Manuscript leaf from a Breviary, in Latin, produced in Italy (Ferrara)

MS 5650/59

Manuscript leaf from a Breviary, in Latin, produced in Italy (Ferrara)

c.1441-1448

Text: From a Breviary, in Latin

Script: Southern Textualis Formata (Rotunda)

The breviary is written in double columns of thirty lines, in a rounded gothic hand, in brown ink, and ruled lightly with ink. Rubrics are in red and capitals are touched with yellow. Each text column has a decorated border of which three are bar borders in gold with elaborate floral sprays and finials - one is of a leafy floral design. There are eight gold initials against blue and pink grounds.

The parent manuscript has previously been identified as the Breviary of Borso d'Este, but it is now accepted as the Breviary made for his predecessor, Leonello d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, 1441- 50. It is described in the Este accounts as having been illuminated between 1441 and 1448 by Giorgio d' Alemagna, Guglielmo Giraldi, Magnanino, Matteo de Pasti and Bartolomeo Benincà; see A. Franceschini, Artisti a Ferrara in età umanistica e rinascimentale, Tetimonianze archivistiche, I, 1993, docs. 585a, 585g and 585n, app. 22 and 24; G. Campori, ‘I miniatori degli Estensi’, Atti e Memorie delle Regie Deputazioni di Storia Patria per le Provincie Modenesi e Parmensi, VI, 1872, pp. 247- 8 and 268- 9, docs. v and vi; and F. Toniolo, ed., H. J. Hermann, La miniatura estense, 1994, pp. 66- 7,73 (docs. 18-20) and 258 (docs. 17-21).

The imperfect manuscript from which this leaf comes was apparently brought to Britain from Spain and came into the possession of the Llangattock family of Monmouth; it was sold at Christie's in 1958 to Goodspeed’s of Boston, Massachusetts, who split it up. It carried the bookplate of John Etherington Welch Rolls, father of the first Baron Llangattock and the note "Brought by my grandfather . . . Supposed to have been Peninsular loot. The pictures cut out by soldiers. J.A. Rolls 1882". A miniature of Saint Helena from the manuscript was illustrated in Alan G. Thomas, Fine Books, 1967, pl. 22, and was subsequently used for a set of postage stamps issued by St. Helena in 1971. Other leaves from the manuscript are reproduced in R. S. Wieck, Late Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts, Houghton Library, 1983, p. 130, fig. 74; and M. Manion and V Vines, Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts in Australian Collections, 1984, p. 97, fig. 87.

Transcription

Recto side, column 1:

1 sunt : Hec dicit dominus . R(esponsorium)

2 S Usicpe ve(r)bum vi(r)go ma(r)ia .

3 q(uo)d tibi a d(omi)no p(er) angelum trans-

4 missum e(st) . (con)cipies (et) pa(r)ies deum

5 parit(ur) et homine(m) . Ut b(e)n(e)dicta di-

6 ca(r)is) inter om(ne)s mulieres . V(er)su(s) .

7 Paries quide(m) filium et vi(r)gini-

8 tatis no(n) patie(r)is de t( )mentu(m) effi- [t(or)mentu(m)?

9 cie(r)is g(ra)vida (et) e(r)is mat(er) semper i(n)-

10 tacta . Ut b(enedic ) . Lectio secunda .

?

11 L Avamini mu(n)di estote . [Isaiah 1:16

12 auferte malu(m) cogitatio-

13 num v(est)ra(rum) ab oc(u)lis meis . Q(ui)e-

14 scite agere p(er)v(er)se : discite b(e)n(e)fa-

15 cere . Que(r)ite iuditiu(m) . s(u)bve(n)ite

16 oppresso : iudicate pupillo de-

17 fendite vidua(m) : et ve(n)ite (et) a(r)g(u)-

18 ite me dic(it) d(omi)n(u)s . Si fue(r)i(n)t pec-

19 cata v(est)ra ut coccinu(m) : q(uas)i nix

20 dealbabunt(ur) : Et si fue(r)int r(u)-

21 bra q(uas)i ve(r)micul(us) : velut la-

22 na alba erunt . R(esponsorium) L Etent(ur)

23 celi (et) exultet t(er)ra iubilate mo(n)-

24 tes laudes q(uia) d(omi)n(u)s n(oste)r ve(n)iet . [line filler]

