Diego Hurtado de Mendoza: Poems

A collection of poems bound with another manuscript. The poems are untitled, but are either known to be by Mendoza or have been attributed to him. There are twenty-two lines to each page. The second manuscript is Bernardino de Albornoz's 'La gaticida. Historia y cuento apacible', a mock heroic poem in 146 eight-line stanzas, describing the death, burial and honours paid to Juan Crespo's cat, Crispina. It is probably a transcript of a book printed in Paris by Nicolo Molinero in 1604, the only recorded copy of which belonged to Gayangos, but the location of which is now unknown.

Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

The volume was purchased from the bookseller Thomas Thorpe by Sir Thomas Phillipps, and became MSS 2243 and 24780 in his library. Bought at Sotheby's sale, 26 June 1973. Lot 2125.

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

Cambridge University Library holds other writing by Mendoza, MSS.Add.7815-7816. Another transcript of 'La gaticida' is in the Bibliotheca Nacional, Madrid, MS 2883.