Beinecke MS 520
Northern Italy, s. XIII 2
Petrus Comestor, Ps.-Augustine, Visions

1. ff. 1r-18r	In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Incipit scolastica ystoria. 
Prologus epistolaris. [R]everendo patri et domino suo Guillelmo, Dei gratia Senonensi 
archiepiscopo, Petrus servus Christi presbiter Trecensis vitam bonam et exitum beatum. Causa  
suscepti laboris fuit instans petitio... Incipit prefatio. Imperatorie maiestatis est in palatio habere ... 
et principium [text :] De creatione empyrrey et quattuor elementorum. [I]n principio erat verbum 
... post translati sunt in Sichem.

Petrus Comestor (d. 1179? 1189?), Historia scholastica, Genesis, Stegmueller 6543-6544; ed. PL 
198.1053-1142.

2. ff. 18r-29r	 Incipiunt capitula  ystorie libri Exodi. Surrexit igitur rex - De servitute filiorum 
Israel. Quod videns Pharao - De indole obstetricum ... Et ait Dominus ad - De secundis tabulis 
et gloria vultus Moysi. Egressa est omnis - De compositione tabernaculi etc. [f. 18v :]	Explicit 
Genesis et sequitur expositio sive explicatio Exodi. Incipit prefatio. [H]ystoria sequitur Exodi. Non 
alia quidem est a predicta, sed eadem continuata ... nos a principiis suis  psalmos nominavimus.  
[text :] De servitute filiorum Israel. Surrexit ergo  rex novus in Egypto. Longo tempore post 
mortem Ioseph ... et ipsi stabant, eratque ignis in nocte.  Sicut sepe diximus Moyses continuam 
scripsit ystoriam, sed postea Esdras vel alius divisit in quinque partes.

Petrus Comestor, Historia scholastica, Exodus, Stegmueller 6545; ed. PL 198.1141-1194.

3. ff. 29r-30v	Ystoria Levitici. [T]ertia distinctio ystorie quam scripsit Moyses  grece dicitur 
Leviticus ... ad  transmigrationem Babbilonis, nec licuit deinceps ignem in altari apponere 
alienum. 

Petrus Comestor, Historia scholastica, Leviticus, chapters 1-15, Stegmueller 6546; ed. PL 
198.1193-1203.

4. ff. 31r-48r	In nomine Domini Nostri Ihesu Christi . Amen. Incipit summa magistri Raimundi 
de ordine fratrum Predicatorum de penitentia. [prologue :] [Q]uoniam , ut ait Ieronimus, secunda 
post naufragium tabula est culpam sinpliciter confiteri ... dicas vel librum mendosum, vel te non 
intelligere, vel a me preter propositum inserta cogitans, karitate fraterna corrigas et emendes. 
[table of chapters :] De symonia. De symonia ... De sepulturis. [text :] Incipit primum capitulum. 
De symonia. Quoniam inter crimina ecclesiastica symoniaca heresis optinet primum locum ... [De 
raptu:] ... supradicta fecerint sepelliend** ipsius.  		f. 48v ruled but blank

Raymundus de Pennaforti, Summa de casibus poenitentiae, Bloomfield 5054. About the existing 
versions, see S. Kuttner in Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung, Kanonistische Abteilung, 39 (1953), 
pp. 419-434.

5. ff. 49r-51v 	Incipit prologus beati Agustini episcopi in libro de vita christiana. Ego peccator et 
ultimus insipientior ceteris inperitior ... qui te tantum dilligimus ut quod presentes prestare non 
possumus conferamus absentes. Explicit liber sancti Agustini episcopi ad sororem suam de vita 
christiana.

Pseudo-Augustine, De vita christiana (also attributed to Pelagius, d. c. 423-429), CPL 730, 
Bloomfield 6195, Sharpe, p. 145 ; ed. PL 40.1031-1046.

6. ff. 51v-54v	Incipit liber sancti Agustini episcopi de penitentia.  [Q]uam sit universis utilis et 
necessaria penitentie medicina facilime homines intelligunt ... Ergo dimitte incertum et tene 
certum. Explicit liber sancti Agustini episcopi de penitentia.

