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

MS 5650/114

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

c.1150

Text: From a Lectionary, in Latin

Script: Caroline Minuscule

This leaf comes from a Lectionary once owned by Otto Ege, and shows part of Matthew Chapter 11 and Mark Chapter 1. The text is in a single column of twenty-two lines. On the verso “Feria 4” relates to Wednesday and “Feria 6” relates to Friday. From the order of the words “Hic est enim” (recto side, line 20) it would seem that version of the text is the Sistina-Clementina variant.

A Lectionary contains selected readings from the Epistles and Gospels as well as the Acts of the Saint and the Lives of the Martyrs. These were read by the sub-deacon from a side pulpit. This practice necessitated that they be written in a separate volume, apart from the complete Missal. This fine large bookhand shown here, suited to easier reading in a dark cathedral, is a revival of the script developed nearly four centuries earlier in scriptoria founded by Charlemagne.

The colour of ink frequently helps associate a manuscript with a particular district or century. Ink of a brown colour is generally found in early manuscripts, but less frequently after 1200 A.D.

It is thought that this leaf is from the same manuscript that Otto F. Ege used for Leaf No. 3 in his forty sets of “Fifty Manuscript Leaves”, and indeed may have come from one of the sets.

Transcription

Recto side:

1 I N Illo t(em)p(o)re Dom(inica) . ii . S(e)c(un)d(u)m math(eu)m

2 [11:2] Cu(m) audisset ioh(anne)s in vinculis op(er)a (christi) .

3 mittens duos ex discipulis suis . [11:3] ait

4 illi . Tu es qui venturus es : an aliu(m)

5 expectamus ? [11:4] Et respondens ih(esu)s

6 ait illis . Euntes renuntiate ioh(ann)i .

7 quę audistis et vidistis [11:5] Cęci vide(n)t .

8 claudi a(m)bulant . Lep(ro)si mundant(ur) .

9 Surdi audiunt : mortui resurgu(n)t .

10 paup(er)es ęvang(e)lizant(ur) . [11:6] Et beatus e(st)

11 qui n(on) fuerit scandalizatus in me .

12 [11:7] Illis aut(em) abeuntib(us) . cępit ih(esu)s dice-

13 re ad turbas de iohanne . Quid exi-

14 stis in desertu(m) videre ? Arundine(m)

15 vento agitata(m) ? [11:8] Sed quid existis

16 videre . homine(m) mollib(us) vestitu(m) ?

17 Ecce qui mollib(us) vestiunt(ur) . in do-

18 mib(us) regu(m) s(un)t . [11:9] Sed quid existis vi-

19 dere ? p(ro)ph(et)am ? Etia(m) dico vob(is) . et

20 plus qua(m) p(ro)ph(et)am . [11:10] Hic e(st) eni(m) de quo

21 scriptu(m) e(st) . Ecce mitto ang(e)l(u)m meu(m)

22 ante faciem tua(m) . qui preparabit

Verso side:

1 via(m) tua(m) ante te . F(e)r(ia) . iiii . S(e)c(un)d(u)m

2 I N illo t(em)p(o)r(e) . Dixit ih(esu)s turbis . math(eu)m .

3 et discip(u)lis s(ui)s . [11:11] Amen dico vob(is) . n(on)

4 surrexit int(er) natos mulieru(m) maior

5 iohanne baptista . Qui aut(em) minor

6 e(st) in regno cęlor(um) . maior e(st) illo . [11:12] A di-

7 eb(us) aut(em) ioh(ann)is baptistę usq(ue) n(un)c . regnu(m)

8 cęlor(um) vim patitur . et violenti ra-

9 piunt illud . [11:13] Om(ne)s eni(m) p(ro)ph(e)tę et lex .

10 usq(ue) ad ioh(anne)m p(ro)ph(et)aver(unt) . [11:14] Et si vulti(s)

11 recip(er)e . ipse e(st) helias qui venturu(s) e(st) .

12 [11:15] Qui habet aures audiendi audiat .

13 F(e)r(ia) . vi . Initiu(m) s(ancti) ęv(an)g(elum) . S(e)c(un)d(u)m marcum .

14 [1:1] I nitiu(m) ęvang(e)lii ih(es)u (christ)i filii david

15 [1:2] sicut scriptum e(st) in esaia p(ro)ph(et)a . Ecce

16 mitto ang(e)l(u)m meu(m) ante facie(m) tua(m) .

17 qui preparabit via(m) tua(m) ante te .

18 [1:3] Vox clamantis in deserto . parate

19 via(m) d(omi)ni . rectas facite semitas ei(us)

20 [1:4] Fuit ioh(anne)s in deserto . baptizans et

21 predicans baptismu(m) penitentię .

22 in remissione(m) peccator(um) . [1:5] Et egre-

Notes:

A Letters (Caroline Minuscule): a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,z.

B Capital letters: A,C,D,E,F,H,I,L,N,O,Q,S,T,V.

C Versal: I.

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

E Ligature between letters ‘st’, e.g. in ‘audistis’ (recto, line 7)

F Elision between letters ‘fa’, ‘gu’, ‘rt’ and ‘ti’.

G Abbreviation for ‘eius’ (verso, line 19).

H Abbreviation for ‘propheta’ (verso, line 15).

I Abbreviation for ‘peccatorum’ (verso, line 22).

J Abbreviation for ‘est’ (recto, line 20).

K Abbreviation for ‘sancti’ (verso, line 13).

L Abbreviation for ‘christi’ (recto, line 2).

M Abbreviation for ‘Secundum’ (recto, line 1).

N Use of e caudata (e with a tail) to signify the ‘æ’ diphthong,

e.g. in ‘cepit’ (recto, line 12).

O The symbol for a question mark after, for example, ‘expectamus’

(recto, line 5).

MS 114

Latin

1 leaf

Material: Vellum leaf