top of page

Editions of the Speculum Morale (apocryphal)

6 complete and 1 partial edition of the apocryphal Speculum Morale are known today. 4 of these editions pre-date the year 1500.



Editions before 1500


  • Straßburg, Johannes Mentelin, November 9, 1476. A digital facsimile is available of a copy (2 vols.) kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc.s.a. 1215 m-1 and 2 Inc.s.a. 1215 m-2.

  • [Cologne: Konrad Winters of Homborch], [ca. 1477]. A digital facsimile is available of a copy kept by the Herzog August Bibliothek at Wolfenbüttel.

  • Nuremberg, Anton Koberger, February, 6, 1485. Two digital facsimiles are available:– a facsimile of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc.c.a. 1699 a.– a facsimile of a copy kept by the University Library at Würzburg: I.t.f.473angeb. The text itself will be made available by using advanced methods of optical character recognition.

  • Venice, Hermann Liechtenstein, September, 30, 1493. A digital facsimile is available of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 Inc.c.a. 2960 b.


Editions and translations after 1500


  • Venice, Domenico Nicolini, 1591.T wo digital facsimiles are available:– a facsimile of a copy kept by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek at Munich: 2 P.lat. 1634-2/3;– a facsimile from Google Books.

  • 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. 3, Duaci 1624 (reprint: Graz 1964-1965)]. Two digital facsimiles are available from Google Books:– facsimile 1;– facsimile 2.

  • Mews, C.J. and Zahora, T., Remembering Last Things and Regulating Behavior in the Early Fourteenth Century: From the De consideratione novissimorum to the Speculum morale. In: Speculum 90 (2015), pp. 960-994.[pp. 993-994: edition of the Prologue to the Speculum Morale]


Image: Speculum Morale, Johannes Mentelin, ed. Straßburg, November 9, 1976, vol. 1, p. 212vo, kept by Münich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, 2 Inc.s.a. 1215 m-1.

bottom of page