Beinecke MS 539
France (?), s. XIII med-XIV 1
Sermons

1. ff. 1r-8v	[starts incomplete; first complete sermon:] Estote misericordes etc... In hoc 
ewangelio invitamur ad perfectam iusticiam ... [Schneyer v. 4, p. 655]; [last sermon:] Attendite a 
falsis prophetis etc. ... In hoc ewangelio sunt tria valde digna memoria ... [Schneyer v. 4, p. 655].

Sermons on the Gospels, apparently by Petrus Hispanus (Pope John XXI, 1210/1220-1277).

2. ff. 9r-72v	Hora est. Cum sit brevis vita nostra... Breves dies hominis ...  [Schneyer v. 9, p. 1]; 
[2nd sermon :] Cum appropinquasset ... Notandum quod illud ewangelium duobus Dominicis 
... [Schneyer v. 2, p. 758]; [one of the first sermons  by the new hand starting f. 25r:] Ascendente 
Ihesu in naviculam. Nota quod navicula ista crux Christi intelligitur ... [Schneyer v. 2, p. 759]; 
[one of the last sermons, f. 69v:] Cum sublevasset oculos Ihesus. In hoc evangelio notantur tria. 
Primo ad Dei  mutacionem ...

Sermons on the Epistles and the Gospels; at least two of them are by Hugues of Saint-Cher 
(1190-1263).

3. ff. 73r-96v	[begins incomplete; first complete sermon:] Hoc sentite in vobis quod et in Christo 
Ihesu. Tripliciter debemus sentire ...[Schneyer v. 2, p. 546]; [one of the last sermons:] Non sunt 
condigne passiones etc. Passiones amare sunt, set tamen ...[Schneyer v. 2, p. 553].

Sermons on the Epistles, apparently by Guillaume Perault (d. 1271).

4. ff. 97r-104r		Quecumque scripta sunt ad nostram doctrinam scripta sunt ... In 
precedenti epistola monuit nos apostolus ad surgendum ... [Schneyer v. 5, p. 583]; [last sermon:] 
Sol illuminans per omnia respicit ... In hiis verbis commendatur beatus Dominicus ...

Sermons on the Epistles, at least one attributed to Thomas of Aquino.

5. ff. 104v-119r	Dicite filie Syon: Ecce rex tuus venit ... Primo videamus quales debent 
esse ... [Schneyer v. 3, p. 375]; [last sermon :] Erat Ihesus eiciens demonium ... Sciendum est 
quod VII sunt demonia ... [Schneyer v. 3, p. 384].

Sermons on the Epistles and the Gospels, apparently by Iohannes de Castello (fl. c. 1273).

6. f. 119r 	Stetit Ihesus in medio discipulorum ... In verbis propositis  ** sunt tria 
principaliter annotari ... 	ff. 119v-120r blank

Unidentified sermon.

7. f. 120v 	Universis presentes litteras inspecturis frater Nicholaus dictus Levalet de ordine 
Fratrum Predicatorum salutem in Domino. ...

Copy of a document of absolution from excommunication delivered by the Dominican Nicholas 
Levalet on the authority of  P. bishop of Bayeux. The bishop was probably Petrus de Benais, 
1276-1306. 

8. ff. 121r-152r	[last sermon in the first hand, incomplete:] Diliges Dominum Deum ... In 
hoc ewangelio agitur quomodo Phariseus Dominum temptavit ... [Schneyer v. 3, p. 399; this 
sermon is started again by the new hand on f. 145r; last sermon:] Domine filia mea modo 
defuncta ... Nota quod filia ista in domo ... [Schneyer v. 2, p. 765].

Sermons on the Gospels, continued from art. 5. The first is by Iohannes de Castello, the last by 
Hugues of Saint-Cher.

9. ff. 152r-155r [the first two sermons:] Fluminis impetus letificat civitatem Dei. Sermo in die 
sancto Penthechostes, que verba sumpta sunt de psalmo ...; Sic Deus dilexit mundum ut 
unigenitum ... In Ihoanne scripta sunt ista verba et leguntur ...; [the last, in a more careful hand:] 
Implevit eum Dominus spiritu sapientie ... Quoniam secundum philosophum VIII moralium 
omnis amicitia ...	f. 155v blank

Unidentified sermons.

10. ff. 156r-274v		Quasi diluculum preparatus est egressus ... Tria notantur in verbis 
istis circa adventum Domini ...;  [the last sermon:] Afferte michi nummisma .... Nummisma regis 
aurum est, nummisma mundi homo ... [Schneyer v. 5, p. 593]; [f. 274v:] Explicit quasi diluculum.

Iohannes de Castello, Sermons on the Epistles and the Gospels (Sermones "Quasi diluculum"), 
here erroneously attributed to Bonaventura. See Schneyer v. 3, pp. 375 and 401-403. The last 
sermon is recorded as anonymous.

11. f. 275r-v	Sanctificavit  tabernaculum suum Altissimus. In verbis istis duo notantur, scilicet 
quis est sanctificans ...		ff. 276-277 blank

Unidentified sermon.

