Beinecke MS 556
Southern France, s. XIII 2 (1281)
Mathematical, computistical, astronomical and astrological treatises

1. ff. 1r-6r	Omnia que a primeva rerum origine  processerunt ratione numerorum formata sunt 
[this word added in the margin] et quemadmodum sunt, sic cognosci habent ... Est autem 
numeratio cuiuslibet numeri  per figuras competentes artificialis representatio ... sive completi 
sive incompleti, qui modus operandi idem est cum predicto. Explicit Algorismus. Incipit tractatus 
Thebith.

Iohannes de Sacrobosco, Algorismus; M. Curtze, ed., Petri Philomeni de Dacia in algorismum 
vulgarem Iohannis de Sacrobosco commentarius, una cum algorismo ipso (Copenhagen, 1897).

2. ff. 6v-7v	Incipit tractatus Thebith de recta ymaginatione spere celestis. Nos iuxta rectam 
ymaginationem astrologiam inchoantes intelligamus mundum vel celum esse spericum corpus et 
rotundum ... Hec sunt que introducendis in astrologia  seu astronomia primo ymaginanda 
occurrunt. Explicit tractatus Thebith de recta ymaginatione spere celestis.

Thebit ben Chorat, De recta imaginatione sphaerae. Carmody pp. 118-119 ; F.J. Carmody, ed., 
The Astronomical Works of Thabit B. Qurra (Berkeley, 1941?? 1960??), pp.??

3. ff. 8r-17v	Incipit liber de spera. [Prologue :] Tractatum de spera 4 capitulis distinguimus, 
dicentes primo quid sit spera, quid eius centrum, quid axis spere, quid sit polus mundi ... ; [text :] 
[S]pera igitur ab Euclide sic describitur ... propter hec legitur Dionysius Ariopagita in eadem 
passione dixisse : Aut deus nature patitur aut mundana machina dissolvetur. Explicit liber de 
spera.

Iohannes de Sacrobosco, De sphaera, ed. ?? First printed 1472.

4. ff. 18r-21v	Incipit tractatus quadrantis. Debes scire quod circulus solis duas habet medietates, 
quarum una est septentrionalis et continet sex signa, que sunt Aries, Taurus ...  profunditates 
quaslibet et planicies. Hec quoque de prantica quadrantis causa introductionis breviter dicta 
sufficiant. Explicit quadrans.

Iohannes Campanus of Novara (ascr.), Tractatus quadrantis. Ed.??

5. ff. 21v-44r		Incipit compilatio compoti magistri Iohannis de Sacro Bosco. Compotus est 
scientia considerans tempora ex solis et lune motibus et eorum ad invicem commensuratione 
distincta ... In eadem littera versus dextram omnia predicta per ordinem inveniuntur. Explicit 
A.D. 1281. Explicit compotus magistri Iohannis de Sacro Bosco.

Iohannes de Sacrobosco, Compotus. First printed 1545.

6. ff. 44v-55r		Incipit theorica planetarum. Circulus ecentricus vel egresse cuspidinis vel 
egredientis centri dicitur, qui non habet centrum cum mundo ... Occupat Eriginem Stilbon 
Geminumque Latonem. Cesserunt Soli Cancer, Lune Leo soli. Explicit tractatus qui dicitur 
theoria planetarum.

Gerardus Sablonetanus (ascr.), Theorica planetarum (also attributed to other authors). Carmody 
pp. 167-168; F.J. Carmody, ed. (Berkeley, 1942??), pp. ??

7. ff. 55v-77v		Incipit liber de aggregationibus scientie stellarum et principiis celestium 
motuum, quem Ametus filius Ameti compilavit, qui dictus est Alfraganus, 30 continens capitula. 
[Table of contents :] Differentia prima in annis Arabum et Latinorum et nominibus mensium 
eorum et diversitatem quam habent ad invicem et in commemoratione annorum
eorum.  
Differentia 2a quod celum sit ad instar spere ...  Differentia 29 in
eclipsi Solis.  Differentia 30 
de quantitate temporis quod est inter eclipses. [f. 56r, text:] Numerus mensium Arabum et 
Latinorum est duodenus. Menses Arabum incipiunt ab Almuharam, qui est 30 dierum ... quorum 
unus fuerit in climatibus septentrionalibus et fuerit alter in parte meridiana. Iamque patefecimus 
de eclipsi Solis et Lune quod sufficiat. Explicit liber Alfragani de astronomia. Deo gracias.

