Beinecke MS 552
North-eastern France (?), s. XIII/XIV
Carthusian Missal

ff. 1r-2r blank

1. ff. 2v-8r	Calendar, one page for each month. The computistical data are: the length of the 
solar and the lunar month, the Golden Numbers, the Day Letters, the Roman Calendar, the day 
the sun enters each sign of the Zodiac (e.g. "sol in Aquario", 18 Jan.), "locus Bissexti" (24 Febr.), 
"claves Paschales" (11 March), "locus Concurrentium" (24 March), "claves Rogationum" (15 
April), the Solstices (14 June, 15 Dec.), "Indictiones" (24 Sept.). The Calendar is almost identical 
with the Carthusian Calendar printed in Grotefend v. 2, 2, pp. 18-20, but the following feasts are 
noteworthy: Lubentius priest in Trier (additional, 6 Febr.), Albanus venerated in Mainz (in red on 
erasure, 21 June), Arnulphus bishop of Metz (additional, 16 August) and "Commemoratio 
Cluniacensium" (19 Oct.).

2. ff. 8v-10r	Incipit exorzismus salis et aque. Adiutorium in nomine Domini. Qui fecit celum et 
terram. Exorzizo te creatura salis per Deum vivum ... et defendat omnes habitantes in hoc 
habitaculo. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. 	ff. 10v-11r blank

3. ff. 11v-141r		Temporale, from the First Sunday of Advent to Holy Saturday. Dominica 
prima Adventus Domini. Ad te levavi ... [ff. 121v-123v, musical notation:] Ad mandatum 
antiphona. 

4. ff. 141v-156v	Ordo missae: Gloria, Credo, and Praefationes with musical notation, 
Communicantes for various feasts, and Canon, with musical notation for Pater noster.

5. ff. 157r-218v	Temporale, from Easter to the 25th Sunday after Pentecost.

6. ff. 219r-270v	Sanctorale, from Candlemas (2 Febr.) to Agnes II (28 Jan.).  In die 
Purificationis beate Marie. Benedictio cereorum [heading on f. 218v]. Deus inestimabilis 
potencie, cuius unigenitus cum nostra humanitate ...

7. ff. 271r-276v	Common of the Saints. Incipit commune sanctorum. Primo de apostolis. 
Michi autem nimis honorati sunt amici tui ... ; De uno martyre; Plurimorum martyrum; De 
confessoribus; Unius confessoris non pontificis; Unius virginis; In natali unius virginis et non 
martyris. De ea que non fuit virgo ...

8. ff. 276v-294r	Various masses and votive masses: De sancta Trinitate; De Sancto Spiritu;  
De sancta Cruce; Sabbato de beata Virgine Maria; Missa pro peccatis; Pro tribulacione; In 
Adventu de omnibus sanctis; Pro pace ecclesie; Pro stabilitate; Pro concordia; Pro pace; Pro vivis 
et defunctis; Contra tempestates; Pro iter [facientibus]; Pro serenitate; Item pro tribulacione; Pro 
episcopo; Pro prelatis; Pro omni gradu ecclesie; De sanctis et reliquiis ecclesie; Missa propria 
sacerdotis [three items]; Pro reconciliacione peccatoris; Pro infirmo; Pro famulo [three items]; 
Contra malas cogitaciones; Contra temptaciones carnis; Pro rege; Pro inimicis; Pro peticione 
lacrimarum; Pro elemosinis; Generalis; Pro salute vivorum et requie defunctorum; Pro defunctis 
[two items]; Pro famula; Pro recommendatis; In anniversario; Pro episcopis et sacerdotibus; Pro 
fratribus et congregacione; Pro benefactoribus; Pro omnibus fidelibus; Pro patre et matre; Pro 
sepultis in cymiterio.

9. ff. 294v-301r	Summe sacerdos et vere pontifex, qui te obtulisti ...[Leroquais, 
Sacramentaires v . 1, pp. 194, 221, 234 etc.]; [f. 297r :] Ad mensam dulcissimi convivii  tui, Rex 
angelorum ... ; [f. 298r :] Consciencia trepida accedo ad sumendum mysterium corporis et 
sanguinis tui ...; [f. 298v:] Consciencia trepidus et supra modum culpabilis vite ... [Leroquais, 
Sacramentaires v. 1, p. 148 ; v. 2, p. 346]; [f. 299v:] Deus, qui non mortem sed penitenciam 
desideras peccatorum ...[Leroquais, Sacramentaires v. 1, pp. 31, 41, 44 etc.]; O dulcissime et 
misericordissime Domine Ihesu Christe, fateor immense bonitati tue ...; [f. 300r:] Ego miser 
peccator et multorum conscius malorum totis precordiis ...

Prayers before Mass and for the forgiveness of sins.

