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The editions of the Speculum Historiale

Editions before 1700

Speculum Historiale: contamination of the Dijon (Ha) and Douai (He) versions


Speculum Historiale: Douai version (He)

  • [Cologne: Konrad Winters of Homborch], [before December 1st, 1472], 20 leaves.A digital facsimile is available of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 4 Inc.s.a. 1809.This is an edition of Speculum Historiale book XXVIII, cc. 88-104, De raptu animae Tundali et eius visione (cf. pp. 1127-1133 in the Douai 1624 edition).

  • Straßburg, Johannes Mentelin, December 4th,1473.A digital facsimile is available of a copy (4 vols.) kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc.c.a. 236, 4-1/2#1, 2 Inc.c.a. 236, 4-1/2#2, 2 Inc.c.a. 236, 4-3/4#3 and 2 Inc.c.a. 236, 4-3/4#4.

  • [Straßburg, R-printer, i.e. Adolf Rusch] [ca. 1473], 4 vols.A digital facsimile is available of a copy (4 vols.) kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc.s.a. 1213, vol. 1, 2 Inc.s.a. 1213, vol. 2, 2 Inc.s.a. 1213, vol. 3 and 2 Inc.s.a. 1213, vol. 4.

  • [Nuremberg], Anton Koberger, July 24, 1483.Two digital facsimiles are available:– a facsimile of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc. c.a. 1388 a.– a facsimile of a copy kept by the University Library at Würzburg: I.t.f.471b. The text itself will be made available by using advanced methods of optical character recognition.

  • Venice, Hermann Liechtenstein, September 5, 1494.A digital facsimile is available of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc.c.a. 3132 a.

  • Ventura, L., De ratione conficiendi Lapidis Philosophici, liber unus ... Huic accesserunt ejusdem Argumenti J. Garlandii Angli liber unus. Et ex speculo magno Vincentii libri duo, Basel 1571 [reprinted in: Theatrum chemicum... 6 vol., Strasbourg 1613-1661; also reprinted: Strasbourg 1659-1661].

  • Reineccius, R. [ed.], ‘Historia orientalis’ Haythoni Armenii et huic subiectum Marci Pauli Veneti Itinerarium, item fragmentum e "Speculo historiali" Vincentii Belvacensis eiusdem argumenti, Helmstadt 1585.

  • Venice, Domenico Nicolini, 1591.A digital facsimile is available of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 P.lat. 1634-4.

  • Douai, Balthazar Bellère, 1624[Benedictini collegii Vedastini [eds], Bibliotheca Mundi. Vincentii Burgundi, ex ordine Praedicatorum venerabilis episcopi Bellovacensis, Speculum Quadruplex, Naturale, Doctrinale, Morale, Historiale ..., vol. 4, Duaci 1624 (reprint: Graz 1964-1965)].A digital facsimile is available in the Gallica database of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

  • [Speculum Histioriale] Tissier, B., Bibliotheca Patrum Cisterciensium..., VII, Bonnefont 1669, 306 ff.: Helinandi Frigidi montis monachi Flores a Vincentio Bellovacensi collectiReprinted with adaptations in Migne, J.-P., Patrologia Latina, vol. 212 (1855), cols. 771-1082.


Editions and translations after 1700

Speculum Historiale: Dijon version (Ha)

Latin text: Epistola actoris ad regem Ludovicum

  • Oursel, C., Un exemplaire du `Speculum Majus' de Vincent de Beauvais provenant de la bibliothèque de Saint Louis. In: Bibliothèque de l'École des Chartes 85 (1924), pp. 257-261.[edition of the Epistola actoris]

  • Guzman, G. G., Vincent of Beauvais' "Epistola actoris ad regem Ludovicum": a critical analysis and a critical edition. In: Paulmier-Foucart, M., Lusignan, S., Nadeau, A. [eds], Vincent de Beauvais: intentions et réceptions d'une oeuvre encyclopédique au Moyen Âge. Actes du XIVe Colloque de l'Institut d'études médiévales, organisé conjointement par l'Atelier Vincent de Beauvais ... et l'Institut d'études médiévales ... 27-30 avril 1988, Saint-Laurent/Paris 1990 (Cahiers d'études médiévales. Cahier spécial 4), pp. 76-85.[critical edition of the Epistola actoris]

  • An annoted edition of Vincent's letter to king Louis is available in SourcEncyMe (SOURCes des ENCYclopédies MEdiévales) of the Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes at Paris.