Alfraganus, Liber differentiarum, tr. John of Seville. Carmody pp. 113-115; F.J. Carmody, ed. 
(Berkeley, 1943??), pp.??


Parchment (goatskin), ff. I (parchment) + 77 + I (parchment), 225 x 160 mm.

I 12 (-8 probably blank; ff. 1-11), II-VI 12 (ff. 12-71), VII 6 (ff. 72-77). The outer sides of the 
quires is flesh side. Horizontal catchwords at right.

Pricking in the upper, lower and outer (?) margins. Ruled with lead for one column of 35 lines 
below top line (type 35, 131 x 85 mm.).

Copied by a single scribe writing Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria using two-compartment 
and one-compartment a; z is written either as c or as z; the con- and -bus abbreviations have 
equally no fixed shape; explicit formulas very occasionally have looped ascenders; line-fillers in 
the shape of expunged i. Rubrics in the margins in Italian Gothica Hybrida. Numerous and often 
extensive marginal notes by various hands s. XIII-XIV, mostly in small rapid cursive 
handwriting, some in Italian Gothica Hybrida Libraria. The inscriptions in the diagrams are 
equally in Italianate script. In art. 1 numerous calculations in arabic numerals in the margins.

Red paragraph marks and 2-3-line plain initials with guide-letters; on f. 1r a larger flourished 
littera duplex inbrown and red; the other artt. open with larger  plain initials. Numerous pointing 
hands. Pen-and-ink drawings on ff. 4v: die; 6r: two circular diagrams, inscribed "figura 
diversitatis aspectus", with a clumsy Italianate drawing of a female figure, and "figura eclipsis 
solis";  8r: circular diagram of the earth within the circles of the elements, the planets and the 
heavens;  the fifth, sixth and seventh clima of the earth are inscribed "hec est regio Romanorum", 
"hec est regio Burgundorum et Francorum", "hec est regio Flandrensium et Anglorum" (the two 
final words in another hand); 17r: circular diagram of the lunar eclipse; 22v: space for circular 
diagram with the note "hic debet esse figura novem sperarum solum"; 24v: space for diagram 
with the note "hic debet esse figura mensium et signorum ad invicem correspondencium"; 27r: 
space for circular diagram, replaced by a sketch of a serpent biting its tail, and the note "hic debet 
esse figura comparationis anni ad serpentem"; 30v: space for circular diagram with the note "hic 
debet esse figura 4 ventorum, temporum, elementorum, etc. et complexionum"; 44r: circular 
diagram showing epicycle and excentric; 44v: astronomical diagram; 45r: diagram inscribed 
"figura Lune"; 45v: idem; 46r: two diagrams, one  inscribed "figura Draconis"; 47r: diagram 
inscribed "figura Saturni, Iovis et Martis"; 47v: astronomical diagram; 48r: idem, unfinished; 49v: 
astronomical diagrams. More spaces for diagrams or tables are left on ff. 40r, 42r (full page), 43v 
(only the circles have been drawn), 52r.

Early bindingwith heavy wooden boards recovered with new brown sheepskin. Spine with three 
raised bands and gold-tooled inscription: "TRACTATUS ASTRONOMICI. MS A.D. 1281".

"Executed in England in the year 1281" according to an antiquarian catalogue ?? . Whereas there 
is no doubt about the date (the manuscript is a unit and the year 1281 mentioned in the colophon 
of art. 5 may be considered valid for the whole), the origin is not certified. The very rare loops at 
ascenders in an explicit formula (f. 7v) may be an English feature, but a French and especially 
southern French origin is more likely, as appears from the combination of Northern and Southern 
elements in the handwriting of the text , whereas certain notes and captions to the illustrations (as 
well as the pointing hands and the drawing on f. 6r) may point to scribes or users with an Italian 
background. On the front paste-down the pencil note "Coll. perf. J. Martini". Was lot 20 in an 
English antiquarian catalogue numbered XXI. Collection of Henry C. Taylor. Bequest of Henry 
C. Taylor, 1970.

Bibliography: Taylor Collection, no. 1.

Albert Derolez

Updated 30.11.2007