Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, produced in Northern France (Rouen)

Text: From a Book of Hours, in Latin

Script: Textualis Formata (Textus Quadratus)

The text is from Luke Chapter 1 and Matthew Chapter 2. There are sixteen lines of text. The recto has a three-quarter panel border composed of gold oak leaves and bezants, and coloured flowers, all on hairline stems. Also a gold and coloured bar extends down the length of the text on the recto terminating in a knot-work pattern with a blue flower. A four-line versal ‘C’, with a leaf pattern, introduces the verses from Matthew. Lesser initials are indicated by strokes of yellow wash or purple wash. Rubrics are written in purple ink. Line ruling is in red.

The leaf is from the same manuscript as MS 5650/108, and immediately followed it in the Book of Hours.

Recto side:

1 [1:36] Et ecce helyzabeth cognata tua (et) [Luke Chapter 1

2 ipsa concepit filium i(n) senectute

3 sua . et hic mensis est sextus illi

4 que vocatur sterilis [1:37] quia no(n) erit

5 impossibile apud deum o(mn)e verbu(m) .

6 [1:38] Dixit autem maria . Ecce ancilla

7 domini : fiat michi secu(n)du(m) ver-

8 bum tuu(m) . Deo gra(ti)s . S(e)c(un)d(u)m matheu(m) .

9 [2:1] C um natus esset [Matthew Chapter 2

10 ihesus in betheleem

11 iude in dieb(us) hero-

12 dis regi ecce magi

13 ab oriente venerunt iherosolima(m)

14 [2:2] dicentes . ubi est qui natus (est) rex

15 iudeorum . Vidimus eni(m) stella(m)

16 eius in oriente et venim(us) adorare

Verso side:

1 eum . [2:3] Audiens aute(m) herodes rex tur-

2 batus est et omnis iherosolima cu(m)

3 illo . [2:4] Et congregans o(mne)s principes

4 sacerdotum et scribas p(o)p(u)li sciscita-

5 batur ab eis ubi (chr)istus nasceret(ur)

6 [2:5] At illi dixerunt ei . In bethlee(m) iude .

7 Sic enim scriptu(m) est per p(ro)phetam .

8 [2:6] Et tu bethleem terra iuda nequa-

9 quam minima es i(n) principibus

10 iuda . Ex te enim exiet dux qui re-

11 gat populum meum israel . [2:7] Tu(n)c

12 herodes clam vocatis magis dili-

13 genter didicit ab eis tempus stelle

14 que apparuit eis . [2:8] Et mittens eos

15 in bethleem dixit . Ite et interroga-

16 te diligenter de puero et cu(m) invene[ritis] . . .

Notes:

A Letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,y,z,A,D,E,I,S,T,V.

Versal: C.

B Alternative forms for ‘a’(2), ‘m’(2), ‘r’(2) and ‘s’(2).

Note the use of the sideways ‘m’ in ‘Secundum’ (recto, line 8).

C Fusion between letters ‘ba’, ‘be, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘he’, ‘oc’, ‘oe’, ‘og’, ‘os’, ‘pe’,

‘ph’, ‘pp’, ‘ve’ and ‘vo’.

D Elision between letters ‘ci’, ‘fi’, ‘fr’, ‘ri’ and ‘tu’, and possibly others.

E Ligature between letters ‘st’, e.g. in ‘est’ (recto, line 3).

F Some bifurcation of ascenders of letters ‘b’ and ‘l’.

G Use of the crossed Tironian ‘et’ (recto, line 1).

H Use of Tironian ‘est’ (recto, line 14).

I Abbreviation for ‘diebus’ (recto, line 11).

J Use of ‘xp’ for Greek ‘chi-rho’ (‘χρ’) in ‘christus’ (verso, line 5).

K Abbreviation of ‘nasceretur’ (verso, line 5).

L Some use of hairlines in letters ‘x’ and round ‘r’ and at the ends of words.

MS 5650/108