Speculum Historiale: Klosterneuburg version (Hb)

Latin text

  • Tugwell, S. [ed.], Petri Ferrandi Legenda Sancti Dominici, Rome (Angelicum University Press) 2015 (Corpus Hagiographicum Sancti Dominici – Monumenta Ordinis Fratrum Praedicatorum Historica, XXXII), pp. 403-424: Appendix III: Vincent of Beauvais.[pp. 404-418: edition of books XXIX,73-77, and XXX, 64-66 and 78-80 containing Vincent’s first life of Dominic, based entirely on Ferrandus’ Legenda (Vita prima)]

  • Voorbij, J. B., La version Klosterneuburg et la version Douai du `Speculum historiale': manifestations de l'évolution du texte. In: Paulmier-Foucart, M., Lusignan, S., Nadeau, A. [eds], Vincent de Beauvais: intentions et réceptions d'une oeuvre encyclopédique au Moyen Age. Actes du XIVe Colloque de l'Institut d'études médiévales, organisé conjointement par l'Atelier Vincent de Beauvais ... et l'Institut d'études médiévales ... 27-30 avril 1988, Saint-Laurent/Paris 1990 (Cahiers d'études médiévales. Cahier spécial 4), pp. 137-140.[edition of book XXVII, c. 83, collated with version Douai book XXVIII,83]

  • Voorbij, J. B., Het `Speculum Historiale' van Vincent van Beauvais. Een studie van zijn ontstaansgeschiedenis, (Ph.D. Groningen University) Groningen 1991 (with an English summary), pp. 348-374.[edition of book XXVII, c. 83, collated with version Douai book XXVIII,83; listing of the titles of the 242 chapters of book XXVIII, which constitute the florilegium of Bernard of Clairvaux; edition of book XXX,90-94 presenting contemporary history ending in 1244; edition of book XXX,100-102 and 106 on the world's Last Days]


Speculum Historiale: Saint-Jacques (Hd) and Douai (He) versions

Latin text

  • An annoted edition, based on manuscript Douai Bibliothèque municipale 797, is available in SourcEncyMe (SOURCes des ENCYclopédies MEdiévales) of the Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes at Paris.Vol. 1 of the manuscript represents the Saint-Jacques version, while volumes 2-4 represent the Douai version.

  • A digital edition of the Speculum Historiale, based on manuscript Douai Bibliothèque municipale 797, is available in the Bases Textuelles of the former Atelier Vincent de Beauvais at Nancy.Vol. 1 of the manuscript represents the Saint-Jacques version, while volumes 2-4 represent the Douai version.


Speculum Historiale: Douai version (He)

Latin text

  • Selecta e Speculo historiali Vincentii Bellovacensis. In: Guigniaut, J.-D. and N. de Wailly [eds], Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France, 21 (Paris 1855), pp. 71-75.[short selections from books XXX and XXXII]

  • Hervieux, L., Les fabulistes latins depuis le siècle d'Auguste jusqu'à la fin du Moyen Âge. Vols. 1 and 2: Phèdre et ses anciens imitateurs directs et indirects. Paris 1884, vol 1, pp. 423-460; vol. 2, pp. 234-245. [2nd ed. Paris 1893-1894; reprinted New York 1965; Hildesheim 1970; [Boston] 2004.][edition of book IV, cc. 2-8, presenting 29 Aesopian fables derived form the Romulus vulgaris]

