Johannes Andreae, Summa de sponsalibus et de matrimonio, in Latin [Italy (perhaps Rome), late 15th century]

197x150mm, paper, iv+17+iii, watermark: a pair of scissors, closest to Briquet 3668 and 3670, complete in a single quire of 18 leaves (the last blank cancelled), 21 lines, 152x100mm; some water-staining at edges, not affecting legibility; 17th(?)-century re-used flexible vellum, the spine lettered in gilt captials ‘Vita / di / Monsi / Filipi’, over-written by hand ‘Jo / Andre / Summa’, red edges

A CONCISE SUMMARY OF MEDIEVAL MARRIAGE LAW

The text is a very concise summary of medieval marriage law, derived from Book IV of the Decretals of Gregory IX, which is devoted to the subject. On the text see J.F. Schulte, Die Geschichte der Quellen und Literatur des Canonischen Rechts, II, 1877, pp.124-26, and H. Coing, Handbuch der Quellen und Literatur der Neueren Europäischen Privatrechtsgeschichte, I, 1973, p.379.

Title-page, 18th-century (f.ivr); heading: ‘Summa brevis et utlilis magistri Iohannis Andree super quarto libro Decretalium’, text begins, ‘Christi nomen ad ipsius et reverendissimi in Christo patris mei domini Bononiensis Archidiaconi … Ego Iohannes Andree parvus decretorum doctor summam brevissimam super quarto libro decretalium compilavi …’ (f.1r), ends, ‘Summa brevis et utilis de sponsalibus et matrimoniis extracta super quarto decretalium per Jo. Andree’ (f.15r).

The scribe accidentally repeated on f.11r-v almost exactly the same text as he had written on f.10r-v, and subsequently marked each page of repetition ‘VA  CAT’.