: or a descriptive catalogue of the books printed in the fifteenth century, and of many valuable first editions, in the library of George John Earl Spencer (Band 4) (London, 1815) [Cicognara, 4650-4]

140

ITALIAN BOOKS.

[Basil; 1473.

98 of his anterior volume ; where, however, no mention of it is made.
De Bure has contented himself with citing Maittaire’s brief description
of the colophon, but declares his total ignorance of the boolc itself. It
was unknown to Fontanini, Haym, and Panzer; nor will a copy of it
be found in any of the catalogues before referred to.

De Bure had, in fact, obtained possession of an imperfect copy of it;
liis description of which, coroparing it with the Padua edition of 1472,
exactly corresponds with the book itself; as the present account will
partly shew:

The volume commences with the table; which, as usual, occupies
seven leaves: on the reverse of the seventh, is the memorandum
relating to Laura. On the recto of the 8th leaf commences the first
sonnet; printed wholly in capitals, with the exception of the two last
words in the tenth line— £ chi sono: ’ wliich are in small Roman letters.
On the reverse of the 128th leaf of the Sonnets, (exclusively of the
table) we have

FRANCISCI PETRARCAE
POETAE EXCELLENTIS
SIMI RERVM VVL
GARIVM FRAG
MENTA EXPLl
CIVNT.

Then tlie first Triumph, wholly in capitals. On the reverse of the
163d leaf, from the beginning of the Sonnets :

FRANCISCI PETRARCAE
POETAE EXCELLENTIS
SIMI TRIVMPHI
EXPLICIVNT.

Next, the life of Petrarch in Italian : ‘ Vi-te . F. P.’ at the end. Two
laudatory sonnets, as before, (see p. 135) follow: the whole of this
supplementary part is in 4 leaves. On the reverse of the 4th: