Manuscript, Sonnets, by Pietro Bembo, Italy, ca. 1550.

Foliation: i-ii (19th-century paper), iii-iv (16th-century? parchment) + 80 (foliated a, 1-79) + v-vi (19th-century paper) ff.

Number of lines: 29 lines

Language: Italian

Script: Humanistic cursive

Textual content:
f. a recto-verso: Added leaf, with inscriptions in 16th-century (?) Roman capitals: DELICTA IUVENTUTIS MEAE / NE MEMINERIS / DOMINE and, on verso, RIME DI M. PIETRO / BEMBO
ff. 1r-63v: Sonnets of Pietro Bembo, the first beginning “Piansi et cantai lo stratio et l’aspra guerra”, the last “O sol, di cui questo bel sole è raggio”.
f. 64v-67v: Index
ff. 68r-69v: Sonnets addressed to Bembo
f. 70r: Blank
ff. 70v-79r: Verses, fifty in all, recited by Bembo and Ottaviano Fregoso on the eve of the carnival, 1507
f. 79v: blank

Binding: 19th century, England (?), red morocco over pasteboards, frames of gold tooled ornament and blind ornament; spine with three raised bands, gold tooled floral design in top and bottom compartments, gold tooled lettering in two middle compartments. Pasted onto the inside of the cover front are prints of the obverse and reverse of the medal of Bembo attributed to Benvenuto Cellini.

Purchased with the support of the Friends of the National Libraries and of Eric Millar

1) Sold by Stanley, 28 St James’s St, London, 9 June 1816, lot 218, sale of books consigned from Italy. As per notes by Cockerell: "Lot 218, p. 18, in sale of Stanley, 28 St James’s St, London, of books consigned from Italy, 9 June 1816.”
2) Rev. John Mitford (1781-1859): inscription “1823”. His sale, Sotheby’s, London, 9 July 1860, lot 3 (bought for £3.10 by Boone). As per notes by Cockerell: "No. 3 in cat. of MSS of Rev. John Mitford of Benhall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, sold at Sotheby’s, London, 9 July 1860. Bought by Boone for £3.10."
3) Boone, from 1860.
4) André B. Know: his sale, Sotheby’s, London, 12-13 August 1872, lot 83 (bought for £3.12 by Molini). As per notes by Cockerell: “Lot 83 in the sale of library of André B. Know at Sotheby’s, 12-13 August 1872, £3.12, Molini.”
5) Molini (maybe Frederick Fowler Molini 1818-1895), from 1872.
6) Robert Samuel Turner: his sale, Sotheby's, London, 18-30 June 1888. Bought by H.White, £5.5 . As per notes by Cockerell: “Lot 476 in sale of library of Robert Samuel Turner at Sotheby’s, 18-30 June 1888. Bought by Harry White, £5.5."
7) Harry White, from 1888. As per notes of Cockerell: "Lot 127 in the Harry White sales at Sotheby's 21 april 1902".
8) Collection of Sydney C. Cockerell, dated 21 April 1902, Richmond, Surrey.
9) Bought by the Museum from Cockerell in March 1957 at the instigation of James Wardrop. This manuscript was valued £1000 at the time.

MSL/1957/1347