UNPUBLISHED COMMENTARY ON JUSTINIAN’S CODE CONCERNING CIVIL LAW
FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF HISTORY OF CIVIL LAW

[LAW MANUSCRIPT]. C[ode]x Iure Civili Libri II. [TOGETHER WITH:] Iuris Civilis Historia. [Italy: before 1760-1768].

4to (240x180 mm), 18th century vellum on paperboards binding (a bit worn), with many handwritten notes to covers, the title written in brown ink to front board, visible joints at spine, pp. from 3 to 240 [actually, 241], [6], [2, blank], [1, title], 24, [1, index], [1, blank]. Text in Latin, handwritten in brown ink.

The Institutiones had been requested by the emperor Justinian I to the renowned jurists Trebonianus, Teophilus and Doroteus in order to resume the Roman Civil Law for the students of the empire. They worked as a fundamental reference for the ancient law from that moment on, becoming the skeleton on which all following jurists would base their commentaries.

The present manuscript is one of those commentaries, written by an 18th century jurist and never published. The text follows step by step the structure of chapters and titles of the Institutiones, giving for every excerpt a clear and in-depht account.

Provenance:
I. Many contemporary handwritten inscriptions on the vellum binding. At front cover, mention to different religious authorities such as Mons. Tomaso Ant.nio Scotti and Mons. Card. Moriggia di S.ta Maria Maggiore; the names are followed by the place, Pavia. On the very same cover, the title of the volume was written in brown ink. On the back board, a different hand traces in brown ink: Carolus Antonius Nervianus Persius Papiensis, Venerandi Seminarij Alumnus sub disciplina D. B.ris [?] Francisci Bernerij eiusdem Rectori dignissimi Anno Domini 1701 4 nonas Mensis Martij. Just after, the signature by a different hand Aloysius Persi Pomus Papiensis.
II. At front paste-down, inscription in brown ink concerning the sale of the manuscript, quoting the place and year of the transaction: Dato a Lacello gli 11 Luglio 1768.
III. Just before the index if the first work, handwritten note Atti seguiti a favor della Com.ta di Cavaglio per l’anno 1760 de’ quali è dovuto l’emolumento. 14 7mbre Bando con imbig.ne di far la vindemia prima del tempo ordinato. The present and the former indications, act as a temporal mark for the datation of the manuscript, whose text was copied for sure before both notes.

Normal traces of use, but overall a fascinating and well preserved manuscript in its first binding.