871J. Vincent of Beauvais (born c. 1190, Beauvais?, Fr.—died 1264, Paris) [Vincentius Bellovacensis]  

This complete volume contains Books IV-VII of the Speculum Doctrinale frss Vinceniis ord p[re]di[cat]orum [Charterhouse of St. Barbara in Cologne. :(1400-1426)

 Rubric: De Practica Sci(enti)a et eius i(n)ve(n)tore  Cap Primus [the first leaf recto has the stencil arms of Phillipps Sir T. P Middlehill and Phillipps Ms 563.  The verso reads Contenta Huius Libri 4tus;5lus; et 7limy liber speculi doctrinalis frutris Vincentius Burgundi Episcopi Bellavacensis. (most of the books from the Charterhouse of St. Barbara at Cologne have titles like this in this position.)

[early 15th century manuscript on vellum and paper.] Leber dom(us) S(an)cte Barbare in colonia ordinis Carthusienss.                                                              Price SOLD

Open medieval manuscript featuring handwritten text and ornate initial letter. The left page displays a note of provenance, and the right page shows detailed text with a decorative initial.
Close-up view of an aged book with a worn leather cover, displaying signs of wear and tear, possibly an early manuscript.

Large octavo 2 x15 cm. 290 Leaves, collation. 34 un signed/numbered gatherings in 8’s and 3 gatherings of 6. (complete)  Each gathering is made up of vellum outside leaf and paper interior leaves. Bound in contemporary deer skin over wooden (oak) boards. Recently re-backed in undyed split goatskin, lacking two straps with the remains of brass anchors on the rear board.

Provenance: This manuscript has an ownership note from in the library of the Carthusian Charterhouse of St. Barbara at Cologne. With “Leber domus sancte barbare in colonia ordinis Carthusienss “ 

Handwritten text in dark ink on parchment, reading 'Leber domus sancte Barbare in colonia ordinis Carthusienss.'

at the top of the inside pastedown of the front board. I would like to think that it was made here as it looks like similar hands in all the other copies of books from the Carthusian Charterhouse of Saint Barbara that I have been able to look at (about 2 dozen).

The most comprehensive study in English on the Library of the Charterhouse of St Barbara in Cologne: Richard Bruce Marks. The Medieval Manuscript Library of the Charterhouse of St. Barbara in Cologne. 2 vols. Analecta Cartusiana 21. Salzburg: Institut für Englische Sprache und Literatur, Universität Salzburg, 1974.

 The Carthusian Charterhouse of Saint Barbara in Cologne, like many other catholic libraries, was forcibly dissolved in 1794 during the French Revolution [the Thermidorian Reaction],this was the first monastery in Cologne to be dissolved by The French new republic. at this time the remains of these libraries were auctioned. In  1821 Johann Matthias Heberle (1775-1840) (Antiquargeschft mit Auktionsanstalt Cologne) Purchased 136 manuscripts and books from the Carthusian Charterhouse of Saint Barbara in Cologne which he sold to: Leander van Ess (1772-1847) who sold some of his very large library including the Carthusian Charterhouse manuscripts (including this one) to: Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872), 

Close-up of the interior cover of a manuscript featuring a lion logo and handwritten notes identifying the manuscript as Phillipps MS 563.

This is Phillipps MS 563; after Phillipps death they passed by inheritance to Katherine Fenwick then to her son Thomas FitzRoy Fenwick. Who in 1910  received permission to place the whole 100,000 or so items for auction with Fenwick to J. & J. Leighton in a Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge auctineers, which took nearly 100 years to sell.  From here it is a bit muddy but the firm of William H. Robinson Ltd, a bookseller based in London purchased in 1946 the thus far unsold portion of the library of Sir Thomas Phillipps and sold off quite a few manuscripts to the trade and when they went out of business in 1956 the remains went to Sothebys as well. Eventually This book made its way to the stock of T. Thorp  Booksellers (1902-1961) 109/110 High Street Guildford who miscatalogued this book as containing books v-viii. Sometime the 1940s or-50s.

Image of a page from a catalog listing various books and manuscripts available for purchase at T. Thorp, High Street, Guildford, including an entry for a manuscript related to Vincent of Beauvais.

  From Thorp it was purchased by Professor Albert C Baugh (1891 –1981) Who in 1949 established a book fund at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1971 he donated another manuscript owned by Phillipps  (Ms 645 ) to the Univerity of Pennsylvania. He is most famous for writing a very important textbook called A History of the English Language (often called HEL).  At Baugh’s death the current manuscript was passed to his son Daniel Albert Baugh, who sold it to Black Swan Books (Nick Cooke) in 2023.Purchased by James Gray Bookseller 2025. 

Illuminated manuscript page featuring ornate initial 'D' from the early 15th century, with text written in Latin discussing the Speculum Doctrinale.

Vincent of Beauvais was a Dominican friar known for having compiled the Speculum Maius, the greatest encyclopaedia of the Middle Ages. The Speculum Doctrinale is part two of the three parts of the Speculum Maius comprising 80 books., Part one is the Speculum Historiale, and part three is the SpeculumNaturale.

The Speculum Doctrinale, is made up of xviii books in 5 parts. The 1st part is books i Latin Vocabulary, ii &iii the trivium: grammar, logic, rhetoric and poetry and fables.

The volume in hand our copy begins here.

Part 2 is Moral and practical instructions books iv & v are virtues and ethics, with prose and verse examples.

An open manuscript page displaying printed and handwritten text, with sections labeled 'Liber Quintus' and attributes related to monastic ethics and practical morality.

Book vi is practical skills, agriculture, building, viticulture, animal husbandry.

An open manuscript page displaying Latin text, featuring an ornate initial 'I' and marginal notes. The left page has printed text with a decorative border, while the right page contains handwritten script on parchment.

Book vii is Political and civil matters.

Close-up view of an open medieval manuscript displaying intricate blue and red initial letters, with handwritten text in Latin on vellum pages.
Manuscript page featuring medieval Latin text, with a decorative blue initial at the top and handwritten script on vellum.

This volume ends

Volume The 3rd part Mechanical and practical arts. Book xi. Part 4 is Medicine and Health, books xii-xiv. the 5th Part Sciences and Knowledge books xv-xvii.

Schoenberg Database and link it to related entries: https://sdbm.library.upenn.edu/entries/285064/.

Close-up of a medieval manuscript page featuring handwritten text and a decorative blue initial. The writing is in Latin and the page is made of vellum.
Open manuscript pages showcasing medieval text with red markings.

JAMESGRAY2@ME.COM