Vegetius, Flavius Renatus: De re militari.

Edited by Johannes Sulpitius Verulanus.

Rome: Eucharius Silber, 29 Jan. 1487.
4to. [1-68 710]. [58] leaves.
ISTC iv00106500; Goff S343 (A); BMC IV 107 (IA. 18862); Bod-inc V-052.


In the same year Silber printed also Aelianus Tacticus (15 Feb.), Frontinus (1 June), and Modestus (7 June). The four works were conceived as a unit. They are found both separately and, in varying arrangements, bound together. They are treated separately by ISTC, Bod-inc and GW. Goff, CIBN and others list the books under the common heading 'Scriptores rei militaris'.

Two copies listed in Glasgow Incunabula Project; copies 1 and 2 held by Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Copy 1 

Acccession number:   E.1939.65.1438
Bound with: The first of four incunabula bound together. Bound with: (2) Sextus Julius Frontinus, Strategematicon liber. Rome: Eucharius Silber, 1 June 1487; (3) Aelianus Tacticus, De instruendis aciebus. Rome: Eucharius Silber, 15 Feb. 1487; (4) Modestus [pseudo-], De vocabulis rei militaris. Rome: Eucharius Silber, 7 June 1487.
Provenance: Robert Lyons Scott (1871-1939), shipbuilder and collector of armour, Greenock: owner; source unknown.
Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: bookplate on verso of first front flyleaf “Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries R.L. Scott Collection”; R.L. Scott bequest, 1939.
Binding: 16th-century bevelled wooden boards, quarter calf (undecorated) with outer edges of the leather additionally secured on each board by three nails; remains of a brass clasp, with catch plate on rear board; modern flyleaves; original vellum pastedown from front board, which is now tipped onto first front flyleaf, is a leaf with rubricated text in double columns from a manuscript of Thomas Aquinas, 'Commentaria in libros Perihermenias et posteriorum Aristotelis et eiusdem fallaciarum opus' (cap. XV-XVI). Size: 223 x 150 mm.
Leaf size: 212 x 145 mm.
Annotations: Occasional marginal annotations in a humanist hand, underlining, “nota” marks and pointing hands in red and in brown ink in gatherings 1 and 7; 16th/17th-century shelfmark “I D 15” [written vertically] on 1/1r; 19th-century shelfmark “15.F.8” in pencil and letter “S” in ink on verso of first front flyleaf.
Decoration: None.
Imperfections: None.

Vegetius, Flavius Renatus: De re militari - Manuscript waste

Copy 2

Acccession number:  E.1939.65.1439
Provenance: J. Ladimir François (19th century): printed label on front pastedown “Bibliotheque de J. Ladimir Francois Num. 2486 [the number in manuscript]” and inscription in ink “S 2486”.
Cyprien Lefournier (fl. 1849-1890): inscription on recto of front free endpaper “Cyprien Lefournier Novembre 1856 ...”
Robert Lyons Scott (1871-1939), shipbuilder and collector of armour, Greenock: owner; source unknown.
Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: bookplate on recto of front free endpaper “Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries R.L. Scott Collection”; R.L. Scott bequest, 1939.
Binding: 18th-century vellum, undecorated and untitled.   Size:  204 x 145 mm.
Leaf size: 195 x 140 mm.
Annotations: Fairly frequent marginal annotations in a humanist hand, mainly extracting keywords; 19th/20th-century shelfmark “15.F.7” in pencil on front pastedown; code “5/” in pencil on rear pastedown.
Decoration: None.
Imperfections: None.

Vegetius, Flavius Renatus: De re militari - Provenance information