Gli Hecatommithi and Henry Neville

Topic: Gli Hecatommithi and Henry Neville

1. Verified Sourced Facts

• The working Billingbear transcription gives a direct local catalog line at IMG_8173.png:

“Hecatommithi, overo Cento Novelle di M. Giovanbattista Giraldi Cinthio ... Ven. 1580”

• Direct PNG inspection by Codex on 2026-04-21 confirms that the Hecatommithi ... Giovanbattista Giraldi Cinthio ... Ven. 1580 line is visibly present in IMG_8173.png and matches the working transcription in substance.

• This upgrades the Billingbear Gli Hecatommithi item from Feinstein-blog/tweet trail to working-transcription plus direct-image evidence. The remaining task is bibliographic hardening of the exact 1580 Venice edition against a stable public catalog or facsimile record.

2. Ken Feinstein Twitter and Blog Information

• A Ken Feinstein blog post on the Billingbear book list states:

“Neville owned a 1580 edition of Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, the primary source for Othello and Measure for Measure -- an Italian text not widely read in England at the time.”

• A Ken Feinstein tweet dated 16 Oct. 2019 states:

“In 1780 Billingbear, Henry Neville's home, had a 1580 copy of Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, the source text for Othello and Measure for Measure.”

• The same tweet adds:

“Please note, Henry Neville was in Italy around 1580. It is quite likely he purchased Gli Hecatommithi in Italy and shipped it back to England. There are several other Italian books in the Billingbear library from exactly the same time.”

• A Ken Feinstein tweet dated 12 May 2021 states:

“To write Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare of Stratford read in Italian Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi. Henry Neville owned a copy of this book.”

3. Quoted Source Text

Henry Neville's Library of Shakespeare Sources

• “Neville owned a 1580 edition of Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, the primary source for Othello and Measure for Measure -- an Italian text not widely read in England at the time.”

Working Billingbear transcription

• IMG_8173.png: “Hecatommithi, overo Cento Novelle di M. Giovanbattista Giraldi Cinthio ____________ Ven. 1580”

Direct PNG inspection, 2026-04-21

• IMG_8173.png: the Hecatommithi, overo Cento Novelle di M. Giovanbattista Giraldi Cinthio ... Ven. 1580 line is visible on the page image.

Ken Feinstein tweets

• “In 1780 Billingbear, Henry Neville's home, had a 1580 copy of Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, the source text for Othello and Measure for Measure.”
• “Please note, Henry Neville was in Italy around 1580. It is quite likely he purchased Gli Hecatommithi in Italy and shipped it back to England.”
• “To write Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare of Stratford read in Italian Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi. Henry Neville owned a copy of this book.”

4. Citations

• Feinstein, Ken. “Henry Neville's Library of Shakespeare Sources.” kenfeinstein.blogspot.com, 31 Aug. 2019, https://kenfeinstein.blogspot.com/2019/08/henry-nevilles-library-of-shakespeare.html. Local preservation: blog_neville_library_sources_2019-08-31.md.
• Billingbear Book List Transcription, IMG_8173.png. Working local transcription: Billingbear_Book_List_Transcription.md. Page image: IMG_8173.png.
• Feinstein, Ken. “In 1780 Billingbear, Henry Neville's home, had a 1580 copy of Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, the source text for Othello and Measure for Measure.” X, 16 Oct. 2019, https://twitter.com/user/status/1184284630213545984. Local archive: twitter_Manuscripts_and_Books.md.
• Feinstein, Ken. “To write Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare of Stratford read in Italian Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi. Henry Neville owned a copy of this book.” X, 12 May 2021, https://twitter.com/user/status/1392485176635060234. Local archive: twitter_Manuscripts_and_Books.md.
• play_measure_for_measure.md, related play packet.
• othello_tweet_alignments.md, current Othello lead packet.

5. Evidence Images

6. Notes on Access

• This packet now has a direct local working-transcription path for the Billingbear Gli Hecatommithi item, keyed to IMG_8173.png.
• The key IMG_8173.png line has now been visually checked. The safest phrasing is that the working transcription and direct PNG inspection record a 1580 Hecatommithi in the Billingbear library.
• Stronger claims about Henry Neville personally owning, acquiring, or bringing the copy from Italy should remain in the Ken Feinstein interpretation layer unless independently documented.