Beinecke MS 654
Southern Germany or Austria, 1462
Iohannes Friburgensis, Summa confessorum, in German.

1. ff. 1r-9v	Hie hebt sich an das register uber dy suma Iohannys und uber das decret. W** 
von ein pabst gemaingkleich mug ablosen: A 1. Was ein pabst pesunder leich mug ablosen: A II 
... Auff czveyvel schol nyemant urtaylin: R VI. Was czvytracht sey.

Table of Contents of art. 2, referring to the original foliation.

2. ff. 10r-172v		Hye hebt sich an dye suma Iohannys und das decretth als her [heading on 
f. 9vb]. Unusquisque sicut accepit gratiam in alterutrum illam aministrantes. Iø Petri IIIIø. Sand 
Peter der czvelffpot spricht in seiner ersten epistel in dem vierden capitel: Ein yegleicher mensch 
als er hat genad und tugent enphangen von Got, also sol er auch dy genad anderen lewten 
mittaylen ... [f. 120r:] Hec Gaufredus. Anno Domini milesimo LXIIø finitum hoc opus feria 
secunda post Reminiscere in der Vasten [15 March 1462]. So saw so. Abavus - abava, proavus - 
proava ... [table of consanguinity]. In welhen syppen man in de allten testament geheyrat hab in 
dem anevang. In dem anevangk der welt, da wenig lewt waren  ... nachdem als einer alain ist 
wider das das da guet ist und gerecht oder sy all mit einander dawider sind. Hec Thomas. 
Finitum hoc opus per me Iohannem Geratwol sub anno Domini milesimo quadringentesimo 
sexagesimo secundo. Anno Domini tawsent vierhunder und in czvay und sechczigistem iar.	
	ff. 173r-174v blank

John of Freiburg (Iohannes Lector Friburgensis OP, d. 1314), Summa confessorum, German 
adaptation by Berthold of Freiburg (Bertholdus Friburgensis OP, s. XIV). G. Steer e.a., edd., Die 
"Rechtssumme" Bruder Bertholds (Tuebingen, 1987, 7 vols.). Our manuscript resembles the C 
version. See on the author Verfasserlexikon, v. 4 (1983), 605-611; on the translator 
Verfasserlexikon, v. 1 (1978), 807-813.

3. rear pastedown	 Von den naterbiss. Item wan eyn mensche zu dir komet dan eyn nater 
hat gebissen aber eyn bode und claget iss dir ... Item vor dass rissen in dem kindelbet. Sz nem 
czimmer rinde II lot ... 

A magical and a medical recipe, in a later s. XV hand.


Paper, ff. 174, 295 x 220 mm. Watermarks: var. Piccard, v. 15, VIII.1547??; var. Piccard, v. 110, 
III.1667??; ............. Original alpha-numerical system of foliation in red ink for art. 2, in the 
middle of the upper margin of the recto pages, beginning f. 10r: "A I"-"A X", "B I" - "B X", 
etc. up to "R VI" (= f. 172r). Two folios, with early foliation P IV and P V, are missing between 
ff. 151 and 152. Errors in the original foliation: A III is followed by A V (ff. 12-13); N VIII is 
followed by N X (ff. 136-137); ff. 152 and 153 are both foliated P VII (f. 152 should be P VI). 
In the s. XVII foliation f. 142 (O V) is erroneously followed by f. 144 (O VI). Badly damaged 
by the acid ink, especially ff. 73-120 (quires VII-X). The quires are strengthened by means of 
parchment stays (see Binding).

I 12 (+ 1 singleton, f. 13; ff. 1-13), II-V 12 (ff. 14-61), VI 12 (- 1, no loss of text; ff. 62- 72), VII-
XII 12 (ff. 73-145), XIII 12 (-7, -8; ff. 146-155), XIV 12 (ff. 156-167), XV 10 (- 8, -9, -10; ff. 168-
174). Horizontal catchwords near the fold, several ones lost partly or entirely at the trimming of 
the codex. In the lower margin of  f. 120v, above the catchword of quire X, a contemporary hand 
has written in green ink "schaw auff".

Frame-ruling in brown ink for two columns of c. 30 lines, c. 221 x c. 142 mm., intercolumnar 
space 18 mm.

Copied in 1462 by Johannes Geratwol in Gothica Cursiva Libraria/Currens with some Bastarda 
characteristics. Art. 3 is added in Gothica Hybrida Libraria under Humanistic influence.

Artt. 1-2 have headings, heightening of the majuscules and mostly 1-line plain initials in red or 
green. The initial on f. 1r has green penwork. The first lines of all titles in art. 1 are underlined in 
red.

Original pigskin binding, blind-tooled with lozenges traced in double fillets over bevelled oak 
boards. Spine with three raised bands, a label with handwritten title (worn) and a small label with 
the shelfmark "634"; the same number is written on the front cover. Traces of one strap attached 
to the rear cover and clutching over a pin (lacking) on the front cover.The binding stays and the 
lining inside the spine are said to come from a twelfth-century Antiphonary from Tyrol, with text 
from the office for Epiphany. One strip of the spine lining would be from an unidentified s. XIV 
manuscript. 

In the upper margin of f. 1r, in s. XVII handwriting: "Ioannis Geratwol, Summa canonica, anno 
1462". From the Auersperg Library, as shown by the typical label with the shelfmark "634". 
Collection of A.R.A. Hobson, London. Purchased in 1984 from Laurence Witten on the Edwin 
J. Beinecke Fund.

Albert Derolez

coll. R 04.06.08