12. ff. 278r-318r	[first sermon :] [O]mnis enim quicumque invocaverit nomen Domini salvus 
erit. ... In istis verbis tria notantur. Primo salutem ... [Schneyer v. 1, p. 184]; [f. 278v:] Ascendam 
in palmam ... In istis verbis tria notantur ad laudem sancti Andree [30 Nov.; Schneyer v. 1, p. 
184]; sermons for the feasts of St. Nicholas [6 Dec.]; [f. 279v:] St. Lucia [13 Dec.]; [f. 280r:] the 
Virgin; [f. 281v:] St. Thomas apostle [21 Dec.]; [f. 284r:] St. Stephen [26 Dec.]; between f. 284v 
and 285r the beginning of a sermon on Thomas Becket [29 Dec.], dealing with "sapientia", seems 
to be missing; [f. 285r:] Thomas Becket: Ubi ego sum illic et minister meus erit...Duo notantur 
hic: meritum et premium ... [Schneyer v. 5, p. 593]; [f. 317v:]: St. Catherine [25 Nov.]: Sapiens 
mulier edificat domum ... Hec verba possunt exponi de beata Katherina [Schneyer v. 5, p. 598].

Sermons for feast days, some attributed to Aldobrandinus de Cavalcantibus (1217-1279) and 
Thomas of Aquino.

13. ff. 318r-322r 	Vos non estis de mundo... In istis verbis notantur tria secundum tres 
clausulas eorum. Primo sanctorum  dignitas ... [Schneyer v. 6, p. 604?]; [second sermon :] Videns 
Ihesus turbas ... In hiis verbis duo notantur, scilicet Domini bonitas [Schneyer v. 5, p . 597]; [f. 
320r:] Vidit hominem sedentem  ad theloneum ... In isto evangelio tria notantur. Primo magna 
Domini Nostri I.C. benignitas ... [Schneyer v. 5, p. 597]	f. 322v blank

Sermons attributed to Thomas Aquinas and others.


Parchment, ff. I (paper) + 322 + I (paper), 155 x 115 mm. Some irregular edges. From f. 277 
(blank) a triangular section has been cut out.

The manuscript consists of 7 groups of quires, all dating from the second half of the thirteenth 
century (except where another date is given below), which in the fifteenth century were united 
and sometimes given headings or running headlines by an English hand.

I 8  (art. 1). Pricked and ruled for one column of 46 lines below top line. Small and wide Northern 
Gothica Textualis Currens. Black paragraph marks and plain initials. The text is structured by 
means of braces.

II-V 16 (art. 2). Ruled for two columns of a varying number of lines. Wide margins in quire II (ff. 
9-24), written by one scribe in relatively large Textualis Libraria. He opens his transcription with 
the invocation "Divinum auxilium maneat semper nobiscum". The horizontal catchword at the 
end does not perfectly fit the subsequent text (quires III-V, ff. 25-40), written by another hand 
in smaller and more compressed script on marked lead ruling, with narrower margins. Red braces.

VI 24 (art. 3). Two columns of a varying number of lines written in very small Textualis Libraria. 
Lead page per page ruling with writing above top line, probably s. XIII med. Initials lacking.

VII-VIII 12 (art. 4-7). ff. 97r-104r (art. 4) have lead ruling for two columns of 37 lines below top 
line and are written in careful small Textualis Libraria; f. 104rb is blank.	ff. 104v-119r (art. 5) 
have similar ruling for 47 lines and are written by another hand in Textualis Libraria s. XIII/XIV. 
Initials lacking. Art. 6 is added in Textualis Currens under strong cursive influence. Art. 7 is an 
addition written in long lines in documentary cursive script, s. XIII/XIV.

IX 24 (ff. 121-144, art. 8, first part). Two columns of 56 lines. On the last page the quire-mark (?) 
"XXXVI". Small Textualis Libraria marked by loops and extensions at the ascenders on the top 
line. Alternately red and blue paragraph marks and 2-line flourished initials.

X 12 (- 12, ff. 145-155). Art. 8, second part. Ruled for two columns of 47 lines, written by the 
same scribe as art. 5. Initials lacking. Ends in the middle of f. 152ra. The additional sermons (art. 
9) are in  careless Textualis Currens (ff. 152r-154ra) and in Textualis Libraria s. XIV 1 (ff. 154r-
155r).

XI-XVIII 8 (ff. 156-219), XIX-XXIII 10 (ff. 220-269), XXIV 8 (ff. 270-277); collation of the 
remainder impossible.  Ruled with lead for two columns of 29 lines below top line. Artt. 10 and 
12  are written by one hand  in Textualis Libraria. Initials mostly lacking. ff. 275r-277v are not 
ruled and contain art. 11 in documentary Textualis, followed by blank pages (notes in lead on f. 
276v). Art. 13 is in documentary script, faded on f. 321r. The text on ff. 321v-322r, very faded 
and stained, is in Gothica Cursiva Currens (Secretary) s. XV; the same hand wrote the headings 
and running titles throughout the manuscript.

Binding s. XVIII damaged: sprinkled brown leather over cardboard.  Spine with five raised 
bands, gold-tooled, with gold-tooled title on a red leather label: "MANUSCRIPT". Red 
sprinkled edges.

On f. 321v  two notes were clumsily written in large documentary script s. XIV before the text in 
Secretary was added: "Alan Sal** et q alia ******* Christi Thurcasto*"; "**** Guill** Fu** 
thison prima maritus *** de Alneto sed *** filia Petri Lequauer" (doubtful reading). On the front 
pastedown the shelfmarks "D.1.8" and "No. 5 Cl. 2 Hi (?) 6", both s. XVIII.
Library of Thomas E. Marston. Presented by Thomas E. Marston, October 1973.

Bibliography:
Ph. B. Roberts, Thomas Becket in the Medieval Latin Preaching Tradition: An Inventory of 
Sermons about St. Thomas Becket c. 1170-1400. Instrumenta Patristica, 25 (Steenbrugge, The 
Hague, 1992), pp. 62 and 229.

Albert Derolez

Updated 29.11.2007