Italian Semigothic, one hand throughout

Fol. 38 is the only leaf in the host volume written an Italian Semigothic script; the paper has a markedly different texture, and a distinct watermark, compared to the other leaves that comprise the book. The visible watermark (a simple tower motif, BR 15864) indicates the leaf was written in the fifteenth century, sometime after 1415 and in Italy. 

fol. 39 (contemporary foliation); fol. 38 (modern pencil foliation)

The leaf is in good condition, intact with all writing legible. As others in the host volume, this leaf is taped into a modern binding at the inner margin, which does obscure some of the letters of fol. 38vc. No collation evidence is discernable.

MS.Brown.It.1 was donated to University of Victoria Libraries in 1992 by Bruce and Dorothy Brown, who purchased the book from Maggs Bros. Ltd in London. Previous history of ownership is unknown. 

Notably, at the top of f. 38vb, there is an ascription of the list of women's faults to St. John Chrysostom (d. 407 CE). The ascription apparently relates to his Homily XVII on Matthew 5:27–28.

Writing on Chrysostom’s sermons in his work De planctu ecclesiae, Spanish Franciscan Alvarus Pelagius (d. 1352) details “one hundred and two reasons” why women should be hated “to demonstrate not only the inferiority, but also the dangerous nature of human females, 'origin of sin, weapon of the devil, expulsion from paradise, mother of error, corruption of the ancient law' (caput peccati, arma diaboli, expulsio paradisi, delicti mater, corruptio legis antiquae)" (Valerio 5). There is some overlap between Pelagius’ work and the misogynistic screed on f. 38v, including some identical phrases. Pelagius studied at Bologna, a speculative connection since fol. 31v of the host volume includes a note dating other contents to December 1614 in Bologna —such that much of the composite volume can be placed there. Most likely, however, the scribe of the fragmentary fol. 38 was working in the tradition of Chrysostom, Palagius, and others. The list may be his own compilation from other such sources.

Below is the University of Victoria's summary description of the host volume (written by Drs Adrienne Williams Boyarin and Joseph Grossi):

Miscellany of medical recipes, culinary recipes, and other ephemera, mostly in Italian (Bolognese dialect), some in Latin. Incomplete composite manuscript, compiled for personal use. Variety of scribal hands. One dated folio (32v): "3 Dbre 1614 in bolog(n)oa." Some lively pen trials and doodles (50-51).

Extent: 33 leaves, old 17th-century foliation 31-62, modern foliation in pencil, on paper with the exception of one leaf of reused medieval parchment (36). Paper quality and size inconsistent, some watermarks visible. Bound in plain modern boards 30 x 22 cm.