The volume features a calligraphic frontispiece, a sign that it is a fine copy by Baitelli or one of his trusted secretary. The codex opens with an intriguing "Rotolo delli Sediziosi" (Roll of the Seditious) listing in alphabetical order the names of the seditious, divided by family, from Aiardi to Zeno. A total of 72 families, where potential rebels nest, follow. This is followed by a "Passio Rusticalis Sinagoge" in verse on 6 pages. On page 11, the "Historia del Nato della Plebe di Brescia per l'Ingresso del Maggior Conseglio" (History of the Birth of the Plebs of Brescia for the Entrance of the Great Council) begins, anticipating the various sections of the codex, all relating to historical events, decisions of the College, resolutions, Orations, Memorials, etc. The final leaf, f. 167r, bears a signature date that can be interpreted as the terminus ante quem : Venice, the last day of March 1645.


Lodovico Baitelli was born in Brescia to the nobleman Costanzo and lived in the 1740s and 1750s. He studied at the University of Padua and earned a doctorate in law. Upon returning to Brescia, he played a prominent role in local political life and was sent to Venice several times to represent his city's interests and concerns. In Venice, his eloquent speech and solid legal knowledge earned him, in addition to the titles of Count and Knight, the appointment of Consultor in Iure. Consultations, considerations, documents, opinions, summaries, and historical-legal abstracts, written mostly in collaboration with Scipione Feramosca, testify to Baitelli's activity, during which he must have dealt with a wide variety of topics.