Manuscript leaf from a Breviary, in Latin, produced in France, Picardy (perhaps Amiens)

Text: From a Breviary, in Latin

Script: Northern Textualis Formata

The leaf is from a French Cistercian Breviary and shows part of the Sanctorale related to Saint Katherine.

There are two columns of twenty-five lines of Gothic script in brown ink. Line ruling is in brown. There are four two-line versal letters in red, blue and raised gold, each with a border extension (or extensions) in similar colours, and eleven one-line versal letters in red or blue. On the recto side a bird is perched just above the two-line versal letter ‘E’. Rubrics are in red. This leaf is from the same Breviary as MS 5650/138, but the two leaves were not adjacent in the original Breviary.

Although this leaf is associated with a Cistercian Abbey it is unlikely to have been written there because strict Cistercian rules would not have allowed multi-coloured versals to be painted and gilded. See, for example, MS 5650/47.

Leaves from this Breviary have appeared on the market since, at least 1995. Notably they have appeared in:

(a) Maggs Bros Ltd. European Bulletin No. 20 (1995), Items 42 and 43.

(b) Maggs Bros Ltd. Catalogue 1262 (1998), Item 13.

(c) Sotheby’s Auction Sale L01323 (19 June 2001), Lot 10.

(d) Sotheby’s Auction Sale L01325 (6 December 2001), Lot 2.

(e) Sotheby’s Auction Sale L05240 (5 July 2005), Lot 90. This last lot consisted of a block of 128 leaves and from this scholars were able to determine that the Breviary was Cistercian, and, further, an office of twelve lessons to Saint Firminus suggested an origin in the area of Amiens.

Recto side, column 1:

1 servans mortem fidem

2 virgo conregnat eiusde(m) .

3 cap(itulu)m Q ui gloriatur

4 in domino . r(esponsorum) O bea-

5 ta katerina Signum mi-

6 s(eri)c(or)die astantib(us) apperias .

7 v(ersus) Et gra(tia)m superne bene-

8 dict(i)onis tu deposcas . Si-

9 gnum . ymnus S pon-

10 se (chr)isti eximie . ut sup(ra) . [See Note P

11 versus Ora pro nob(is) b(eat)a . ad

12 bened(ictus) . a(ntiphona) Prudens et

13 vigilans virgo qualis

14 es cum sponso illo qui te

15 elegit de mundo quam

16 pulchra q(ua)m mirabilis

17 quanta luce spectabilis

18 inter syon iuvencula et

19 i(e)hr(usa)l(e)m filias thalamo [line filler]

20 gaudens regio coniuncta

21 dei filio . p(salmus) B(e)n(i)d(i)c(tu)s coll(ecta)

22 D eus qui dedisti le-

23 gem moysi . ut supra .

24 ad . i( ) . an(tiphona) Eterne virgo [ 1st ?

25 memorie quam (i)g(itur) despon-

Recto side, column 2:

1 dit rex gl(or)ie virginis p(ro)les

2 eximie sponsus q(ue) virgini(s)

3 eccl(es)ie tu gaudes hodie de do-

4 no gratie (et) cantas p(ro)prie [line filler]

5 carmen amabile te lau-

6 dantes de celo respice atq(ue)

7 n(ost)ra suscipe vota . ad . iii( ) [ 3rd ?

8 a(ntiphona) O celestis patris fili-

9 a cum qua crevit ab in-

10 fantia miserat(i)o o ma-

11 trem orphanorum o in-

12 dicem viduarum q(ua) pau-

13 per spiritu pauperib(us) sem-

14 p(er) condoluit cap(itulum) Q ui

15 gloriatur in domino .

16 v(ersus) Specie tua (et) pul( ) coll(ecta) [ ?

17 D eus qui dedisti leg(e)s

18 moysi ut . s(upra) . ad . vi( ) . a(ntiphona)

19 Iusticie tenax p(er)sonarum

20 amatrix e(ss)s refugit que du-

21 ris sermonum (et) verb(or)um

22 i(ni)tib(us) cesarem inoportuni- [ ?