10. ff. 301r-302r	Quidam bonus homo iacuit in orationibus suis cum devotione, ignorans 
quid peteret a Deo. Et apparuit ei Dominus dicens ei: Quare non petis aliquid ? ... [about the 
seven requests to make in prayer]; Quidam bonus homo rogavit Dominum ut notum faceret ei si 
aliquid utilitatis esset in oracionibus que essent sine devocione ... [about the twelve utilities of a 
prayer said without devotion] ; Duo fratres erant in ordine Predicatorum multum familiares, ita ut 
simul semper orarent ... et quod nescivi hucusque utrum essem de numero salvandorum  hoc fuit 
michi // [unfinished, about a Dominican twice appearing after his death to his fellow friar].

Three unidentified exempla.

11. ff. 302v-308r		Masses for the 11.000 Virgins, St. Alban, St. Elisabeth of 
Thueringen, St. Catherine, St. Barbara, the Dedication of the Church, St. Anne, St. Arnulphus, the 
Wounds of Christ. Added by various hands, often giving the folio number (see below) where the 
mass is to be entered.


Parchment, ff. I (parchment) + 308 + I (parchment), 165 x 115 mm.; f. 1 is blank; the lower half 
of f. 308 (blank) is cut away. Original foliation in red ink in the middle of the outer margin of all 
verso pages, from quire II up to the third leaf of quire XXX (ff. "I"-"CCLXXXIII" = ff. 11-
293).

I-XXX 10 (ff. 1-300), XXXI 10 (-9, - 10, ff. 301-308). Small signatures of the type "aI", "aII", 
"aIII", "aIIII", "aV", "+" , normally in the lower outer corner of the first five recto pages of each 
quire, in the following sequence: (1) quires I-III (ff. 1-30): "a"-"c"; (2) quires IV-XXVII (ff. 31-
270): "a"-"z", tironian et and a spiral-shaped sign; (3) quires XXVIII-XXX (ff. 271-300): "a"-
"c", placed in the upper outer corner of the first five recto pages. Horizontal catchwords placed 
low and far right.

Pricking in the upper, outer and lower margins for one-column ruling of 23 lines below top line. 
The last but one prick in the outer margin is double; the ruling, traced in lead, is mostly invisible 
(type 16, 115 x 70 mm.). The Calendar is pricked and ruled in dark brown ink for one column of 
33 lines below top line (type 11 with 4 additional vertical lines at left, 115 x 80 mm.).

Art. 1-10 copied by a single scribe, who writes a small bold, wide and regular Northern Gothica 
Textualis in two sizes, marked by a limited number of fusions, numerous decorative hair lines, a 
conspicuous "cursive" r-abbreviation, the German form of the con-abbreviation and use of the 
"Cistercian" punctuation. Most texts in art. 11 are copied by a slightly later and less careful hand, 
writing Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria marked by cursive s in final position; f. 305v, 
however, with the mass for St. Anne, is in Northern Gothica Textualis Formata, and on f. 306r 
the Collecta for St. Arnulphus is in a careful "hors systeme" Gothic hand s. XIV, but the Secreta 
and the Postcommunio ("Complenda") have been added in German Gothica Hybrida Currens s. 
XV/XVI. Square music notation on 4-line red staves, 8 staves to the page; width of the staves 9 
mm.

Heightening of the majuscules in red. Numerous 1-line and 2-line plain initials alternately in red 
and blue . Fine flourished litterae duplices of various sizes in the same colours with long 
flourished extensions with grotesque faces in the upper and left margins and occasionally J-
borders on ff. 11v (First Sunday of Advent, the initial inhabited by a grotesque dragon), 23v 
(Christmas), 29r (Epiphany), 99r (Palm Sunday), 142r (Prefaces), 147v ("Te igitur"), 151r 
(Easter), 173r (Pentecost), 184v (2nd Sunday after Pentecost, damaged), 219r (Benediction of the 
Candles), 219v (Candlemas), 232r (St. John the Baptist), 246v (Assumption of the Virgin), 250v 
(Nativity of the Virgin), 260v (All Saints). In two cases the 2-line initials subsequent to the littera 
duplex on these pages are not plain, but flourished (ff. 11v and 250v). Guide-letters and 
instructions for the rubricator are written in the margins. In the lower margin of the "Te igitur" 
page (f. 147v) is a contemporary pen-and-ink drawing of Christ at the Cross between the Virgin 
and John. The additional texts constituting art. 11 are mostly decorated with plain initials in red 
and blue; the one on f. 304r (Dedication of the Church) is a flourished initial.

Binding s. XX: white pigskin over bevelled wooden boards, with two brass clasps attached to 
the rear cover. On both covers a blind-tooled oval stamp with the inscription "Maria". Spine with 
four raised bands and in the upper compartment the handwritten title in imitation Textualis 
Formata: "Missale / Plenarium". Parchment tabs.

The manuscript was written for a Carthusian house at the western limit of the German Empire, 
and probably adapted for the neighbourhood of Metz. The distribution of the signatures in three 
series is unexplained. As appears from the additions and corrections the missal was used during 
various centuries. Purchased from Stonehill by Prof. Sumner McKnight Crosby. Given by him, 
December 1984.

Albert Derolez

Updated 29.11.2007.