25 Et pauperu(m) suo(rum) miserebitur .

26 V(ersus) Oriet(ur) in diebus ei(us) iustitia

27 (et) habundantia pacis . Et . L(ectio) . iii . [tertia

28 S I volue(r)itis (et) audie(r)itis [Isaiah 1:19

29 me : bona t(er)ra com(m)ede-

30 tis . Q(uo)d si nolue(r)itis et me ad

Recto side, column 2:

1 iracundia(m) p(ro)vocave(r)itis : gla-

2 dius devorabit vos : q(uia) os [line filer]

3 d(omi)ni locutu(m) est . Quom(od)o f(a)cta

4 e(st) meretrix civitas fidelis ple-

5 na iudicii . Iustitia h(ab)itavit

6 in ea : nu(n)c aut(em) homicide . Ar-

7 gentu(m) tuu(m) v(er)sum e(st) in scoria(m) .

8 vinum tuu(m) mistu(m) est aqua .

9 R(esponsorium) A Lieni no(n) transibu(n)t p(er) ier(usa)l(e)m

10 amplius . Nam in illa die stilla-

11 bu(n)t montes dulcedine (et) colles

12 flue(n)t lac (et) mel dic(it) d(omi)n(u)s . V(ersus) . D(eu)s

13 alibano veniet (et) s(an)ct(u)s de mo(n)te

14 u(m)broso (et) (con)dempso . Na(m) i(n) .

Ad

15 laudes . a(n)t(iphona) . Miserere mei d(ominu)s

16 cum rel( ) . a(ntiphona) . (et) ps(almus) . ut in psalmi-

17 sta . ad laudes . capitulum .

18 V Enite ascendamus ad [Micah 4:2

19 monte(m) d(omin)o et ad domum

20 dei iacob (et) docebit nos vias

21 suas (et) ambulabimus in se-

22 mitis eius : q(uia) de syon exibit

23 lex et ve(r)bum d(omin)o de ier(usa)l(e)m (h)y(mnu)s

24 Vox clara ecce i(n)to . V(ersus) . Vox cla- [into ?

25 mantis in des(er)to parate via(m) d(omin)o

26 R(esponsorium) . Rectas facite semitas eius .

27 Ad . B( ) . a(n)t(phona) . A Ngelus do(mini) nu(n)tia-

28 vit ma(r)ie (et) concepit de sp(irit)u s(an)c(t)o

29 all(elui)a . p(salmu)s . B(e)n(edictus) . kyr(ie) (e)l(ison) .

(christe) (e)l(ison) . kyr(ie) (e)l(ison) .

30 Pat(er) n(oste)r . aliq(uan)tulu(m) al( )te . V(ersus) . Et [al(i)te?

Verso side, column 1:

1 ne nos . R(esponsorium) . S(u)m libera . V(ersus) . Ego dixi

2 d(omi)ne mis(erere) m(e)i . cum rel(iquis) . precib(us)

3 ut h(abe)nt(ur) in psalmista post oct(avum)

4 epy(phania)e or(ati)o . Excita d(omi)ne q(uesumu)s . Et e(st)

5 sciendu(m) q(uia) or(ati)ones do( )cales d( ) n( )r [dominus noster?

6 se(m)p(er) sic(ut) in doca( ) p(er) ebdomodam

7 ad om(ne)s horas q(ua)n(do) agit(ur) de fe(r)ia

8 ex ceptis in . xl . (et) in quatuor

9 te(m)porib(us) de adventu (et) ebdo

10 madis pasce (et) pente(cos) . Ad pri- [pentecon ?

11 ma(m) . a(n)t(iphona) . In illa die . p(salmu)s . Deus in

12 no(min)ie . cu(m) rel(iquis) . ut h(abe)ntur in p(salmi)s .

13 cap( ) . Pacem (et) vi( )tate(m) . R(esponsorium) b( ) . (christ)e

14 filii dei vivi . V(ersus) . Qui ve(n)turus

15 es in . mis(eri) . V(ersus) . Exurge (christ)e . ad .

16 R(esponsorium) . Et lib(era) . kyr(ie) (e)l(eison) . (christe) (e)l(eison) .

kyr(i) (e)l(eison) . p(ate)r .

17 n(oste)r . V(ersus) . Et ne . R(esponsorium) . S(u)m li(bera) . Credo i(n) de-

18 um . V(ersus) . Carnis res(ur)ecto(n)em . R(esponsorium) . Vi-

19 ta(m) et(iam) . a(nima)m . V(ersus) Et ego . cum rel(iquis) . p(re)

20 cib(us) ut h(aba)nt(ur) . in p(salmi)s po(st) octava(m)

21 epy(phania)e . ad absolutio(n)em cap( )li .

