Commonplace book with historical, scientific, practical and various other materials, in Italian, manuscript on paper [Italy (Tuscany), dated 1793] 28 leaves (with two smaller leaves loosely enclosed), wants 4 leaves (2 of these probably blank cancels), entries in one large column of approximately 51 lines of a large scrolling hand, notes on contents of sections in larger script in outer margin (many of these in a shaky hand, perhaps by an elderly writer or one with a degenerative condition), early ex libris of Annibale Perotti in purple ink on title-page, spots, stains, bumps to edges, some bifolia becoming loose, else fair condition, 435 by 270mm., contemporary limp parchment binding There are a wide range of topics covered in this large scale compendium, with entries on more sober and literary subjects (such as the history of Italian politics, the incarceration of Pope Clement VII in 1527, the plight of Mary Tudor, strange and supernatural happenings in Italy in the sixteenth century, ancient history focussing on the foundation of towns and barbarian invasions of Italy, quotations from the works of Terence, Plautus, Catullus, Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, Julius Caesar, Valerius Maximus, Seneca, Quintilian, Pliny (both younger and elder), Suetonius, Plutarch, Galen, Boethius, a number of medieval scholars as well as Petrarch, a lengthy list of major events with the various years in the Christian, Jewish and Arabic eras, volcanic eruptions, extracts from Macchiavelli, a list of heretics (mostly Protestants, including Calvin, Luther and Zwingli), a list of ancient lawmakers (including Moses and Mohammed). There is also information on practical matters (on repelling cimici , a small biting insect), how to make cologne ( L acqua di Colonia ), and a list of practical inventions (including remedies for communicable diseases, methods for colouring cloth and paper, and a long list of colours), recipes for preparing the tonic Vino Santo and sweet biscuits and marzipans , and methods of collecting fish and mushrooms.