23 tate corripuit capitulu(m)

24 E mulor enim vos

25 dei emulat(i)one ;

Verso side, column 1:

1 despondi enim vos u-

2 ni viro virginem cas-

3 tam exhibere (chr)isto v(ersus)

4 Adiuvabit eam d(ominu)s coll(ecta)

5 D a populo tuo q(uesumu)s

6 domine spiritum

7 veritatis (et) pacis ; ut i(n)-

8 tercedente beata kateri-

9 na (et) te tota mente cog-

10 noscat ; et que t(ibi) placi-

11 ta toto corde sectetur . P(er)

12 ad . ix( ) . an(tiphona) Expecto pro te [ 9th ?

13 gladium ih(es)u bone rex tu

14 meum da paradiso sp(iritu)m

15 (et) fac misericordiam mea(m)

16 a gentibus memoriam .

17 S apientia cap(itu)l(u)m

18 vincit maliciam

19 attingit ergo a fine us-

20 q(ue) ad finem fortiter ; et

21 disponit omnia suavi-

22 ter . v(ersus) Elegit eam d(ominu)s col(lecta)

23 P r(est)a quesumus om-

24 nip(oten)s deus ; ut a te

25 toto corde clamantes (et) [ ‘et’ ?

Verso side, column 2:

1 intercedente beata ka-

2 terina tue pietatis in-

3 dulgentiam consequa-

4 mur . P(er) d(o)m(i)n(um) ad . s(e)c(un)das

5 versus . s( ) . p(salmu)s . a(ntiphona) Cum e(ss)et ad [ ?

6 huc in annis virgo pueri

7 lib(us) caris orbata parentib(us)

8 mundi renuntiavit opib(us)

9 a(ntiphona) Cesar electos convocat

10 rethores (et) gramaticos ad

11 ( )usus illam disputaturos [ ?

12 quos vincens virgo (chr)isti

13 fidem docuit (et) martyres di-

14 gnos deo exhibuit . a(ntiphona) Glo(rio)-

15 sam virginem tyrannus

16 flagellari imperat (et) cruci-

17 andam fame in carcere re-

18 cludi cui escam p(er) colum-

19 bam (chr)istus facit mini-

20 strari . a(ntiphona) Vere huius o-

21 rat(i)ones (et) elemosine asce(n)-

22 derunt in templum q(ua)m

23 noctib(us) lumina sancta

24 lustrantem victus (et) vesti-

25 tus egenorum p(ro)sequebat(ur) .

Notes:

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

Versals: D,E,P,Q,S.

B Alternative forms of ‘d’(2), ‘r’(3) and ‘s’(3).

Note that the word ‘despondi’ (verso 1, line 1) has both forms of ‘d’.

Note that the word ‘virginis’ (recto 2, line 2) has a trailing ‘s’.

Note that the word ‘sectetur’ (verso 1, line 11) ends with a third form of ‘r’.

C Fusion between letters ‘be’, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘ho’, ‘od’, ‘pe’ and ‘pp’, and possibly others.

D Elision between letters ‘fi’ and ‘gi’ and possibly others.

E Ligature of ‘ct’, e.g. in ‘spectabilis’ (recto 1, line 17) and in many other words.

F Ligature of ‘st’, e.g. in ‘dedisti’ (recto 1, line 22) and in many other words.

G Use of the crossed Tironian ‘et’ (e.g. recto 2, line 4) and elsewhere.

H Abbreviation of ‘igitur’ (recto 1, line 25).

I Abbreviation of ‘nostra’ (recto 2, line 7).

J Abbreviation of ‘esse’ (recto 2, line 20).

K Abbreviation of ‘tibi’ (verso 1, line 10).

L Abbreviation of ‘Per’ (verso 1, line 11).

Note this represents a standard terminating phrase with a meaning such as,

‘Though Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen’.

M Abbreviation of ‘omnipotens’ (verso 1, lines 23-24).

N Most 1-line painted versals in either red or blue have corresponding small letters

underneath them and written by the scribe to guide the illuminator.

O All the written capital letters are very elaborately written and touched with red

and show the scribe’s skill. See, for example, the letter ‘P’ in ‘Prudens’

(recto 1, line 12).

P The Greek letters ‘chi’ and ‘rho’ are represented together as ‘xp’ and stand for

‘chr’ in such words as ‘(chr)isti’ (recto 1, line 10).

Q There are two very small line fillers, which are not immediately obvious, and they are formed by a small round circle filled with red and with slanting lines protruding above and below. The beak of the painted bird is pointing at one.

MS 5650/47