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

Text: From a Psalter, in Latin

Script: Southern Textualis Formata (Rotunda)

The text is from a Calendar for November on the recto and December on the verso. Line and column rulings are in red. The versal K of KL is in blue and the L is in red. The text is in red and brown. Some text is written vertically. The leaf is from the same manuscript as MS 5650/51.

The calendar is set in columns as follows: The first column shows the Golden Numbers, that is ‘Aureus numerus’, written in red ink in Roman numerals. Although the Golden Numbers appear to be in a haphazard sequence they do conform to a medieval formula. The second column shows the Dominical Letters (‘a’ to ‘g’). Each occurrence of the letter ‘a’ appears in red. The other letters are in brown ink. The third column, in red ink, shows the number of days before ‘Nonas’, ‘Idibus’ or ‘Kalendas’ as appropriate. The fourth column, also in red ink, shows ‘no’ for ‘nonas’, ‘id’ for ‘idus’ and ‘kl’ for ‘kalendas’. Prominent days have the saint’s name shown in red - these are the ‘red letter days’. For other days the text is shown in brown ink. The fifth column shows the person for whom the mass is celebrated on that day. Of course, on the 25th December the mass is for the birth of Jesus Christ, and is ‘Christmas’. Some astronomical information is also shown in the fifth column.

Recto side:

1 November .

2 Nove(m)b(e)r h(abe)t dies . xxx (et) luna xxx .

3 Aureus Nox h(abe)t horas . xvi . dies . vero viii .

4 numeru(s)K L Quinta novembris obest . ( ) lux stia pde( )

5 d. nove(m)b(e)r Festivitas omnium sanctor(um) . [Day 1

6 xiii . e . iiii . no(nas). Commemoratio om(niu)m defu(n)ctor(um) [Day 2

7 ii . f . iii . no(nas). [Day 3

8 g . ii . no(nas). S(an)c(t)or(um) . m(artirum) . vitalis . (et) agricole . [Day 4

9 x . a . Nonas. [Day 5

10 b . viii . id(us). Sancti leonardi (con)fes(soris) . [Day 6

11 xviii . c . vii . id(us). [Day 7

12 vii . d . vi . id(us). S(an)c(t)orum m(arty)r(u)m . quatuor coronato(rum) [Day 8

13 e . v . id(us). S(an)c(t)i theodori . m(artiris) . [Day 9

14 xv . f . iiii . id(us). S(ancti) martir(is) . tri phonis . resputii . (et) nephe [Day 10

15 iiii . g . iii . id(us). S(an)c(t)i martini epi(scopi) . (et) confessoris . [Day 11

16 a . ii . id(us). Sancti martini . pape . (et) mar(tiris) . [Day 12

17 xii . b . Idibus Sancti . britii epi(scopi) . (et) (con)fessoris . [Day 13

18 i . c . xviii. k(a)l(endas). dece(m)br(is) . [Day 14

19 d . xvii . k(a)l(endas). [Day 15

20 ix . e . xvi . k(a)l(endas). Sol i(n) sagitta(r)io . [Day 16

21 f . xv . k(a)l(endas). [Day 17

22 xvii . g . xiiii . k(a)l(endas). [Day 18

23 vi . a . xiii . k(a)l(endas). Sancte elisabeth . [Day 19

24 b . xii . k(a)l(endas). = festu(m) cleme(n)tis [Day 20

25 xiiii . c . xi . k(a)l(endas). yemis caput [Day 21

26 iii . d . x . k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)e cecilie . virg(ini)s . (et) m(artiris) . est orientis . [Day 22

27 e . viiii . k(a)l(endas). = S(anc)c(t)i clementis. p(a)pe. (et) m(artiris).Dat clem(en)s ye [Day 23

28 xi . f . viii . k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)i grisogoni martiris . men . (et) c(onfessoris) .[Day 24

29 g . vii . k(a)l(endas). Sancte katerine virg(inis) . (et) m(artiris) . [Day 25

30 xix . a . vi . k(a)l(endas). Sancti petri . alexa(n)drini . epi(scopi) . (et) m(artiris) . [Day 26

31 viii . b . v . k(a)l(endas). [Day 27

32 c. iiii . k(a)l(endas). [Day 28

33 xvi . d . iii . k(a)l(endas). Sancti saturnini . m(artiris) . Vigilia : [Day 29

34 v . e . ii . k(a)l(endas). Sancti andree apostolii . [Day 30

35 Est octava canis . forte q(uia) tanide(n)t i( )nannis .

?

Vertical text:

1 Signum sagitarii . Q(ui)a david s(u)p(er) bellator fuit (et) iter fec(it) golia(m) .

? ?

Verso side:

1 Dece(m)ber .

2 December . h(ab)et dies . xxxi . (et) luna . xxx .

3 Aureus Nox h(abe)t horas . xviii . dies vero vi .

4 numeru(s)K L hoc dat bissena decimum (et) septima dena .

