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Introduction to the manuscripts of the Speculum Naturale

Due to new discoveries about the genesis of the Speculum Naturale, different schemas of sigla have been assigned to its surviving manuscripts. The sigla Hans Voorbij used in his Ph.D. (Het "Speculum Historiale" van Vincent van Beauvais, Groningen 1991, pp. 330-335) and those Monique Paulmier-Foucart used in various books and publications, have been revised by Eva Albrecht in her Ph.D. (De ontstaansgeschiedenis en de compilatie van het "Speculum Naturale" van Vincent van Beauvais († 1264), 2007, vol. 2, pp. 2-6). Mary Franklin-Brown (Reading the World. Encyclopedic Writing in the Scholastic Age, 2012, pp. xvii-xviii) slightly altered Albrecht's scheme. This revised scheme of sigla is used here.


Three versions and their components

Three versions of the Speculum Naturale are known today. They are listed below, with an indication of the specific components that make up this speculum. The combinations of letters and numbers point to different versions of these components. See the page Components of the Speculum Maius for further explanation of the meaning of these sigla..


Na: Speculum Naturale, Tournai version

  • Libellus Apologeticus (LA-2) + list of chapter titles

  • Text of the Naturale (Nat-1) consisting of 29 books, numbered as books 2-30

  • Résumé of the Speculum Historiale (Rhist-1)


Nb: Speculum Naturale , Bruges version

  • Libellus Apologeticus (LA-4B) + Prologue to the Speculum Naturale (Pnat) + list of chapter titles

  • Text of the Naturale (Nat-2) consisting of 31 books, numbered as books 2-32

  • Résumé of the Speculum Historiale (Rhist-2)


Nc: Speculum Naturale, Douai version

  • Libellus Apologeticus (LA-4C) + Prologue to the Speculum Naturale (Pnat) + list of chapter titles

  • Text of the Naturale (Nat-3) consisting of 32 books, numbered as books 2-33

  • Résumé of the Speculum Historiale (Rhist-2)


The manuscripts of the three versions are listed in the section Manuscripts of the Speculum Naturale. A few manuscripts could not be assigned to a specific version as yet, see the section Unclassified manuscripts. The manuscripts of the Memoriale Temporum, a part of the Tournai version that was diffused separately, are listed in the section Memoriale Temporum.


Image: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, lat. 6428C, f° 7ro.

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