Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, produced in Flanders (Ghent or Bruges)

Text: From a Book of Hours, in Latin

Script: Textualis Formata (Textus Quadratus)

The leaf is from a Flemish Book of Hours. There are 16 lines of ruled gothic textura script, written in Latin with dark brown ink, on vellum. There are four illuminated two-line initials, four illuminated one-line initials, and two illuminated line fillers in burnished gold on a red and blue ground with delicate white penwork. The two-line illuminated “N” begins the Nunc dimittis - a prayer recited by Simeon at the presentation of Jesus at the temple. (Luke 2:29-31); the two-line illuminated “G” begins the prayer: “Graciam . . .” and the two-line “U” begins the prayer: “Ure . . .”

Both sides have a burnished gold bar adjacent to a red and blue bar which extends along the left side of the text and ends in the top and bottom margins with graceful acanthus leaves in pink, blue and green. In the top and bottom margins are elegant rinceaux designs with floral, vines and berries in pink, green, blue, red and burnished gold.

Recto side:

1 S it laus deo patri summo xpristo [christo

2 decus spiritui sancto honor trinus (et)

3 unus . amen . V(ersus) . Ecce ancilla d(omi)ni :

4 fiat michi secundum verbum tuu(m) .

5 A(ntiphona) . Sub tuum presidium

6 N unc dimittis servum tuu(m)

7 domine s(e)c(on)d(u)m verbu(m) tuum in pace .

8 Q uia viderunt oculi mei salu-

9 tare tuum . [line filler]

10 Q uod parasti ante faciem omni-

11 um populorum . [line filler]

12 L umen ad revelacione(m) gentiu(m)

13 et gloriam plebis tue israel . A(ntiphona) . Sub

14 tuum presidium confugimus s(an)c(t)a

15 dei genitrix n(ost)ras deprecationes ne

16 despicias in necessitatibus nostris

Verso side:

1 sed a periculis cunctis libera nos sem-

2 per virgo benedicta . Domine exau-

3 di orationem meam : et clamor me-

4 us ad te veniat . Oremus . Collecta .

5 G Raciam tuam quesumus

6 domine mentibus nostris

7 infunde ut qui angelo nunciante

8 xpristi filii tui incarnationem cog- [christi

9 novimus per passionem eius et

10 crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam

11 perducamur Per . Coll(e)c(t)a .

12 U Re igne sancti sp(irit)us renes

13 nostros et cor nostrum domine ut

14 tibi casto corpore serviamus (et) mu(n)

15 do corde placeamus . Per .

16 E cclesiam tuam quesumus

Notes:

A Letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,A,C,D,E,O,P,R, and S.

B Versals: C,E,G,L,N,P,Q,S and U.

C Some capital letters are touched with yellow.

D Alternative forms of ‘a’(2), ‘i’(2), ‘r’(2) and ‘s’(2). Short ‘s’ occurs only at

the ends of words.

E Fusion between letters ‘be’, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘ho’, ‘oc’, ‘pe’ and ‘po’.

F Elision between letters ‘ci’, ‘ri’, ‘ti’ and ‘tu’.

G Ligature of ‘ct’, e.g. in ‘sancto’ (recto, line 2).

H Ligature of ‘st’, e.g. in ‘nostrum’ (verso, line 13).

I Bifurcation of ascenders ‘b’, ‘h’ and ‘l’, and descenders ‘p’ and ‘q’.

J There are hairlines on some letters ‘h’, ‘i’, round ‘r’, long ‘s’, ‘x’,

and on the final letter of some words ending in ‘a’, ‘i’, ‘m’, ‘n’, ‘s’ or ‘t’.

K The single word ‘Per’ (verso, lines 11 and 15) stands for a phrase

such as ‘Per dominum nostrum’.

L Use of the crossed Tironian ‘et’ symbol (recto, line 2 and verso, line 14).

M Use of ‘xp’ in place of ‘ch’ in ‘christo’ (recto, line 1) and ‘christi’ (verso, line 8).