Manuscript leaf from a a Breviary, in Latin, produced in Italy

Text: From a Breviary, in Latin

Script: Southern Textualis Formata (Rotunda)

The text shows various extracts from Proverbs, Matthew and John. There are thirty lines of text in two columns, written in a rounded Italian gothic bookhand. Written in dark brown ink with red rubrics there is no line ruling or pricking. There are two five-line puzzle initials in red and blue, with decorative penwork for the length of the text, and four two-line initials alternately red and blue with contrasting penwork.

Recto side, column 1:

1 -mat( ) honorificata . Ciba-

2 bit illum pane vite et

3 intell(e)ctus . (et) . aqua sapi-

4 entie salutaris potabunt

5 illu(m) . Et fi(r)mabit(ur) i(n) illo .

6 (et) no(n) flectet(ur) . (et) co(n)tinebit

7 illu(m) (et) non (con)fundet(ur) . (et) exalta- [inserted ‘non’

8 bit illum ap(ud) primos

9 suos . In medio eccl(es)ie

10 ap(er)iet os ei(us) . (et) implebit

11 eum d(omi)n(u)s sp(irit)u sap(ient)ie et

12 intell(e)ct(us) . (et) stola(m) gl(ori)e in-

13 duit eu(m) . Iocu(n)ditate(m) et

14 exultat(i)o(n)em . thesaurica

15 vit sup(er) eu(m) . Et no(m)i(n)e ete(r)-

16 no h(e)r(e)ditabit illu(m) d(omi)n(u)s

17 deus n(oste)r . Inco( )inm(us) . o( ) .

18 Lect(i)o libri sapientie :

19 B E(atu)s vir qui

20 sapie(n)tia [line filler]

21 morab(itu)r . (et)

22 qui i(n) iusti-

23 tia medita-

24 bit(ur) : (et) inse(n)su cogitabit

25 circu(m) spect(i)o(n)em dei . Ciba

26 bit illu(m) pane vite (et) in-

27 tell(e)ctus . sapi(enti)e saluta(r)is [deleted text

28 (et) aqua sapi(enti)e salutaris

29 potabit illu(m) . Et firma-

30 b(itu)r in illo . (et) no(n) flectetur :

Recto side, column 2:

1 (et) (con)tinebit illum (et) no(n)

2 co(n)fu(n)det(ur) . (et) exaltabit illi( )

3 ap(ud) primos suos . Et no-

4 mine( ) et no(n) h(e)r(e)ditabit il-

5 lum d(omi)n(u)s d(eu)s n(oste)r . L(e)c(tio) . li(bri) . sa-

6 B eatus h(om)o qui pie(n)tie . [Proverbs 3:13

7 invenit sapi(ent)iam (et)

8 qui affluit prude(n)tia [3:14] Me-

9 lior e(st) aquisit(i)o ei(us) nego-

10 tiatio(n)e arge(n)ti (et) auri p(ri)mi

11 (et) purissimi fructus eius .

12 [3:15] Pretiosior e(st) cu(n)ctis opib(us) .

13 (et) om(n)ia q(ue) desid(e)ra(n)t(ur) huic

14 no(n) vale(n)t (con)p(ar)ari . [3:16] Longitu-

15 do dierum i(n) dext(er)a eius .

16 (et) i(n) sinistra illi(us) divitie et

17 gl(ori)a . [3:17] Vie eius pulchre vie

18 (et) om(ne)s semite illi(us) pacifi-

19 ce . [3:18] Lignu(m) vite e(st) hiis qui

20 app(re)he(n)deri(n)t ea(m) . (et) qui tenu- [teni- ?

21 erit ea(m) b(ea)t(u)s . [3:19] D(omi)n(u)s sapi(enti)a fu(n)-

22 davit t(er)ra(m) . stabilivit ce-

23 los prude(n)tia . [3:20] Sapi(enti)a illi(us)

24 eruperu(n)t abyssi . (et) nubes

25 rore (con)crescu(n)t . Lect(i)o libri

26 B Eatus sapientie :-

27 vir qui i(n)ve(n)tus est

28 sin(e) mac(u)la . (et) qui p(os)t auri(um)

29 no(n) abiit nec sp(er)avit i(n) pe-

30 cunie thesauris . Quis e(st)

Verso side, column 1:

1 hic (et) laudabim(us) eu(m) . Fec(it)

2 e(n)i(m) mirabilia i(n) vita sua .

3 Qui p(ro)bat(us) e(st) in illo . (et) p(er)f( )cs [perfectus ?

4 inve(n)t(us) est . (et) erit illi gl(ori)a

5 et(er)na . Qui potuit trans-

6 g(re)di (et) no(n) e(st) t(ra)nsg(re)ssus (et) fa-

7 ce(re) mala (et) no(n) fecit . Ideo

8 stabilitast( ) bo(n)a illi(us) i(n) d(omin)o :

9 (et) elemosinas illius e-

10 narrabit o(mn)is ecc(lesi)a s(an)c(t)or(um) .

