Beinecke MS 547
Italy, s. XIV
Sermons and theological treatises

f. 1r-287v	[f. 1r:] In Assupcione [sic] Marie. Maria optimam partem elegit [Luke 10:42] ... 
Quia vero in assupcione matris Domini benedictio ...; [f. 3v :] In Parasceve Domini. Memoria 
memor ero, tabescet in me [Lam. 3:20] ... Cum enim nichil sit acutius gladio Dominice passionis 
...; [f. 5v:] Videbunt filium hominis venientem in nube [Luke 21:27] ... Quia secundum 
doctrinam beati Augustini super Genesim ...; [f. 7v:] Baptizatus Ihesus confestim ascendit de 
aqua [Matt. 3:16] ... Quia secundum doctrinam beati Augustini de vita religiosa vita christiana ... 
[Schneyer v. 2, p. 75]; [f. 10v :] Dominica 3a Quadragesime. Erat Ihesus eiciens demonium [Luke 
11:14] ... Primo enim tangitur Christi curantis beneficium ... ; [f. 15v:] Discite a me, quia mitis 
sum [Matt. 11:29] ... Quia vero Christus Dominus pridie quam pateretur ...[Schneyer v. 2, p. 79];  
[f. 278v:] Pro sancto Francisco [in the upper margin]. Volavit ad me unus de Seraphin [Isa. 6 :6] 
... Sacer Ysaias divino spiritu illustratus condiciones ... ; [f. 280r :] De mortuis [in the upper 
margin]. Venit hora et nunc est quando mortui audient vocem [John 5:25]... Verba sunt Salvatoris 
consolantes [sic] mentes fidelium ... ; [f. 281r-285v:] Principium super [in the margin]. In capite 
libri scriptum est de me Ps. 30. Verbum istud quod ad litteram est ipsius Christi ... [Principia 
super libros sententiarum, Stegmueller, Sent. 1329 ; the author is Iacobus de Trisancto OFM, see 
V. Doucet, " Commentaires sur les Sentences. Supplement au repertoire de M.
Fredric 
Stegmueller ", Archivum Franciscanum historicum, 47 (1954), 396]; [f. 285v :] Dominica prima 
in Quadragesima [in the upper margin]. Angeli accesserunt et ministrabant ei [Matt. 4:11] ... In 
ewangelio hodierno sicut est in generacione rerum naturalium ... 

Large collection of sermons without apparent order, mostly unidentified, but several of them by 
or attributed to Franciscus de Mayronis OFM, d. 1327 (?), with some theological treatises in 
between. Most headings are later additions.


Parchment, ff. II (parchment) + 287, 215 x 155 mm. Goatskin of uneven and generally bad 
quality, with many irregular edges, incisions, dark surfaces, etc. See the scribe's notes on f. 163r 
and v: "Videtur quod non valeat istud pergamenum" and "Probacio pergameni utrum valeat". 
The outer side of the quires is flesh side. Early foliation in arabic numerals in the lower outer 
corners of the recto pages, after f. 225 corrected by a modern hand.

I-IX 12 (ff. 1-108), X 12 (- 8, ff. 109-119, without apparent loss of text), XI-XXIV 12 (ff. 120-
287). Idiosyncratic system of signatures in red or in blue ink, consisting of a large letter preceded 
or followed by a number of strokes and the  series ending with a cross (e.g. "A" "AI" "AII" 
"AIII" "AIIII" "AIIIII" " +" or "A" "IA" "IIA" "IIIA" "IIIIA" "IIIIIA" "+"). The following 
groups may be distinguished: (1) quires I-III (ff. 1-36): letters "L", "F", "K"; (2) quires IV-IX 
(ff. 37-108): letters "A"-"F"; in the two preceding groups "IIII" and "IIIII" may be replaced by 
symbols like  etc.; (3) quires X-XVI (ff. 109-191): letters "A"-"F" and "H", written in the outer 
margin far from the lower edge of the leaves; (4) quires XVII-XVIII (ff. 192-215): letters"G"-
"H". In the remaining quires the signatures, if present, are poorly distinguishable. Horizontal 
catchwords at right, mostly framed but often trimmed off, as are many signatures. In some 
sections there are additional simple signatures from "1" to "6".

Pricked and ruled with lead for two columns of 41 lines below top line (type 43, 153 x 107 mm., 
intercol. space 8 mm.), all horizontal lines crossing the intercol. space).

Written by various similar hands in brown ink in small Southern Gothica Textualis Currens under 
influence of Cursiva as appears from final s and occasional loops at the ascenders and at d. Due 
to the bad quality of the parchment and the many abbreviations the legibility of many pages is 
scant.

Alternately red and blue paragraph marks and 2- or 3-line flourished initials. Marginal notes by 
contemporary and later hands.

The binding has disappeared. The two flyleaves in front of the manuscript are taken from an 
Italian document in Latin; the text is very faded and partly erased. On the second flyleaf recto 
and verso is written in Italian Gothica Cursiva s. XIV part of the Table of Content of a 
theological manuscript.

Franciscan convent of Serra San Quirico west of Ancona: on the second flyleaf r the inscription 
s. XVII "Conventus S. Francisci Serr@ S. Quirici. 174". This may also be the origin of the 
manuscript, given the various sermons for the feast of St. Francis and the texts by Franciscan 
authors it contains. Purchased by Thomas E. Marston from H.P. Kraus, New York. Gift of 
Thomas E. Marston, November 1974.

Albert Derolez

Updated 28.11.2007