Hand: Forty-six Glosses to Carmen Paschale, BnF latin 8092

Name

Forty-six Glosses to Carmen Paschale

Manuscript

BnF latin 8092

Script

Unspecified

Scribe

Unspecified

Date

Saec. xi2/4

Place

Unknown

Stokes, English Vernacular Script, ca 990–ca 1035, Vol. 2 (PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006)

Although ten or more scribes may have written vernacular glosses in this manuscript, most of the glosses can probably be attributed to just two or three scribes. Most of the glosses were written quite consistently in small script with thin pens, but some are less consistent, and some are very rough and were written with much thicker pens. Ascenders are generally long and show small wedges, although approach-strokes are found, and sometimes no decoration was used. Descenders are straight and usually long, though usually shorter than ascenders. Minims usually show short wedges or approach-strokes and short feet. Caroline a is found frequently on the first two folios and sometimes on folio 3, but round and flat-topped forms dominate thereafter, although Caroline and teardrop-shaped a were also used. A round a-component of æ is normally found, sometimes quite wide and sometimes much more narrow, and the flat-topped form was also used; the tongue is straight and can be rising or horizontal, and no tall æ is found. Round c was used throughout. The back of d is short and bilinear on the first two folios, and is longer and rounded thereafter, often barely rising above cue-height but sometimes angled more steeply. Caroline d is found once (mid, 2r7). Round e is normal, normally with a straight rising tongue and often forming a low ligature with g, t, and either flat-topped or Caroline a; horned e is sometimes found, particularly in a narrow angular hand on 7r. Insular f is normal but Caroline f is found twice (for, 1v23; of, 3r1). The form of g is fairly consistent throughout: the top is flat and the mid-section hangs from the left; the mid-section can be quite angular, in which case the tail descends down and left and then hooks up at the tip, or the mid-section can be more rounded and the tail also rounded and closed or nearly closed. Caroline h was normally used. The shoulders of m, n, and r can be rounded or angular. Caroline r was used quite frequently on the first three folios and sometimes thereafter; the letter often has a long descender, however. Tall s was used throughout, normally standing on the baseline but sometimes with a descender; tall s+t ligature was used once (tostent, 2v4). The conventional distinction between þ and ð was largely followed, although exceptions are found (earfoþlicre, in a rough hand with a thin pen, 3r3; ðurstige, in a large and very rough hand, 6r9; ðu, in a regular hand with a thin pen, 41v1). The back of ð is once concave down (ðurstige, 6r9), but is normally vertical-tipped; the through-stroke is normally hooked down but can be hooked up (ðu, 41v1) or lacking (30v1). Straight-limbed y was used, normally dotted (but undotted in wealcstodys, 3r17, and scryðum, 30v1); the right branch is often hooked left and the tail can be hooked right. The top of 7 is wide and close to horizontal.