11 I N ill(o) t(empore) : . S(e)c(un)d(u)m math(eu)m .

12 Dix(it) ih(esu)s discip(u)lis suis . [Matthew 16:24

13 Si q(ui)s vult post me ve(n)i-

14 re abneget semetip(su)m

15 (et) tollat cruce(m) sua(m) (et) seq(ua)t(ur)

16 me . [16:25] Qui e(n)i(m) volu(er)it a(n)i(m)am

17 sua(m) salva(m) fac(er)e p(er)det eam .

18 Qui aut(em) p(er)diderit a(n)i(m)am

19 sua(m) p(ro)p(ter) me . inve(n)iet eam .

20 [16:26] Quid e(n)i(m) p(ro)dest ho(min)i si mu(n)-

21 dum univ(er)su(m) luc(r)etur . [line filler]

22 a(n)i(m)e v(er)o sue detrim(en)tu(m) pa-

23 tiat(ur) Aut q(uam) dabit h(om)o (com)-

24 mutat(i)o(n)em p(ro) a(n)i(m)a sua . [16:27] Fi-

25 lius e(n)i(m) ho(min)is ve(n)turus e(st)

26 i(n) gl(ori)a p(at)ris sui . cu(m) ang(e)lis

27 suis : (et) tunc reddet uni-

28 cuiq(ue) s(ecundu)m op(era) eius . S(ecundu)m .

29 I N ill(o) t(empore) Dixit Ioh(an)em : [John 12:23

30 [12:23] ih(esu)s d(ixit) . s(uis) . [12:24] Am(en) am(en) dico

Verso side, column 2:

1 vob(is) nisi granu(m) frum(en)-

2 ti cade(n)s i(n) t(er)ra(m) mo(r)tuum

3 fu(er)it [12:25] ip(su)m solu(m) manet .

4 Si aut(em) mortuu(m) fu(er)it [line filler]

5 m(u)ltu(m) fructum affe(r)t . Q(ui)

6 amat a(n)i(m)am sua(m) p(er)det

7 ea(m) . Et qui odit a(n)i(m)am

8 sua(m) in hoc mu(n)do i(n) vita(m)

9 et(er)na(m) custodit ea(m) . [12:26] Si q(ui)s

10 m(ihi) mi(ni)strat . me seq(ua)tur .

11 Et ubi ego sum : illic (et)

12 mi(ni)ster m(eu)s erit . Si q(ui)s

13 m(ihi) mi(ni)strav(er)it honorifi-

14 cabit eum p(ate)r m(eu)s qui

15 e(st) i(n) celcis . Inco( )ip l( )imor(um)

16 mri( )n. Lec(tio) libri sap(en)tie :

17 L Ingua sapi- [Proverbs 15:2

18 ent(iu)m ornat

19 sc(ient)iam . os [line filler]

20 fatuorum

21 ebullit stultitia(m) . [15:3] In o(mn)i

22 loco oc(u)li d(omi)ni (con)te(m)pla(n)tur

23 bonos (et) malos . [15:4] Lingua

24 placabil(is) lignu(m) vite q(ue)

25 aut(em) . i(n)moderata e(st) (con)t(er)et

26 sp(iritu)m . [15:6] Domus iusti pl(ur)i- [Verse 15:5 omitted

27 ma fortitudo : (et) i(n) fructi-

28 b(us) impii (con)turbatio . [15:7] La-

29 bia sapie(n)tiu(m) dissemi(n)a-

30 bunt sc(ient)iam . cor stulto-

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.

Capitals: A,C,D,E,F,I,L,M,N,P,Q,S.

B Versals: B,I,L.

C Alternative forms of ‘d’(2), ‘i’(2), ‘m’(2), ‘r’(2) and ‘s’(4).

Note the sideways form of ‘m’, e.g. in ‘eam’ (verso 1, line 17).

Note the trailing ‘s’, e.g. in ‘nubes’ (recto 2, line 24).

Note the ‘c’ form of ‘s’ in ‘ihesus’ (verso 1, line 12).

D Fusion between letters ‘bo’, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘Do’, ‘ds’, ‘ho’, ‘hs’, ‘Me’,

‘oc’, ‘od’, ‘oe’, ‘og’, ‘os’, ‘pd’, ‘pe’, ‘po’, ‘pp’ and ‘(con)c’.

E Elision between letters ‘cu’, ‘fu’, ‘gi’, ‘ri’, ‘ti’ and ‘tu’,

and possibly others.

F Ligature between letters ‘st’, e.g. in ‘sinistra’ (recto 2, line 16).

G Frequent use of the uncrossed Tironian ‘et’.

H Insertion of missed word ‘non’ (recto 1, line 7).

I Deletion of duplicated text (recto 1, line 27).

J Note the use of a crossed ‘i’ (verso 2, line 4) as a line filler.

Sometimes such line fillers are not crossed (verso 2, line 19).