Handwritten wine recipes on the back end pages of the copy: Precetti della Militia Moderna Tanto per Mare as per Terra, Girolamo Ruscelli, Venice, 1568.
Recent acquisitions by the BVR are the Precetti della Militia Moderna Tanto per Mare Quanto per Terra, by Girolamo Ruscelli, one of the best military treatises of the Italian Renaissance; mainly on artillery, but also on fireworks, with plenty of illustrations. It includes a curious chapter on military medicine (“Medicines used by the excellent doctor of arts and medicine Leonardo Fioravanti in different armies both on land and at sea and in Africa”), in which he mentions practices of the famous physician L. Fioravanti (1517-after 1583). ) exposed in the book De'i Capricci Midicinali, which had many reprints, especially in the 17th century. Ruscelli writes: “They say that the aforementioned excellent Mr Leonardo used a new kind of treatment for wounds on the head, which was as follows: as soon as someone was wounded in the head, stitches were stitched in the wound and some celestial water was applied on top, processed balm and magno liqueur - remedies described in his Capricci Medicinali [...] and it is said that he worked miracles with such remedies”. (The BVR has a 1680 edition of the Capricci and three more works by L. Fioravanti.)
All this would not justify the inclusion of the Precetti della Militia Moderna in the BVR, as there is no mention or allusion to the wine theme in them. However, the final three pages of the copy contain unusual handwritten recipes for the treatment and use of wine. It is a record of the time (most likely still from the 16th century) which, in addition to making the specimen unique, provides information on practices and inputs then adopted with regard to wine. What would have led the anonymous annotator to leave the record of these recipes in an artillery treaty...? Who knows, the recipes themselves will help to raise hypotheses that answer this question.
Despite losses and illegible and/or erased words, we believe we have satisfactorily recovered the autographs. (Mr. Giacomo's reading of Libreria Antiquaria Mediolanum, in Milan, is valuable.) In addition to the original facsimile of the manuscripts, we present below our transcription, the literal translation into Portuguese and the most current translation by Roberto Vallasciani to the Spanish.
The acquisition of this copy, whose handwritten addition, as we have already said, makes it unique in the world, reveals the virtue of collector that motivates JCReppucci.
Translated by Google Translate.