5 xiii . f . dece(m)ber. Sac(n)tor(um) mar(tirum) . grisanti . (et) darie . [Day 1

?

6 ii . g . iiii . no(nas). [Day 2

7 a . iii . no(nas). [Day 3

8 x . b . ii . no(nas). S(an)c(t)e barbare . virginis . (et) . mar(tiris) . [Day 4

9 c . Nonas . [Day 5

10 xviii . d . viii . id(us). S(an)c(t)i nicholai epi(scopi) . (et) (con)fess(oris) . [Day 6

11 vii . e . vii . id(us). S(an)c(t)i ambroxii epi(scopi) . (et) (con)fess(oris) . [Day 7

12 f . vi . id(us). Conceptio . b(ea)te marie virg(in)is . [Day 8

13 xv . g . v . id(us). Sancti syrri epi(scopi) . (et) (con)fes(soris) . [Day 9

14 iii . a . iiii . id(us). S(an)c(t)i melchiadis p(a)pe . (et) m(artiris) . [Day 10

15 b . iii . id(us). S(an)c(t)i Damasci . p(a)pe (et) . (con)fess(oris) . [Day 11

16 xii . c . ii . id(us). [Day 12

17 i . d . idibus . S(an)c(t)e lucie virginis . (et) m(artyris) . bult [Day 13

18 e . xviiii.k(a)l(endas). Ian(uarius) . [insert?] crux . lucia . anis . carisina ata dia . [Day 14

19 ix . f . xviii. k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)i floriani mar(tiris) . (et) socior(um) e(piscop)i .

Sol in cap(ri)co(r)nio . [Day 15

20 g . xvii . k(a)l(endas). [Day 16

21 xvii . a . xvi . k(a)l(endas). [Day 17

22 vi . b . xv . k(a)l(endas). [Day 18

23 c . xiiii . k(a)l(endas). [Day 19

24 xiiii . d . xiii . k(a)l(endas). Vigilia . [Day 20

25 iii . e . xii . k(a)l(endas). Sancti thome apostoli . [Day 21

26 f . xi . k(a)l(endas). [Day 22

27 xi . g . x . k(a)l(endas). [Day 23

28 a . viiii. k(a)l(endas). Vigilia nativitatis . [Day 24

29 xix . b . viii . k(a)l(endas). Nativitas d(omi)ni n(ost)ri ih(es)u (christ)i . [Day 25

30 viii . c . vii . k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)i stephani prothomartyris . [Day 26

31 d . vi . k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)i iohannis apostoli . (et) eva(n)g(elista) . [Day 27

32 xvi . e . v . k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)orum innocentum mar(tyrum) . [Day 28

33 v . f . iiii . k(a)l(endas). S(an)c(t)i thome archiepiscopi . (et) m(artiris) . [Day 29

34 g . iii . k(a)l(endas). [Day 30

35 xiii . a . ii . k(a)l(endas). Sancti silvestri pape (et) (con)fes(soris) . [Day 31

36 Prima parat luctum . nullum dat septi(m)a fructum .

Vertical text reading downwards:

1 Signum capricornii Q(ui)a esau p(ro)p(ter) cupiditate(m) venato(r)is p(er)didit

b( )ntcor(um) pr( )nam .

Vertical text reading upwards:

1 ut det vota pia qua(n)ta

2 sequens feria -------- .

Notes:

A Letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i/i,k,l,m,n,o,p,r,s,t,u/v,x,y,A,C,D,E,F,I,N,P,Q,S,V.

Versals: K,L.

B Alternative forms of the letters ‘d’(2), ‘i’(2), ‘m’(3), ‘r’(2), ‘s’(3) and ‘v’(2).

Note the use of a sideways ‘m’ as the final letter of a word, e.g. in ‘omnium’ (recto, line 5).

Note the use of the Uncial ‘m’, e.g. in ‘martiris’ (recto, line 16).

Note the frequent use of a trailing ‘s’ at the end of a word, e.g. in ‘confessoris’ (recto, line 15).

C Fusion between letters ‘be’, ‘da’, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘he’, ‘ho’, ‘oc’, ‘pd’, ‘po’ and ‘pp’.

D Elision between letters ‘gi’, ‘ri’, ‘ti’ and ‘tu’.

E Ligature of ‘st’, e.g. in ‘est’ (recto, line 26).

F Use of ‘xp’ for the Greek ‘chi-rho’ (‘χρ’) in ‘christi’ (verso, line 29).

G Use of uncrossed Tironian ‘et’ (e.g. recto, line 2).

H Abbreviation of ‘con’ in ‘confessoris’ (recto, line 10).

I The ‘=’ on recto lines 24 and 27 probably imply that the associated text, in a slightly

lighter shade of red, all relates to Day 23 and Saint Clement.

MS 5650/51