  • Beazley, C.R. [ed.], The Texts and Versions of John de Plano Carpini and William de Rubruquis As Printed for the First Time by Hakluyt in 1598 Together With Some Shorter Pieces. London 1903, pp. 74-106. [Reprinted: Nendeln 1967].[edition of book XXXII, 2-33: excerpt from Jean de Plano Carpini's (Giovanni di Pian del Carpino) Historia Mongalorum, after the edition by Hakluyt (1598)]

  • Duchenne, M-C., Autour de 1254, une révision capétienne du `Speculum historiale'. In: Paulmier-Foucart, M., Lusignan, S., Nadeau, A. [eds], Vincent de Beauvais: intentions et réceptions d'une oeuvre encyclopédique au Moyen Age. Actes du XIVe Colloque de l'Institut d'études médiévales, organisé conjointement par l'Atelier Vincent de Beauvais ... et l'Institut d'études médiévales ... 27-30 avril 1988, Saint-Laurent/Paris 1990 (Cahiers d'études médiévales. Cahier spécial 4), pp. 165-166.[edition of book XXVIII,128]

  • Schmidt-Chazan, M., L'idée d'Empire dans le `Speculum historiale' de Vincent de Beauvais. In: Paulmier-Foucart, M., Lusignan, S., Nadeau, A. [eds], Vincent de Beauvais: intentions et réceptions d'une oeuvre encyclopédique au Moyen Age. Actes du XIVe Colloque de l'Institut d'études médiévales, organisé conjointement par l'Atelier Vincent de Beauvais ... et l'Institut d'études médiévales ... 27-30 avril 1988, Saint-Laurent/Paris 1990 (Cahiers d'études médiévales. Cahier spécial 4), pp. 283-284.[edition of book XIV,57]

  • Tugwell, S. [ed.], Petri Ferrandi Legenda Sancti Dominici, Rome (Angelicum University Press) 2015 (Corpus Hagiographicum Sancti Dominici – Monumenta Ordinis Fratrum Praedicatorum Historica, XXXII), pp. 403-424: Appendix III: Vincent of Beauvais.[pp. 418-424: edition of book XXX,93-95 and 103-105 containing part of Vincent’s second life of Dominic, for this part based on Ferrandus’ Legenda (Vita secunda); the rest of this second life, in books XXX,96, and XXXI,65-77, 85 and 110-120 (omitted from Tugwell’s edition), is taken from Constantine of Orvieto’s Legenda Sancti Dominici]


Translations

  • Beazley, C.R. [ed.], The Texts and Versions of John de Plano Carpini and William de Rubruquis As Printed for the First Time by Hakluyt in 1598 Together With Some Shorter Pieces. London 1903, pp. 74-106. [Reprinted: Nendeln 1967].[edition of book XXXII, 2-33: excerpt from Jean de Plano Carpini's (Giovanni di Pian del Carpino) Historia Mongalorum, after the edition by Hakluyt (1598)][English translation by Hakluyt]

  • Mak., J. J., Amijs ende Amelis. Een middeleeuwse vriendschapssage. Naar de berijming van Jacob van Maerlant tezamen met zijn latijnse bron ("De duobus pueris consimilibus natis Amico et Amelio" in het "Speculum historiale" van Vincentius Bellovacensis), Zwolle 1954.[edition of book XXIV, cc. 162-166, Latin text and medieval Dutch rendering by Jacob van Maerlant]

  • Tarayre, M., La Vierge et le miracle. Le Speculum Historiale de Vincent de Beauvais. Paris 1999 (Collection Essais sur le Moyen Age, 22).[French translation of miracle stories, taken from several chapters of the Speculum Historiale]


Image: Speculum Historiale, [Augsburg, the abbey of Ulrich and Afra], [ca. 1474], opening page, kept in: Passau, Staatliche Bibliothek.

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