22 D O(min)e mis(erer)e n(ost)ri . te e(t)i(a)m

lect(i)o . [Isaiah 33:2

23 expectavimus : esto brachi-

24 um n(ost)r(u)m i(m)mane et salus nost(ra)

25 in t(em)p(o)r(e) tribulatio(n)is . Tu aut(em) d(omin)o .

26 (et) d(icitu)r infe(r)ialib(us) dieb(us) usq(ue) ad vi-

27 giliam nativitatis do(mini) . Ad . iii .

28 E Cce dies veniunt

cap( ) . [Jeremiah 23:5

29 dicit d(omi)n(u)s (et) suscitabo d(avi)d

30 germen iustu(m) . (et) reg(na)bit rex et

Verso side, column 2:

1 sapiens e(r)it (et) faciet iudicium

2 et iustitia(m) in t(er)ra . R(esponsorium) a(ntiphona) . br(evi)a . (et) ve(r)-

3 sicula . ut su(n)t in do(mini)ca .

Ad . xi .

4 I N diebus illis salva-

cap . [Jeremiah 33:16

5 bitur iuda . et isr(ae)l h(ab)itabit

6 (con)fident(er) . (et) hoc e(st) nom(en) q(uo)d voca

7 bu(n)t eum d(omi)n(u)s iustus n(oste)r . ad .

8 P Rope e(st) ut ve(n)iat

ix . cap(itulum) . [Isaiah 14:1

9 te(m)pus eius (et) dies ei(us) no(n) elo(n)-

10 gabunt(ur) mis(er)ebit(ur) e(n)im d(omi)n(u)s iacob .

11 (et) isr(ahe)l salvabit(ur).

Ad vesperas .

12 ant(iphona) . Inclinavit do(minus) . cu(m) rel(iquis) . ant(iphona) .

13 (et) p(salmu)s . de . p(salmu)s . Capitulum .

14 N On auferet(ur) sceptrum de [Genesis 49:10

15 iuda . nec dux de femore

16 eius donec ve(n)iat qui mittend(us)

17 e(st) (et) ip(s)e e(r)it expectatio gentium .

18 (h)ym(nu)s . Conditor al . sy . V(ersus) . Rora-

19 te celi desup(er) (et) nubes pluant

20 iustu(m) . R(esponsorium) . Ap(er)iat(ur) t(er)ra (et) gem(m)inet

21 saluatore(m) . Ad . o( )(con) . ant(iphona) . L Eva

22 ier(usa)l(e)m oculos (et) vide potentiam

23 regis ecce saluator ve(n)it solve(re)

?

24 te a vinculo . p(salmu)s . Mag(nus) . (et) nota(n)-

25 dum q(uia) p(re)dicta cap(itu)la dicu(n)tur

26 s(upra)dicto mo( ) us(que) ad vig(ilium) . nativi-

27 tat(is) . do(mini) .

Feria . tercia . V(ersus) . Emi(t)-

28 te agnum d(omi)ne . R(esponsorium) . De petra de .

29 Ab solutio . Ip(s)ius pietas. ut . s(unt) .

30 ins( )o . noct(urna) . ann tribus b(e)n(e)dic-

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,D,E,H,I,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S and U/V.

Versals: A,D,E,I,L,N,P and S.

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

Sometimes the first stroke of the sideways ‘m’ curves upward and

sometimes downward.

There is occasional use of a trailing ‘s’ at the end of a word.

C Fusion between letters ‘be’, ‘dd’, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘Ds’, ‘He’, ‘ho’, ‘oc’,

‘od’, ‘oe’, ‘og’, ‘os’, ‘pd’, ‘pe’, ‘po’, ‘pp’, ‘ps’,

D Elision between letters ‘cu’, ‘fu’, ‘gi’ and ‘ti’ and possibly others.

E Ligature of ‘st’, e.g. in ‘estote’ (recto 1, line 11).

F Use of the uncrossed Tironian ‘et’ (e.g. recto 1, line 9).

G Note the use of a doubly crossed ‘i’ as a brief line filler (e.g. recto 2, line 2).

H There are many abbreviations, not all of which have been identified.

MS 59

Latin

1 leaf

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Material: Vellum leaf