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 showing part of the Sanctorale related to the Archangel Michael in the Book of Revelation.

There are two columns of twenty-five lines of Gothic script in brown ink. Line ruling is in brown. There are five two-line versal letters in orange, blue and raised gold, each with a border extension (or extensions) in similar colours, and ten one-line versal letters in red or blue. One two-line versal letter ‘P’ on the recto includes a human head. Rubrics are in red. This leaf is from the same Breviary as MS 5650/139, but the two leaves were not adjacent in the original Breviary.

The text contains quotations from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament including the story of the Archangel Michael fighting the dragon (Chapter 12, Verses 7 and 8).

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 D um preliaretur mi-

2 chael archangelus

3 cum dracone audita est

4 vox dicentium salus do(mino)

5 n(ost)ro alleluia . c(a)p(tulu)m S i-

6 gnificavit deus que .

7 R(esponsorum) Stetit angelus iuxta

8 aram templi v(ersus) Haben(s)

9 thuribulu(m) aureum i(n) ma-

10 nu sua. ymn(us) M iste- [See Note B

11 riorum signifer . v(ersus)

12 Adorate dominum omne(s)

13 angeli eius . in ev(a)ng(elium) .a(ntiphona)

14 Factum est silentium in

15 celo dum draco commit-

16 teret bellum (et) michael pu-

17 gnavit cum eo et fecit

18 victoriam all(elui)a . collecta

19 D eus qui miro ordine-

20 ut supra . ad . i( ) . a(ntiphona) Du(m) [ 1st ?

21 committeret bellum dra-

22 co cum michaele audita

23 est vox milia milium di

24 centium salus deo n(ost)ro .

25 ad . iii( ) . a(ntiphona) Michael ga- [ 3rd ?

Recto side, column 2:

1 briel cherubin (et) seraphi(n)

2 hii non cessant clamare

3 cotidie dicentes dignus

4 es domine accipe gloriam

5 alleluia . ad. vi( ) . a(ntiphona) Ang(e)li [ 6th ?

6 domini domino benedicite

7 in eternum . cap(itulu)m

8 F actum est p(re)liu(m) [Revelation Chapter 12:7

9 in celo michael (et) ange-

10 li eius preliabantur cu(m)

11 drachone . (et) draco pug-

12 nabat (et) ang(e)li eius . (et) n(on) [Revelation Chapter 12:8

13 valuerunt neq(ue) locus

14 eorum inventus est

15 amplius in celo . v(ersus)

16 Data sunt ei incensa m(ulta) .

17 Ut adoleret ea ante altar(s)

18 P erpetuum no- coll(ecta)

19 bis domine tue

20 miserat(i)onis presta s(u)b-

21 sidium . quib(us) (et) ange-

22 lica prestitisti suffingi

23 a non deesse . P(er) ad . ix( ) . a(ntiphona) . [ 9th ?

24 Angeli archangeli throni

25 (et) dominat(i)ones principat(es)

Verso side, column 1:

1 (et) potestates virtutes celo

2 rum laudate dominum

3 de celis alleluia . c(a)p(itulum)

4 A udivi vocem an- [Revelation Chapter 5:11

5 gelorum multorum

6 in circuitu throni et

7 animalium (et) senio-

8 rum . (Et) erat numeru(s)

9 eorum milia milium

10 voce magna dicenti-

11 um salus deo nost(ro) . v(ersus)

12 Ascendit fumus arom(ae) . [ ‘aromae’ ?

13 B eati archan- coll(ecta)

14 geli tui michae-

15 lis intercessione suffu-

16 lti supplices te domi(n)e

17 deprecamur ; ut quos

18 honore p(er)sequimur co(n)-

19 tingamus et me(n)te . P(er)

20 ad . v(ersus)( ) . sup . ps(almus) . a(ntiphona) . Stetit [ ?

21 ang(e)lus . a(ntiphona) Ascendit . a(ntiphona)

22 Michael ar(changelus) . a(ntiphona) Michael

23 p(rae)po(s)it(us) . cap(itulu)m S ignifica-

24 vit dominus . r(esponsorum) Glo(ri)o- .

25 sus apparuisti in conspec

Verso side, column 2:

1 tu domini . v(ersus) Droptea

2 deco. in . te . dominus y(m)n(us)

3 M isteriorum signifer .

4 v(ersus) In conspectus ang(e)lorum .

5 in euug( ) . a(ntiphona) Stetit ange- [ ?

6 lus iuxta aram templi ha-

7 bens thuribulum aureu(m)

8 in manu sua . (et) . data sunt

9 ei incensa multa (et) ascen-

10 dit fumus aromatum in

11 conspectu domini de manu

12 angeli . coll(e)c(t)a D eus q(ui)

13 miro ordine . ut sup(e)r .

14 In nat( ) sancti ieronimi [ ?

15 ad . v(ersu)s . c(a)p(itulu)m D ilectu(s)

16 a deo . r(esponsorum) Amavit eum .

17 ymn(us) I h(es)u corona . v(ersus)

18 Iustus germinab(us) . ad . m( ) . [ ?

19 a(ntiphona) Iste cognouit . collecta

20 D eus qui nos beati ie-

21 ronimi . viii . l( )oe B ear- [ ?

22 ti sunt servi . r(esponsorum) Euge

23 serve . le petit . omelia e(st)

24 G randis fiducia . q(ue)-

25 re totum in unuis co(n)-

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,A,D,E,F,G,H,I,M,P,S,U.

Versals: A,B,D,F,G,I,M,P,S.

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

Note the second ‘i’ in ‘hii’ (recto 2, line 2) has a descender.

Note the trailing ‘s’ in ‘Hebens’ (recto 1, line 8).

Note the dotted ‘y’ in the rubric ‘ymnus’ (recto 1, line 10).

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

D Elision between letters ‘fi’, ‘fu’, ‘ga’ and ‘gn’ and possibly others.

E Ligature of ‘ct’, e.g. in ‘victoriam’ (recto 1, line 18).

F Ligature of ‘st’, e.g. in ‘est’ (recto 1, line 3).

G Use of the crossed Tironian ‘et’ (e.g. recto 2, line 1).

H Abbreviation of ‘domino’ (recto 1, line 4).

I Abbreviation of ‘alleluia’ (recto 1, line 18).

J Abbreviation of ‘nostro’ (recto 1, line 24).

K Some written capital letters are very elaborately written and touched with red.

See, for example, the letter ‘D’ in ’Droptea’ (verso 2, line 1).

L Most painted versals have corresponding small letters underneath to guide

the illuminator.

MS 5650/47