Augustine (doubtful authorship), Sermo 351, De paenitentia agenda, CPL 284, Bloomfield 4365; 
ed. PL 39.1535-1549.

7. ff. 54v-55v	Hee prophetie et visiones adque [sic] revelationes, quas vidit quidam sanctus frater 
Minor de his que ventura sunt cito multum terribilia et tremenda anno Domini m cc xliii ante 
generale concilium factum Lugduni. Visio prima.  Apparuit michi quidam vir indutus vestibus 
lineis et stetit iusta me et dixit michi : Sequere me ... [Visio XVII:] ... et erat cum ipsa angelus 
Michael et alia virgo, et desuper erat gloria imcomprehensibilis. 

Anonymous Italian Franciscan, Visiones. These seventeen visions are said to have been written in 
1243, before the 1st Council of Lyons which took place in 1245 and during which Emperor 
Frederic II was deposed.

8. f. 55v	Hec subscripta revelatio cuiusdam alii fratris sanctissimi de Marchia Trivisina qui 
vocatur frater Petrus. Hec subscripta revelata sunt fratri Petro natione Veneto, cognatione  et 
statura parvo, dignitate sacerdoti, religione fratri Minori, simplicitate puro, in hora matutinali 
apud locum de Bocano ... sub anno Domini m cc xlv, tempore concilii generalis celebrati Ludduni 
[sic] ... ignis Dominique stillabit de alto, qui in ictu cuncta cremabit. Supradicta quoque de 
quodam fratre Stephano de Frorentino civitate Campanie, qui hec vidit et testatus est.	
	f.  56r blank

An additional vision by Peter of Treviso O.F.M., which he had in Bolzano?? in 1245, at the time 
of the Council of Lyons mentioned in art. 7. The final rubric seems to indicate that the author of 
art. 7 was friar Stephen of Fiorentino.

9. f. 56v	Rismi de duodecim lapidibus preciosis qui sunt in Apoccalipsim [sic] moraliter. 
[C]ives celestis patrie, regi regum concinite ... post metam vite labilis consortium in superis, inter 
sanctorum agmina cantemus tibi cantica. Amen.

Well-known poem on the Twelve Apocalyptic Stones (cf. Rev. 21:19-20), often ascribed to 
Marbod of Rennes (d. 1123), Walther, Initia 2812; ed. PL 171.1771-1772.

Parchment, ff. I (paper) + 56 + I (paper), 165 x 115 mm. The ink on the first pages has flaked, 
making them very difficult to decipher.

I-IV 10 (ff. 1-40), V 10 (-9, -10; ff. 41-48), VI (ff. 49-56: all leaves are singletons, but ff. 49 and 
56, 52 and 55 and 53 and 54 are stitched together to make bifolios); signatures A-D in the middle 
of the lower margins of the last pages of quires I-IV, generally written in a frame of irregular 
shape.

Pricked and ruled in brown ink for two columns of a number of lines varying between 52 and 68 
below top line. The ruling is generally of type 55 with an additional vertical line between the 
columns and all horizontal lines crossing the intercolumnar space. More horizontal lines are often 
continued to the edge of the page, without a fixed system being discernable. Although the same 
pricking for the vertical lines are visible on ff. 55-56, the text on these pages is written in a single 
column (ruling type 35).

Probably written by one hand in extremely small Southern Gothica Semitextualis Libraria under 
some Cursiva influence. The script of art. 9 is larger.

Red headings, red heightening of majuscules and red plain initials, mostly 2-3 lines; the red 
initials were to alternate with blue ones but the latter have not been executed. Many initials are 
anyhow missing. Guide-letters are seen close to the fold or to the edge of the pages. The running 
titles were also planned to be executed in alternately red and blue majuscules, but the blue letters 
are missing; there are no running titles after f. 20 (quire II).

Modern limp vellum binding.  

On the front fly-leaf r a table of contents written in pencil  by the owner S. Harrison Thomson. 
Purchased in 1972 from Thomson on the Edwin J. Beinecke Fund.

Albert Derolez

Updated 28.11.2007