Vitas patrum, St Birgitta, unidentified texts (fragment)

15th century

Paper and parchment

ii, 10, ii' leaves

145 × 105 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1r–1v) Excerpt from Vitas patrum

Incipit: Uenit aliquando abbas ysaac in cenobium et vidit illic fratrem negligentem

Explicit: quia fratrem tuum in tempore temptacionis despexisti

Edition: PL, vol. 73, cols. 786–787.

2 (ff. 2r–5v) Excerpts from St Birgitta, Revelations, and unidentified texts

Incipit: Quidam miles potentissmus multum odiuit clerum

Explicit: non omnes demones eos retinere possunt

Note:

ff. 2r–2v: fragments from St Birgitta, Rev. 1:17, 1-5 (the first lines are from the Declaration on p. 288), on ff. 2v–3r follows an unidentified text;

ff. 3v–4v: blank.

f. 5r: possibly part of a sermon;

f. 5v: St Birgitta, Rev. 2:19, 1-8;

f. S5A: blank parchment leaf;

ff. 6r–10v blank.

Editions: Undhagen (1977), pp. 287–288; Undhagen (2001), p. 86.

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, f. SL1, SR2, RCI

Support: Paper

Locus: f. SL2, SL1

Support: Parchment

Note: f. SL2 and f. SR1 are stiff parchment leaves, which were probably once used as a cover for the booklet.

Leaf dimensions: 145 × 105 mm

Textblock

Support 1

Locus: ff. 1–10

Support: Paper

Leaf dimensions: 145 × 105 mm

Watermark 1

Locus: ff. Locus: pp. 1/7,

Motif: Unidentified motif.

Note: Part of motif visible in the upper, inner corner.

Support 2

Locus: 5A

Support: Parchment

Note: f. 5A is a blank parchment leaf. It was probably used to strengthen the centre fold of the quire.

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

Collation

Note: The fragment consists of one quire of ten leaves.

Condition

Binding/Endleaves

f. SL1 detached. f. SL2 and f. SR1 are water damaged.

Textblock

Paper damaged in places. On f. 5 and f. 6 pieces have broken off and attached to the parchment leaf f. 5A.

Layout

Columns: 1

Written lines: 22

Written area: 115 × 80 mm

Note: Guidelines in ink visible on some leaves.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Gothic cursive.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Upper left corner: National Library book label with current signum.

(f. SL1r) Upper left corner, in ink by a modern hand: ‘ ~~Isl. 8o No 21.2.~~ ’; below: ‘Fragment af legender.’; below: ‘ ~~Historia abbatis Ysaac~~ ’.

(f. SL2r) Top of page, in black ink by an early modern hand: ‘N^o 21 Islandica’.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in brown ink.

Initials:

(f. 1r): plain initial over 2 lines in brown ink (same as the main text). (f. 2r): plain initial over 2 lines in red.

Binding

Description:

Modern binding. Paper and leather over cardboard. LCO, stamped in gold: ‘A 121’.

Binding dimensions: 150 × 105 × 5 mm

Contemporary: No

History

Origin

15th century. Dating based on the inclusion of texts by St Birgitta.

Provenance

Early provenance unknown. The text on f. SL1r and f. SL2r indicates that the fragment was previously bound with Isl. papp. 8:o 21, a modern volume containing miscellaneous Icelandic texts and fragments of texts from four different 17th century manuscripts. Three of these manuscripts were written in Iceland, and the fourth in Sweden.