Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, produced in Belgium (Hainaut)

Text: From a Book of Hours, in Latin

Script: Bâtarde

The leaf, from a Belgian (Hainaut) Book of Hours, comes from the Hours of the Virgin at Prime. The text is in one column of twelve lines written in a bâtarde script. There is a six-line historiated initial ‘D’ showing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in semi-grisaille. Rubrics are in red. There is one two-line initial in blue with white decoration on a brown ground. Also there are four one-line initials in gold on a blue or brown ground. A panel border shows flowers and a bird.

Transcription

Recto:

1 audi oratione(m) mea(m) Et cla-

2 mor meus ad te veniat Be-

3 nedicamus d(omi)no . Deo gra(tia)s

4 A ve maria gra(tia) plena

5 d(omi)n(u)s tecu(m) . B(e)n(e)dicta tu i(n) mu-

6 lierib(us) et b(e)n(e)d(i)c(tu)s fructus .

7 Ad p(ri)ma(m)

8 D Eus in

9 adiuto-

10 riu(m) meu(m)

11 intende

12 Domine

Verso:

1 ad adiuvandu(m) me festi-

2 na G loria p(at)ri . ymn(us)

3 M Emento salutis

4 auctor quod n(ost)ri

5 quondam corporis ex il-

6 libata virgine nascendo

7 forma(m) sumpseris M a-

8 ria mater gratie mater

9 m(iseriecord)ie tu nos ab hoste pro-

10 tege et hora mortis sus-

11 cipe . G loria tibi d(omi)ne

12 qui natus es de virgi(n)e

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,B,D,E.

B Versals: A,D,G,M.

C Alternative forms of letters ‘d’(2), ‘r’(2) and ‘s’(2).

D Note ‘d’ in ‘de’ (verso, line 12).

E Fusion between letters ‘ba’, ‘da’, ‘do’, ‘ho’, ‘od’, ‘os’ and ‘pe’.

F Ligature with ‘ct’, e.g. in ‘fructus’ (recto, line 6).

G No ligature of ‘st’.

H Abbreviation of ‘patri’ (verso, line 2).

I Abbreviation of ‘miseriecordie’ (verso, line 9).